The morning sun poured through the cracks in Cris's shattered window, glinting off broken glass still scattered across the floor.
Cris groaned, dragging himself out of the chair where he'd collapsed after knocking out a monster with his slipper. His back ached, his neck popped, and his kitchen looked like a war zone.
The ants were neatly lined up by the sugar jar again, as if nothing had happened.
Cris rubbed his temples. "Right. Okay. First order of business: coffee."
He shuffled toward the coffeemaker, stepped on a shard of tile, yelped, and immediately regretted every decision that had led him to this moment.
The ants hummed in his mind.
"Enemy defeated. Survival secured."
Cris winced. "Yeah, great. But I still have to explain this to my landlord. And possibly the police. And probably… pest control? What do I even say? 'Oh don't worry, it wasn't a break-in, it was just a giant cockroach that tried to kill me'? Yeah, that'll go over well."
As if on cue, someone banged on his door.
"Cris?!" A woman's voice. Mrs. Salazar, his nosy neighbor from across the hall. "What was that noise last night? I heard breaking! Are you alright?"
Cris froze, eyes darting to the ants.
The ants answered flatly in his head.
"Lie."
He whispered back, panicked. "Lie?! About what?! She's standing right there!"
"Truth… forbidden."
Cris groaned. "Oh, this is going to be great."
He opened the door a crack, plastering the most exhausted smile he could manage. "Hey, Mrs. Salazar! Uh… funny story! I, uh… dropped a shelf. You know, clumsy me."
Her eyes darted past him, catching sight of the wreckage the cracked tiles, shattered cupboards, the window taped with cardboard.
"Clumsy?!" she screeched. "Cris, it looks like a tornado came through your apartment!"
Cris laughed nervously. "Yeah, well… IKEA furniture, am I right?"
The ants' voices pulsed, unimpressed.
"Weak cover. Poor deception."
Cris gritted his teeth. Shut. Up.
Mrs. Salazar narrowed her eyes. "You weren't having one of those parties again, were you? With your… weird gamer friends?"
Cris sighed in relief. "Yes! Exactly! Gamer friends. You know how it is. Controllers flying everywhere. We… uh… got a little carried away with Mario Kart."
She sniffed disapprovingly but stepped back. "Well. Keep it down. Some of us actually sleep at night."
When the door shut, Cris slumped against it. His heart pounded harder than when he fought the monster.
The ants hummed like a choir of disapproval.
"Unfit king. Ill-prepared."
Cris threw his hands up. "Excuse me for not being a professional liar-slash-superhero overnight! Some of us have day jobs!"
As if to remind him, his phone buzzed on the counter. A notification from his office:
[Reminder: 9:00 AM Team Meeting – Attendance Required]
Cris stared at it in horror. "...Oh god. I still have to go to work."
The ants, utterly serious:
"Battle. Not… 'work.'"
Cris grabbed his head. "No, ants, listen. I can't skip my job. You don't understand. If I don't show up, they'll just fire me. And then how do I pay for rent? Or, you know, fixing the hole where Bugzilla made a door through my window?!"
The ants were silent for a moment, then one single phrase rumbled through his chest.
"Unimportant."
Cris staggered. "Unimportant?! No paycheck means no food! You guys eat sugar, remember?! What do you think feeds you, huh?!"
For the first time, he felt hesitation ripple through their connection. The ants weren't used to human problems like utility bills and groceries. They had only ever known war, survival, and the will of the queen.
Cris sighed, rubbing his face. "Okay. Fine. We'll do it your way at night, and my way during the day. Deal?"
The ants didn't respond, but the bond pulsed faintly, like reluctant agreement.
Cris checked the time. If he sprinted, he might barely make it. He threw on a hoodie to cover the faint glow in his chest, stuffed his laptop bag with as many normal-looking items as possible, and prayed his coworkers wouldn't notice that he smelled faintly like bug guts and fear.
As he locked the door, one thought gnawed at him.
The creature that attacked last night hadn't been random. It had known where he was. It had come for him.
And if one had found him…
Cris shuddered. "God. I'm going to need stronger coffee."