Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 44: Clawing in Tendrils

They stayed in the warehouse for a little over an hour, composing themselves. Then Simon drew Connor to his feet.

"We need to keep moving." The android offered him a small smile. "The police will look here soon."

Connor nodded. "Where to?"

"I know a place." North gestured for them to follow.

She led them through the warehouse, down to a set of tunnels.

"Are we in the sewer?" Connor looked around, noting the smell, the damp, and the sound of water dripping.

"Yes." North pressed forward.

"Is this how you stayed under police radar for so long?" He looked at her curiously.

"Yes." Her voice was tense.

"Do all Clara's agents about know this?"

She turned toward him, scowling. "What, are you interrogating me?"

"No..." Connor flinched at her tone.

"Then, do we really need to talk about this? Because I'm very low on patience, especially after everything that happened."

"Sorry." He fell silent.

In the silence, his thoughts began to intrude again, replaying the events of that night. He should have been more alert when he saw the agents in the lobby. He should have known something was off in his last visit with Amanda. He should have been faster in getting to the shipping floor. The thoughts swirled around in this head like cruel accusations, each one driving a knife into him and twisting.

He shook them away and looked at the two androids, another question on his tongue, but he remembered North's irritation and stayed quiet. He would need to deal with the thoughts on his own. She wasn't in the mood to distract him. Instead, he did his best to focus on each step, the sound of each drip of water, anything to keep his guilt at bay.

They continued through the tunnels, and Connor lost track of how far they'd gone as they moved through the dark, twisting turns, but it must have been several miles of the city. Eventually, they came to a ladder. North mounted it, climbing upward. Connor and Simon trailed behind her, following her through the manhole.

It was still dark out, nearly 3am. They were in a residential district. Connor looked around cautiously. He reached out, feeling for cameras or anything that would give away their location to any police that came looking, but to his surprise, there were none. Where exactly were they?

North strode forward, stopping at a small old house. It was a looked a little run down, but the exterior was clean and well-kept. A flowerpot lay on the porch. North picked it up and pulled a key from the bottom, then pushed it into the lock and turned it. She pulled the door open then stood aside, beckoning for them to enter.