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.
My hands trembled, but I typed back: I’m in. Back road. Field. Trees. River. Hidden door in a hill. Two tunnels. I sent that one and immediately started another one: I’m sorry. I really am. I still care about Jace, but I hate him. I didn’t know until the hotel. That one was sent as well. Then a third, but this one would be shorter and to the point. I’m going in. I love you, Tray. I love only you.
Then I silenced the phone and tucked it back into my pocket.
“I’m so dumb,” I muttered to myself. Pulling my head back through the sweatshirt, I leaned back against the wall, eyes closed. I waited, one more moment alone, one more moment alive. My phone was buzzing in my pocket, but I wasn’t going to read the messages yet.
This was my plan. Get in. Find Gray, and hope they sent an army after me.
It was time to go. I nodded to myself, wiped my sweaty hands on my pants, and stood. I grabbed the door handle and turned it.
Light blinded me for a moment, but I went into the next room and shut the door. Throwing an arm over my eyes so I could let them adjust, I darted forward. It was go-time. The cameras would see me. I needed to move as quickly as possible.
I scanned the room. It was a large basement hallway. A ladder was lowered down like in a submarine and there were four doors, two on each side of the hallway. There were no windows to see in so I started feeling the handles. All of them were locked. I was tempted to climb the stairs and see what was up there, but I heard a door from above open, then the scuffling sounds of feet over the floor.
“Downstairs. An alarm went off. Check it.”
Shit. I had seconds to hide.
There was no place to hide in the hallway. I didn’t think. I went straight to the door handle that had been the loosest. Kneeling down, I used my pins to crack the lock. I was breathing in and out steadily to keep my heart rate low. Then the door gave way just as the hatch over the stairs lifted up. A pair of boots appeared and then I was pulled inside a room. I was held against the wall. The door started to slam shut, but I twisted. I shot my arm out and the door landed on it. It couldn’t slam shut. They couldn’t hear that sound. They’d know someone was there. The person softly cursed and held the door from my arm. I pulled my arm back and the door shut. It clicked softly at the same time a guard jumped to the floor outside.
As more guards dropped from the stairs to the floor, I turned. Two inches separated us. I was face to face with Gray. His eyes were wide and shocked. Then his door was knocked on. He cursed and shoved me towards his bed.
“You in there?” a guard called through the door. A key was being inserted into the lock, but it stopped. The guard pulled the key back out. “What the fuck? The lock is all messed up.”
Another guard was next to him. Pushing on the door, he said, “What are we going to do? That’s our only set. Boss has the other set.”
“Check the other rooms. Nothing was on the camera, but they said to still check.” He pounded harder on the door. “Answe
r me, kid, or we’ll have to bust down your door.”
Gray was holding me behind him. His hands were jerking and his knees were shaking. “I’m here.” His voice was hoarse. He cleared it, then called out louder, “I’m here. Here.”
The guard laughed. “Don’t suppose you’d tell us if anyone got in here?”
The second guard joined in, bellowing loudly. “Right. That tunnel is almost a mile long.”
I closed my eyes shut. Good joke, fellas. Good joke.
“Post, you clear?” The guard turned away. The doors were being unlocked and then shut again. We heard, “Clear.”
“Clear.”
“Last room clear.”