Chapter 38: Inside
It wasn't until after eleven when Audra and Neil came hobbling back to the car. I said hobbling, because Neil seemed to have been injured.
Seeing this, Hanz and I immediately rushed to them, assisted Neil to the car, turned to Audra. "Are you okay?!" I said embracing her. "What happened?!"
A small nod from her, before she pulled back to give Neil a hard stare. "Yes," Audra said. "I'm okay. But male, here, just had to test the system."
"Test?"
A flamboyant smile was starting to spread on Neil's lips when I turned to him, which surprised me a lot.
"They have the newest technology in there," he said. "Or out." Neil straightened up, puffed out his chest. "Basically, the security server we needed to access for the CCTV and alarms was inside Blackwell's property. But the plot twist was it was outside the main building itself, easily accessible." He shrugged. "Audra and I spent a few hours testing what we could do."
"So you're okay?" Hanz pried. My question exactly.
Neil stretched his arms. "Yes, I'm okay. I just need a few minutes to rest. We'd been through a brawl."
"Don't ask," Audra said, just when I was opening my mouth. "The important thing is the four of us are here, and the security system is out of the way."
"Right," Hanz said. "Should we get ready then?"
I didn't have to agree to dictate the next move.
One hour later, the four of us had changed into our casual clothes; Leather jackets and jeans for me and Audra, a black varsity jacket for Hanz, and finally for Neilâ what was that he was wearing?
He frowned when we all turned to him. "Chill," he said, buttoning the top of his Hawaiian shirt, complete with printed pineapples, but on the darker color. "If I am to dieâ which I won't, I want to die with dignity."
"That's dying with dignity?" Audra asked him.
Neil finished buttoning up his shirt. "Why, yes. Yes, it is. And look at you and Leighton wearing couple jackets. Yuck!"
Audra rolled her eyes at him, but swiveled to me. "I can't protect you that much when we're inside," she reminded. "Pax, are you sureâ"
"Don't worry," I said.
"I'm just saying I trust you on this," she cleared. "Completely. But don't be too reckless. Don't be like me."
I sighed. We had to work on that.
But even before I could tell her anything, Hanz had taken the bags we would need from the trunk. "Guys," he said. "We're almost up."
"Okay, big guy." Neil took one bag from Hanz, hooked it over his arm, passed the other bags to us. "Show time."
We didn't have to wait until it was one o'clock. Around twelve midnight was safe enough to go down to the nearest manhole we'd spottedâ yeah I know, we had no other choice.
Down the ladder, as soon as we got into the sewers, the familiar rotten scent overwhelmed me so much that it took great effort not to gag. But Neil wasn't so lucky. As Hanz was covering the manhole from the top of us again, I could hear Neil retching somewhere to my left, complaining for his life as always.
"God, it reeks down here!"
"But is everyone okay?" Audra asked.
My eyes began to adjust before anyone had even answered her. Luckily, the four of us seemed to be in a similar situation. None had thought to open a flashlight yet.
"The tunnel is wide enough for three people to walk side by side," Hanz confirmed as I looked around. "The ceiling is high too. Thank God. But our plan still stands, I go first. Audra, you next, then Pax. Neil, take the rear. Everyone have their bags?"
"Yes," we all answered.
"Good." Hanz was especially getting serious. I had never seen or heard him like this before. His face echoed his sentiments, as he brought out his knife. "Follow me then," he said. "And no speaking."
The sewer, as always, was a network of systems that looped every which way. It was a maze.
Furthermore, water was everywhere, coming from the walls, dripping from the ceiling, splashing on our boots. But the quantity was small enough so we wouldn't have trouble. Also, we didn't need a map this time. Each of us had calculated the route to take earlier before going on our separate tasks. Because our entry point was just a few buildings shy of the main research facility, we didn't need to even worry. We would never lose our way.
Except after a few minutes of traveling in the dark, the first blockage came to us.
"Stop," Hanz whispered, pointing his knife in front, giving us room to look by his shoulder. "Those are not walls. I don't think so." He moved towards the blockage, but Audra, who was supposed to be behind him, made it to the barriers first.
"They're crate's," she whispered, her voice carrying to us. "There's something written on them." Audra started to take a flashlight out of her pocket, then pointed it to the boxes. They were all made out of metal, kind of what you'd see from a military camp.
"Blackwell Corp," Audra read out loud. "Toxic."
I bit my lip. Beside me now, I could see Neil considering. This was a miscalculation. I mean, technically above ground was full of offices belonging to Steven Blackwell, but we had never thought he'd use the sewers too.
Wrong.
Audra clicked the flashlight close. "This is the right way," she said. "I think we should push through."
"Wait," I said. "The label said toxic. What if the boxes are volatile?"
Hanz, crossing his arms over his chest, didn't look bothered at all. "Maybe you should all stand back then," he said. "I'll try to remove one and test it for you."
"No."
"Leighton. . ." Neil gave me a look. A look that said, I was the one who asked them to be here. "You knew this could happen."
Audra came back to me, started guiding me farther away from the crates. "Let him do this," she whispered. "Or we all need to stop."
I stared at Hanz. He was already edging to the boxes, though not touching them yet.
"Okay," I confirmed. "But do it fast."
Nothing happened when Hanz attempted to lift a box. It was anticlimactic, he didn't even grunt. But more importantly, nothing exploded, nothing hissed out. But we waited a few seconds, before he placed the crate down.
"Whew!" he mouthed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, then motioned to the hole he created. I knew what he was thinking. There might be people on the other side, guarding.
The four of us drew out our knives again.
"One. . . Two. . ." Audra was the one who counted.
At the end of the count, Hanz pulled himself up, peeked at the hole.
We waited. Stilled. Our breaths coming in fogs, though no one spoke.
After a few seconds, Hanz was shaking his head. We finally relaxed.
"So much for that," Neil whispered, lowering his hand. "But what's on the other side, Peterson?"
"Another path." Hanz craned his neck. "Best not to talk after this, guys. And just in case. . . Keep on the lookout."
We all followed him through the small hole. Nothing happened even though we were literally on the top of the other crates. Whatever they held inside might not be that toxic. Or we could just be lucky because they were strong enough to carry us. Either way, we exited to the other side, still in one piece.
The four of us continued walking towards the sewer tunnel afterwards, on higher alert. Until once more, after a couple of minutes, Hanz was stopping again.
"Psst!"
Audra moved away from me, squatting beside Hanz. There was a turn to the left. Only both of them could see what was beyond.
Behind me, I could feel Neil moving to crouch by my side. A fairly good decision, especially since it was easier for Audra to tell us what was up. Or rather, to mouth at us, "Tracers. . . Two, on the left."
The rest of us nodded. We were prepared to come across some of them eventually. What we weren't expecting, though, was how they had thought to occupy the sewer too.
Then again, after all that had happened in our adventures, we should had figured this out.
Audra mouthed again. "Wait for my signal." She used her fingers to communicate after, telling us that she'd go over to the tracers, but I had other thoughts in mind, giving her a shake of my head.
"What?" she whispered. "Any objections, Pax?"
"I think. . . I think maybe I should be the one to attack," I mouthed. "There's only two of them."
"What?"
"I'm lighter," I continued. "Smaller. They won't notice me coming compared to the three of you. You've got to trust me on this, Audra."
A storm seemed to settle on her face. We all knew she trained me, but was she willing to let me go?
Hanz touched her on the shoulder, mouthed as well. "Trust Pax."
"I do," Audra said, "It's just that. . ." She peeked to the left again, then back at me, drawing a deep breath. "Okay. But if you get hurt. . ."
"We'll be here to prevent that." Hanz signaled to me. "Ready, Pax?"
"Ready," I said.
Both of them received a grateful smile from me, especially my girlfriend who looked torn with the decision.
It wasn't long before I was crouching by their side. There. The view was so much better. Just a few meters from us, I could see the tracers in their black uniforms and masks, standing over a platform and under a light.
But if that wasn't lucky enough, both of them were turned to the other direction. They wouldn't notice me.
Taking a deep breath, I started to run.
Ten meters. . . Five. . . I was within grabbing distance, when one of them started to turn around. I quickly stumbled to a crate I hadn't noticed nearby, hide.
Shit!
I peeked behind the box. This close, I could see that the tracers were carrying weapons of their ownâ rifles. Something we couldn't obtain for ourselves during the last few days, no matter how we tried.
What now? Looking back the direction I came from, I could see my friend's worried faces, especially Audra's. But I couldn't disappoint them now, could I?
"Do you smell that?" one of the tracers said, almost making me jump.
"What?" the other said.
"That."
Peeking behind the box again, I was greeted with the sight of the tracers seemingly sniffing the air, craning their heads.
"Smells like that time."
"What time?"
"You know. . . Outside the convenience store, then inside that girl's house."
"Leighton?"
"Yes, Leighton."
Both of their voices were gruff. Scratchy. But if that didn't surprise me, nor the fact that they remembered my name, what did was the moment they removed their masks.
I gasped.
What? What was I looking at exactly? The men's skins were closer to red than I'd ever seen before. And their eyes. Their eyes were slats and green. Eyes that proceeded to look directly at me.
"It's Leighton!" one of them screamed. "Get her!"
The other pounced at me, making me drop my knife in shock. The creature tried to scratch at my face, while I tried to cover myself, shriek.
I knew that Audra had trained me for battleâ but this? This was no battle. What was I fighting against?
A few seconds more, and the tracer on top of me was squealing at something, then was moving away.
Audra, who had scared it off with a fire she had made, tried to chase it alone, while Hanz who had made it to my side, mauled the other tracer with his fist.
A minute more, and silence regained, minus a couple of heavy breaths coming from the four of us.
Neil, who looked pale not far from me, whispered. "What the hell was that?"
It took us ten more minutes before we all settled down, but the pounding in my chest didn't want to be contained. Not now.
The two tracers who'd fallen were brought back to the platform, so we could all take a good look at them. But I still couldn't believe it. Those were not the faces of humans, and I wasn't being choosy either.
"Do you think that's Blackwell's doing?" Hanz asked no one in particular.
Audra, beside the other tracer, kicked its side with her boot. "Maybe," she answered. "Or maybe they're just deformed. Who knows?"
"Me. I want to know." Neil hugged himself beside me, continued staring at the tracers, as if he was having a bad dream. "And what do we do now?"
"Continue." Audra was firm. "Continue, no matter what."
But of course. I shook my head. Not to argue with her, but to shake myself out of the stupor I seem to have gotten myself in. Of course, we needed to continue. Of course, this was our mission. Everything else didn't matter.
Hanz, seemingly remembering shaking himself awake too, whispered to himself. "In that case, we should plant the bombs."
A/N: Hi! So many things have happened since I uploaded this. My God. . . The world has gone to shit. Anyway, I hope you guys are doing okay. As for me, I'm building a garden, talking with my book agent, and of course, trying to keep sane and healthy amidst this all.
I'm so thankful I make books for a living, otherwise, I'd go batshiz crazy in the real world. I do hope my books are giving you comfort as well. See yah.