SHEOL

30

Picking the lock was surprisingly easy. As I later found out, people had actually hired Kingston numerous times to break in and out of highly guarded places. Although it was merely a hobby, he was a professional locksmith by the age of five, and had already freed thirteen prisoners by the age of seven. It took him less than fifteen seconds to open the vehicle, which of course triggered the alarm.

He unlocked the hood of the minivan with haste while Samos immediately pressed the switch, unplugging the cable from the battery and allowing the medlesome noise to die straightaway. Kingston then opened the remaining doors and began fidgeting with the wires behind the steering column.

The Healer, The Window Killer, and I retrieved the various boxes and bags from the bed of the truck and placed the items haphazardly onto the floor of the minivan. Some of the chests were sealed shut, while others smelled of sulfur and lime, with many more rumbling as if they housed small creatures between their wooden walls.

"Healer, what's inside of these?" I inquired as I set a rather heavy crate into the trunk.

"October," He sighed in exhaustion. "You don't want to know."

We finally cleared his dilapidated, crimson vehicle. The Healer pulled a few loose items out from his glove compartment climbed into the passenger side of the minivan next to Kingston.

"How's it coming?"

Kingston tapped two stripped wires together, causing the engine to spark to life. "I'm about finished. I just need to clean up, then she's all yours."

Samos shut the hood of the minivan, crawled to the back of the vehicle, and ended up squeezing into one of the only available seats next to me. He was careful, dodging weightlessly around the precious crates, which were stacked deep and wide around every vacant space inside of the automobile.

The Window Killer shoved The Healer from the passenger seat and made it his own, placing his candle neatly in one of the empty cup holders. Kingston eventually jumped around to the back of the van and sat himself rapidly onto one of the middle seats. The Healer sprinted to the driver's side, hopped in, and revved the engine. He then swiftly pulled out of the parking space and sped from the cement garage, out onto the street.

Less than a minute later, Samos edged to the front of the vehicle and requested that The Healer crack the window. He claimed to have wanted to listen to something outside more clearly. The Healer complied. After a few moments of Samos standing in deep concentration, he bursts end into a fit of genuine laughter.

The Healer pushed him away. "What's so funny, boy?"

Samos made his way back through the obstacle course of chests and boxes. "Do you remember me mentioning that a woman was approaching the parking garage?"

"Yes..." The Healer and The Window Killer answered simultaneously, with The Window Killer abruptly ending with the twang of a falsetto, as if he were afraid of what was to follow.

Samos could hardly contain himself. "As it turns out, she was the owner of this vehicle."

We sat in silence, before The Window Killer spun around and shrieked. "So, you are telling us that we could have simply waited and ambushed her for her keys, instead of wasting time and breaking into this dammned contraption!?"

Samos grinned. "I did not tell you, because I wanted to test you."

"Test us?" Kingston interjected. "For what?"

Samos sat back coyly, his small body unintentionally grazing mine. "To see if you had the right about of skill to entertain me. After all, the last thing I want to do is be stuck on a boring adventure with a group of people who cannot do anything for themselves. However, you have proved your worthiness."

The Window Killer released his machete and attempted to swim through the plethora of crates, in order to slice Samos into minuscule chunks, but The Healer seized his arm and stopped him.

The Window Killer turned back around and huffed. "I'm beginning to loathe this man."

The Healer shrugged and called back to Samos, who perked up once he heard his name. "You don't have to worry about being stuck on a boring adventure. If anything, you'll end up wishing you'd never came with us because of how dangerous this journey's gonna be."

Samos expressed a grin, causing the cadaverous corners of his mouth to extend slightly. "You seem to know just what to say to fuel my addiction."

With that being said, we were on our way.