borderline // cth au

one

I panted, my pace quickening as the sirens echoed throughout the narrow alley.

"Scarlett!"

I looked ahead to find my friend standing in the distance, gesturing at me to hurry up. She stood at an iron gate, holding the door open for the rest of our group as they ran in. I was the only one left.

"Scarlett, hurry up! They're catching up!" Arden exclaimed.

I quickened my pace even though I felt like I was going to collapse right then and there. The sirens grew louder as the red and blue lights flashed through the dark alley. Finally making it to the gate, Arden lightly pushed me in before following close behind as she slammed the gate shut. She led me through a winding maze of hallways in what seemed like an abandoned building. We reached the final room and she quickly shut the door. We barricaded the door with some old crates that were in the room.

"Okay, what now?" I panted.

She walked over to the corner of the room where there was a large crate on top of some cardboards. I helped her push the heavy box and removed the cardboards. Underneath the cardboards, was a black rectangular surface. Arden unlocked the latch and lifted it up. Inside was a dark pit. I couldn't see a damn thing.

"Go on," Arden said.

"You want me to go in there?" I asked as she nodded, "In that pit of death?"

She rolled her eyes. Just then, there was a rough banging on the door. My heart pounded in my chest, knowing who that was.

"Hurry!" She exclaimed as she pushed me in.

I landed on my feet and I looked up at the opening. "What about you?" I asked worriedly.

Before she could respond, gunshots went off as bullets shot through the wooden door. "I'll take a different route and meet you there!" She exclaimed as she opened a window.

"What? There was a different route?!" I exclaimed but she closed the latch and covered it with the cardboard.

I stood there, completely enveloped into the darkness. There was a scuffling sound above me, which I assumed was Arden pushing the crate back. Suddenly, there was complete silence before a loud boom was heard. The floorboards creaked above me, footsteps and radio static was the only thing heard.

"Area is clear, I repeat, area is clear, over,"

I covered my mouth with both hands, scared that I might let some kind of noise out. Just then, the footsteps grew louder.

"Someone must've been moving this crate around."

I continued to stay quiet as the footsteps circled above me.

"Do you guys think that something might be down there?"

I stood still, terrified of them coming down here and finding me. I heard the scuffling sound resume again, like the crate was being moved. Just then, the radio static came in again.

"RED ALERT, RED ALERT, ENEMY IS ON THE LOOSE. SHE HAS BEEN SPOTTED, SHE'S ON THE MOVE. MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"

My heart picked up speed. Loud footsteps stormed above me before the sound grew more and more distant. Even though it wasn't me that was being spotted, it was my friend that was in danger. I panicked, looking around me for some sort of light out of this cave of darkness. I removed my backpack and rummaged through it, looking for a flashlight. Grabbing what I assumed was a flashlight, I switched it on but no light was shown. I tried it again, even hitting it a couple times but it still didn't work. I stuffed it back into my backpack, rummaging around to find another source of light. I felt around until I felt a long and plastic stick-like item. Ah, a glow-stick! I bent it in half, shaking it as a green glow appeared. It wasn't much light but at least it was something. I searched the room only to find more crates, cobwebs, cardboards, and one torn up closet.