Smoking Power

Chapter 35

I follow behind Charles and Declan as Charles cautiously pushes the unlocked door to the dungeon, open. Charles who knows the plan better than any of us and knows the way around this place, took the lead for obvious reasons. Declan completely, full out refused to be a at the end and really wanted to be in the middle of the group, something about less likely to die he had muttered. Which leaves me taking up the rear. I had never liked being at the back instead of some place like the front. At the back you constantly have to look over your shoulder, whereas when you're leading you only have to look ahead of you.

I'm pretty sure we all let out a relieved sigh when we see that the coast is clear. Saying that though, there'll probably be guards at the top of the stairs or out side the door at the top of the stairs. There's no way that the hogmers here are that dumb.

"Alright guys, get ready just incase," Charles quietly says the words that I was thinking. Since we don't want anyone to know that we're out, talking needs to be really quiet between us if we do talk.

I give Charles a nod, acknowledging that I understand and readjust the weight of the gun in my arms. The guns not to big, it's around the size of my forearm, but it's kinda bulky considering how many chambers it's got. Much like the green, blobby, poisonous spitball things that Gareths hogmers and his guns are equipped with, theses stunner guns have swirling, light blue ammunition. Of course I'll also be using my fire but since we're on the levels that the not-so-smart hogmers are on, we just need to knock them out, not set them on fire which'll lead to lots of screams and unnecessary noise that we definitely don't need at the moment.

When we reach the top of the roughly cut stone steps, there's nothing here except a small platform which leads to another wooden door. "So are we on level three now? Or are we still on level four, cause we did just go up all those stairs and all, you know?" Declan babbles to Charles.

Charles eyes are lit with amusement, much like how mine probably are, from Declans awkward wording, "No, we're still on the fourth floor I'm afraid. Through this door, if I remember correctly, there are multiple weapons, many of them made purposefully for torturing, and other items that are being stored in there. Kind of like a storage room with extra weapons I suppose. It'll look like there's lots of security in there, partly to unease the prisoners, but honestly this is where the hogmers with very low intelligence go. Watch your backs, but it's not too bad."

Declan nods and Charles bravely goes to shove open the doors but is stopped by the scratchy voice of Alfred through the earpiece that we each have in our ears. They're really small and are a clear, skin-coloury colour, so it looks like there's nothing there at all, "Wait up there, Declan, it'll just be a moment before I disable the security cameras and alarms so no one will know that you guys are here."

"Hang on," I begin confusedly speaking into the earpiece, "Won't they notice if there's suddenly no camera feed coming through from this room, even if there isn't an alarm?"

"First up, you guys will be in and out pretty quickly I presume, well at least I hope you'll be, but anyway, they probably won't really have time to notice. But even so I recorded the same footage and I'm gonna be sending them that when it's not the actual footage, if you get what I'm saying?" Alfred explains to me. I nod thoughtfully at the tiny, disguised camera on Declans jacket so he can see me understanding what he's said.  A few moments later Alfred speaks again, "Bingo, you're in."

Charles tenses as he goes into full battle mode. He gives a sharp, professional nod before looking at Declan and I. When we nod back at him, he swings his left arm out and in one swift move pushes the rotten door wide open.

Everything seems to go in slow motion as I feel the familiar adrenaline rush flow through my veins. Habits from fighting under our boss, Paul's leadership, for so long, ignites inside me. Second nature takes over me. Quickly I count all life forms, or in this case hogmers, thirteen all up.