Screw It, I'm Going Out to Find It!

Chapter XLIV: The Master Tax Evader

Ruby eyed the dangling key uneasily. The disembodied hand jangled it once more, daring her to reach out and take it. Keeping her eyes on the woman, Ruby allowed her hand to reach out and claim the prize. The woman let her have it, the hand retreating once the key was in her hands. From the corner of her eye, she watched the limb disperse into nothing, leaving a vague cloud of petals behind.

Still keeping her eyes locked on the woman, Ruby backed out into the hallway. Once she was past the doorway, she took off down the hall. Whoever that lady was, she made Ruby uncomfortable. She doubted the lady was that Dr. Evil was the person from the plaque. If she was, then this key was only meant to mess with her.

The pause caused Ruby to freeze in place. Glancing down, she studied the metal object. Did she really trust this key? What if it was a false one that caused something bad to happen when used on the collars. Should she go back and find the other key? Shaking her head, she pressed on forward. Hesitation could be just as bad in this situation. It could be just as likely that the woman was buying time for reinforcements to arrive. Then why did she look so confident?

Questions and doubts were still swirling in her mind when she arrived back at the cell block. Her mind had become so clouded that she bumped right into the back of one of the guards. He seemed just as surprised as she was, enough so that she was able to give him a swift kick to the head before he could react. His body slumping to the floor caught the attention of the prisoners. Initially, they had been too despondent to pay her any mind as she snuck in. Now they seemed curious, though none seemed to hold any hope. That was going to change, dammit.

Ruby tried the key she got on the nearest cell door, but it didn't work. Either she had been tricked, or they were just two separate keys. Quelling the thoughts that the former might be true, she searched the knocked-out guard and found what she was looking for. The cell door gave a metallic thunk as she turned the new key in its lock. With a high squeal, it swung open.

"Oi, oi, stay back." The first prisoner in the cell warned her. "You can't just take these off, you know?"

Ruby pulled out the first key as she neared him. "I got this from the leader's room. It should remove them without any issues." She did her best to sound more confident than she really was.

It seemed to be enough for the prisoner as he shut his eyes and tilted his head to present the small keyhole on the side of his collar. Carefully, Ruby placed the key into the hole and turned. There was a soft click followed by silence. Ruby's blood froze as nothing happened. Was it a trick after all? Did she just kill this man? His eyes met hers, pleading as if he knew it too. Just as carefully, she removed the key and took a step back. The moment the key left the collar, part of the side shifted. Then it fell to the floor with a clang. Though it was quiet, it felt deafening in that moment.

The prisoner stood back up, rubbing his neck as if he had just gotten back something he had lost long ago. Ruby handed him the cell key. "Go open up the other cells, please."

From there, she went to work freeing the other prisoners in that cell before moving onto the next one. Before long, the final collar dropped to the floor, and the worries that had clouded her mind were little more than a distant dream.

The door to the cell block swung open to reveal another guard. He froze, then his head began swiveling as he looked for a specific person. "Who the hell captured that gambler again!"

While Ruby had no idea who he was talking about, she didn't care to stick around and find out. She began ushering the ex-prisoners to leave, and they were very eager to comply. She didn't stop running when she was back outside, and the natural light washed away the bitter lighting from inside.