AS GOOD AS DEAD → ANTHONY LOCKWOOD

XXV

Mesmerized, part two

"WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG?" Greer spoke for the first time in a while before Lockwood could open the door again, "Come on, Gre, have a little faith, could you?" Lockwood smiled, running his thumb in her cheek through the cloth that was covering half of her face.

"Sure but, Faith wouldn't help us survive at all, would it?" Greer said matter-of-factly. Lockwood sighed, bringing his hands on her shoulder as he smiled faintly, thinking to himself what kind of talk he had to do to convince Greer to trust him.

But, she already trusted him. All she needed was the assurance.

"If something goes wrong, you will run far away from here and never look back." Greer trusts him, to the point she's willing to risk it all so he doesn't have to do it all alone, they're a team and the team sticks together, "And you?" Greer asked, "I have faith." Lockwood replied, grinning.

"The faith that could get you killed." Greer rolled her eyes. Lockwood chuckled as he shook her head "Ready?" Lockwood asked and Greer nodded yet quite anxious by all of the things that were happening.

Lockwood takes a deep breath before opening the door, gaining the look of the man outside the door.

"Excuse me, we got lost, where is the auction room?" Lockwood spoke immediately. The man who was guarding the door eyed them suspiciously but nodded soon before telling them to follow him.

They followed him to the small elevator, which they assumed would take them where the auctioneers went. As the elevator goes up, Lockwood reaches for Greer's hand under the robe and holds it tightly as he runs his thumb against it.

It's keeping her nerves together, he knows it because he has always done it ever since they were kids. There was one time Greer fell from the apple tree that is in the backyard of 35 Portland Row and scraped her knees and her left arm badly. As her wound was being treated, Lockwood sat beside her, holding her right hand tightly as he ran her thumbs against it.

The elevator suddenly opens and the first thing they both see is men wearing black head to toe and a not-so-big corridor.

"Act cool." Lockwood told her, making her roll her eyes "Oh, shut it." Greer snapped, still annoyed at him. They locked the gate and Greer had a feeling this wouldn't turn so good. If this goes wrong and that gate is their only way out and now it's locked, they are as good as dead.

They continue to walk until a woman with long blond hair blocks their way, completely eyeing them as they keep their composure "Welcome, stragglers." The unfamiliar woman greeted with a smile on her face, "Have fun." She handed them something that was used in an auction with the number one hundred ninety-seven on it.

Lockwood took it without any hesitation and together, they proceeded into the room where they should find the bone glass.

"Adelaide Winkman," Lockwood said, knowing that Greer is probably confused about who the woman is because he knows that as far as she knows, Flo is the only relic woman.

Greer and Lockwood make their way through the crowd, aiming to get to the front to be able to see the mirror up close because the more up close they are, the more chance they get to get it and they're willing to do anything to get it.

A man — who Greer assumed to be the one and only Julius Winkman — was speaking in front when the crowd erupted with questions and demands about the mirror. It was chaos, Greer would say because people screamed so close to her ear

"Of course you do." Adelaide spoke, trying to ease up the crowd of auctioneers "And here she is." She added, "That rarity, the piece that has so exercised the hard-working people at DEPRAC these past few days." Well, at least she didn't insult us, or is she being sarcastic? Greer thought to herself.