Season 01 - Episode 18

‘they never come’

Ny can't eat.

His meals arrive on time. They are hot and nutritious. The catering hatch opens and closes perfectly. He retrieves the food and picks at it but his stomach has no interest.

Ever since his neighbour caught him in the act of criminal repair, he cannot eat. Every time he hears footsteps in the corridor outside, he freezes and holds his breath. He waits for the footsteps to stop outside, for the heavy knock at his door.

As soon as his neighbour left, Ny removed all evidence of his crime. The freshly fixed hatch was conspicuously clean so he cleaned everything around it and put all his tools back in their museum-like places.

He knows it's no good though. Even if he denies it, she'll tell them what she saw. They'll have records of him reporting the jam. They'll see the tools. He won't have a leg to stand on and eviction will follow. They might even throw him out on the spot.

Footsteps come now, heavy and slow. They approach the door and Ny clenches. He looks at the steaming food in his lap and feels the agony of regret. The footsteps draw closer and closer and then...

...continue past his door. Ny sags and sighs and then trembles a little. The smell of the food makes his mouth water but the adrenaline makes him feel sick. He shuffles to the refuse hatch and scrapes his plate. He watches the food his body so craves slide into the dark.

Then the knock at the door comes after all.

He feels cheated. There had been no forewarning footsteps. He takes a breath and steadies himself. He has never felt closer to falling apart. He shuffles to the door, slope shouldered and broken.

When he opens it, he looks to the floor and is confused by the lack of black boots. Looking back up, instead of certain death he sees his neighbour. She is visibly nervous and doesn't speak. Ny leans out into the corridor and looks around and behind her. Where are the EnFo's?

“May I come in?” she asks eventually.

“Oh!” gasps Ny, his mind reeling from dark fantasy back to reality. “Sorry! Yes! Of course. Please do.”

She moves past him into the room and he closes the door behind her. As he turns to face her, he realises he is wringing his hands.

“We weren't properly introduced,” she says. “The other day. I'm Es.”

“Erm, Ny,” says Ny, daring a small smile.

“Look,” says Es, despite not looking at him. “About the other day...”

“I wasn't...” Ny interrupts desperately. “I mean, I wouldn't... It was just... I was so...”

“No, I understand,” says Es. “I've had a dripping tap in my washspace for over two years now, it's drives me spare. Haven't had a good night's sleep in all that time. I've reported it of course...”

“Of course,” echoes Ny.

“But they never come,” Es continues. “They say they'll come and you wait and wait, but they never do. Then you report it again and it's as if they've never heard of it.”

“Terrible,” Ny agrees.

“So, you see, I was wondering...” says Es. She glances around the apartment as if looking for hidden eavesdroppers. Ny looks as well then feels foolish. Panic is shredding his wits. He has no idea what she wants.

Es takes a step towards him and lowers her voice so that Ny can barely hear her.

“Could you fix it for me?” she says.

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