When Shadows Rise | I

Ch. 33 | Blind

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It was easy for one's nerves to rocketeer in a place where you had no idea what could be waiting for you as you turn around the corner. So far, the unlikely trio didn't have any unlucky encounters— which, by 'lucky encounters', meant Raph didn't have to resort to knocking people out (something that Raph complained about). Despite that, Talia couldn't help but feel uneasy. Every door, left or right, had a likely chance of containing a surprise she wasn't sure she and her friends were prepared for. And after what they had seen— those people lying in their beds with strange bite marks— the trio had a feeling that whatever else they found wouldn't be as pleasant.

There were a few doors that were slightly open, which served to entice the three teenagers to take a peek, but they thought twice when voices were heard inside. Then there were doors that were kept under lock and key, and there was no time to pick the lock, so dead end, too. Talia and her friends were starting to run out of rooms to check out, and they were running out of time. It wouldn't be long before the two chemists on the roof deck wake up and alert their boss about intruders.

Talia and her friends continued walking, reaching the floor where the living & dining room would be at. Instead of any kind of furniture one would find in a lounge or eating area, the room was nearly vacant, with the exception of several cardboard boxes spread oddly across the room, with some even strewn like empty toilet paper rolls. Raph checked one of the opened ones and grabbed the contents of it, coming eye to eye with a familiar-looking vial.

"Ketamine," he said, wiggling it between her fingers.

"After seeing that makeshift hospital upstairs, I have some pretty good guesses on what the ketamine is used for here," April said.

Talia and Raph waited for her to share, but she didn't. Next, the trio walked downstairs to what they thought was the kitchen— which looked like it wasn't used for prepping any meals. Apple plucked an apple from the fruit basket— the only thing available for eating— and felt it too soft and crumbly when she slightly squeezed it (she did this for fun whenever she grabbed an apple). The redhead put it back in its original spot, feeling grossed out.

Meanwhile, the pungent odor of various chemicals being mixed together grew stronger by the second. Talia knelt to the floor, sniffing it and then looking up at her friends. "It's coming from down here," she claimed.

"You mean like a basement?" Raph said.

Talia nodded. "Most brownstones have basements underneath the kitchen. If you want to 'cook' something illegal, the basement is one place to do it."

"Great. So let's go."

Raph and Talia started to walk, but April stayed where she was. She kept looking around the room, as if she were looking for a lost valuable. Her lingering made Talia notice, who lightly tugged her forearm.

"What's wrong?" Talia asked, a layer of concern covering her voice.

Whatever April was thinking, she snapped out of it. A brief pause and then, "Nevermind," she decided. She muttered a brief saying before heading past Talia.

The staircase leading downstairs was easy enough to find, but nobody attempted to take the first step down. The trio only traded looks at each other, even coughing as an indicator that someone should go forward.