Forbidden ~ after unlocked

Chapter 26 - Keefe

All of the dark hallways and mysterious passages were starting to get on Keefe's nerves.

He and Evren couldn't have been walking for more than 5 minutes, but Keefe was already sick and tired of the dark, damp hallway. He couldn't see anything, only hear his own ragged breathing and Evren's soft footfalls ahead of him. Worst of all, the scratch on the side of his face was starting to hurt again, and when he brought his hand up to touch it, he felt it come away wet. Probably with fresh blood.

"Are we almost there?" Keefe complained, surprised at how easily the darkness swallowed his voice. He'd expected it to echo, but instead the shadows seemed to snatch the sound away and bury it underneath more layers of darkness.

"No talking," Evren snapped back at him. "I need to focus."

Focus on what? Keefe wondered, but he didn't say anything.

Instead he ran his hand along the wall, finding that it was made of rough brick. The bricks seemed to be old, some pieces crumbling away and falling soundlessly to the ground as his hand brushed by.

"Don't do that," Evren chided.

"What?"

"Touch the wall."

"Why not?"

"It's covered in all kinds of nasty bacteria, probably diseases too, and—Keefe, you idiot!"

Keefe jerked his hand away. "What now?"

Evren groaned. "You're leaving a trail of blood on the bricks!"

"No I'm not," Keefe protested.

"Yes, you are. Your hand is covered in blood from your face, so when you touch the wall, blood gets on the bricks."

Keefe winced when he realized she was probably right. "Oh, uh sorry about that."

"Doesn't matter," Evren said dismissively, and although he couldn't see her, he heard her start walking again. "Someone will just have to come clean it. We can't be tracked through here, and now your DNA is all over the wall."

"How can you see anything?" Keefe asked. Even when he squinted, he could only make out the vaguest of shapes in the darkness.

"I told you, I've had lots of time to practice Elvin skills."

"Darkness vision," Keefe realized, mumbling to himself. He felt stupid for not thinking to use that skill sooner.

"I said no talking."

He now tried to focus on using his darkness vision, but he couldn't clear his mind enough to think properly. Not with everything that had happened replaying through his brain every few seconds.

Not long later, a spot of light stood out against the darkness at the very end of the hallway.

An exit.

Keefe had to stop himself from screaming with relief.

He found his feet were picking up pace, and when he and Evren finally reached the door he could see clearly once again. There was a perimeter of light outlining the door leading to the exit, and as Evren pressed her ear to the door to listen, her eyes sparkled in the daylight.

After a moment she pressed a finger to her lips, making sure Keefe would stay quiet, then opened the door.

Keefe wasn't expecting the light to hit him so hard. There was so much at once, and after being in complete black for so long, the brightness was almost palpable.

After his eyes adjusted, he found that Evren had already gone through the doorway, and he followed after her hastily. They climbed a short staircase, emerging onto a small street paved with cobblestones. The buildings squeezed together side by side, and some appeared to be homes while others looked like cafés, patio furniture laid out and polished with vibrant plants. Judging from the sun's position in the sky, Keefe guessed it was probably around noon.