To Love, To Fight, To Win

Chapter 10

After I made sure that I had everything set up the way it should be and closed and locked the trap door, I put the key in my pocket and started to make my way down the ladder in complete and total darkness, being as quick but careful as I could be because I did not want to keep Reif waiting for long.

When I made it to the bottom of the ladder, I breathed a small sigh of relief before I moved to one side of the wall, I pushed up against something warm and squishy, something that I didn't expect and didn't like. "Shit!" I exclaimed with a small hiss under my breath while I jumped back, not smacking the thing, even though a part of me wanted to. "What the actual fuck was that?"

"Ow, Myers. That was me. What the hell?" the thing, Reif, said, his voice barely above a whisper and moved toward my voice in the pitch dark. "What the fuck was that for?"

I bit back a small sigh of relief, and my whole body relaxed ever so slightly. "Why were you standing right there?" I asked, my voice also barely above a whisper, even though I knew it was safe for us to talk a little louder than that. I scowled and narrowed my eyes while I stared at the darker form against the dark. "Who told you to be right there?"

"Well, no one," he said with a shake of his head before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "No one told me to do anything, which is why I was standing in a corner."

I held back an eye roll and pressed my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, not knowing what to say.

"So... what did you want me to do?" Reif asked, and I had a feeling that he raised an eyebrow in question.

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head while I pursed my lips in annoyance. "Go to the other side where there isn't a light switch?" I asked and raised the eyebrow higher.

Reif paused and took a moment for himself. He furrowed his brows and cocked his head while he tried to study me but couldn't because it was still too dark."But... there is not a light switch over there," he said and gestured that way. "I checked."

"Well, you do not know where to look," I said with a small shake of my head. I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "Now, move to the side and let me find it so that we can see."

"And get the fuck out of here?" Reif asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I bit back a small snort and rolled my eyes. "Yes."

Reif did what I told him to do and moved to the other wall, letting me have a clear pathway. He didn't say a word and waited for me to find the light switch so that we could see and follow the path to safety.

"I should just make you use the path in the fucking darkness, Reif," I grumbled and walked over to the light switch. I flashed him a small smirk, even though I knew that he couldn't see it.

Reif scowled and narrowed his eyes. "Very funny, Myers," he grumbled while he folded his arms across his chest. "Now turn on the damn light, please."

I snorted and rolled my eyes before I did what I was told to do and turned on the light, lighting the whole path with a dim yellow glow, not chasing all of the shadows but giving us enough light to see each other and where we needed to go.

Reif looked at the lights and narrowed his eyes before he looked at me, pursing his lips in annoyance. "Seriously?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yep," I said and nodded in confirmation while I started to walk down the path quickly, and Reif followed me. "Come on, they are on a timer before they start to turn off after we pass them."

Reif pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly nodded. "Should we run then? We still have someone following us if your "friend" doesn't keep him occupied."

I pursed my lips in annoyance weighing the pros and cons before I bit back an annoyed sigh and slowly nodded. "Ok," I said before I cleared my throat. "Path is basically straight. There are doors and shit, but we do not go through them."

"Are there cameras?" Reif asked while he moved closer to me, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I wouldn't be surprised," I said while I shrugged and grimaced. "You're with me, so you don't have to worry about anything."

"But I wasn't for like five minutes."

"But you were with me in the room and were waiting for me in the fucking dark so that I could get everything set up the way it should be and then getting the key," I said. I shrugged and grimaced. "Not to mention locking up that way so that no one can follow us."

"Unless they have a key or can break through the trapdoor," Reif said. "It is wood."

I bit back a small snort and shook my head. "Oh, no, no, no," I said. "It looks like it is wood, but it isn't."

"Then what is it made of? You didn't seem to have a problem lifting it up." He picked up his pace until he was running at a slow jog, and I rolled my eyes but kept pace with him.

"It's metal and steel covered in what looks to be wood on both sides," I said and shrugged. "Unfortunately, I am not able to tell you everything about it because of orders that I have, but ya, it's made from metal and steel."

"Hmph." Reif scowled and narrowed his eyes but didn't say a word. He looked around the place we were in before he moved closer to me. "What is behind the doors?" he asked while he pressed his lips into a thin line. His voice was barely above a whisper while he asked that, the fear of being watched getting to him.

I shrugged and grimaced. "No idea," I replied. "That is basically above my paygrade and whatever," I said. "I don't ask."

Reif slowly nodded and glanced at one of the doors before he looked at me. "Could it be..?" He trailed off but I got the gist of what he was wanting to ask.

Could it be connected to the past that I so desperately left behind..?

My heart ached and yearned for it to not be true, but it wasn't the first time that I had thought about it, which was why I had made sure to always keep my brand covered, especially in places like this.

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head. "I don't know," I admitted before I cleared my throat and rubbed one hand across my arm. "I haven't seen any younglings here, and I have been here for quite a while, so a part of me hopes not, but..." I shrugged and grimaced, letting my voice trail off.

I didn't know...

Reif pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly nodded. "And if it is?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I pursed my lips in annoyance and wrinkled my nose while I shrugged. "If it is, then there will be hell to pay," I said, my voice softer before I cleared my throat and shook my head. "But let's not talk about that now. We can discuss it once it's safe and we are able to sit down."

Reif grunted with a quick nod and picked up his pace again, not saying a word, and I followed his lead and did the same thing.

And with that, we went the rest of the way in silence...

Oh, God keep us safe...