Backtracking down one of the main roads that led to the school, I found a side road and began walking down it. It led past a clump of houses and then curved around a field. The farther I went, the more isolated it seemed. Trees on one side and the field on the other. A flash of headlights warned me of an approaching car and I melted into the trees. It sailed past me and I caught the glint of a rifle from its passenger.
The further out I went, the closer I was getting. I knew it.
As the field ended, the road curved once again, and I was in the forest now, but I knew this forest. There were dense trees that were on either side of the river, which meant that the river wasn’t far from where I was. Now things were making sense. The river ran the length of the entire country from north to south. My guess was that Jace used it to smuggle drugs and he stored the drugs in the school, which meant there had to be a tunnel.
I could feel it. I knew I was guessing right.
Hearing shouts ahead of me, I veered towards them and saw an empty truck parked in front of a hill. I looked left and right to check if there were cameras. When I didn’t see any, I sprinted for the hill, bending low to the ground as much as possible. I hugged the side of the truck in case anyone could see from a higher vantage point, but no alarm sounded and no one shouted. Rifles were inside the truck, which told me the men were coming back.
“Let’s go, Rufus!”
The voice came from inside the hill. I glanced around, looking for a hiding spot. There was none unless I ran back into the woods, but I wouldn’t have enough time.
Their footsteps were getting louder. They were coming.
I had only seconds.
I darted forward, and as I hit the hill, a door swung open, blocking me from their vision. As one man left, the door started to swing shut. I bit down on my lip, but held my knife in my hand. I was ready to leap and stab whoever came at me, but I heard a curse and the door was pushed open again. Relief flooded me. That guy went through the door and then a third followed him out.
“Let’s get some booze before we have to head back. The next shift change is in four hours,” the first one said. He jumped into the truck.
As the other two men filed towards the truck, I slipped around the door. It swung shut just as the truck’s headlights flashed on, and a moment later it was reversing. They didn’t wait for it to stop, he yanked the front of the truck around and gunned the engine.
As they headed off, another wave of relief came over me. I was inside, but turning around, I had no idea where I was. It was completely black. Running my hand over the wall and ceiling, I could feel it was a big enough hole for a person to walk through. They had covered the walls with cement, but I could hear the river through the walls. My nose twitched from the dirt in the air. Musk, feces, and mold filled the air as well.
As I moved further down the tunnel, the sounds of the river faded and sounds of traffic grew. I was getting close to the school again. I heard a honk, followed by someone yelling, “Pedlam RULES! Eat it, suckers!”
Then it hit me, and I wanted to smack myself in the head. It was Sunday Night Rally. I’d forgotten about their tradition.
When I got to the end of the tunnel, I hit a wall. Feeling around, I could tell the wall covered the entire tunnel so I started feeling for a door handle. Bass music, cheering, and laughter trickled down from above. I knew for sure I was underneath the school, specifically, I was beneath the parking lot. Then my hand hit a door handle and I paused. I started to turn it.
When the door opened, I slipped into another dark tunnel. This one wasn’t as compact and I could feel that it wasn’t as long. A door slammed shut not far ahead of me and I held still, but my hand quickly felt in front of me, searching for a possible hiding spot. No one came towards me, no light turned on, and I hung my head. The tension had my insides in a giant pretzel.
I scooted forward until I came to another door. Bending down, I felt under the door. A slight draft was there and it was cool. Then I heard footsteps and another door open and close. More footsteps, then a muffled conversation. I pressed my ear to the door, trying to hear their words, but couldn’t make them out.
This was it. I knew whatever was on the other side could be it for me. I knelt down, resting my back against the wall. “Never take your time. Get in. Get what you need. Get out. Less than two minutes. That’s your goal every time.”
I was going against Jace’s guidelines, but this was different. It wasn’t a mark. What I wanted to steal was a person, but I had to find him first. I had gone in blind, and I knew there was a high risk of exposure once I went through this door.
I reached into my pocket and turned my phone on. In case there was a camera, I pulled my sweatshirt up so it was engulfed inside it, then pulled my hands inside with the phone. I didn’t want the light to attract attention, but I had to send this text. Text after text came to the screen. They were all from Tray. Ignoring all of them, I brought up the last from him. It read: Stop! Don’t do what you’re doing. Come back. I’ll make them help. Please.