The Things We Do (Under Editing)

A Turn for the Worse

Running with a child under my arms was more tiring than I expected. It had been a long time since I'd picked up a child and I was out of practice, and even then, it had been a younger child. I doubted Seth would have any interest in letting me use him for weight lifting, though, unless I offered him martial arts lessons in exchange. Thankfully, at least, I had practice lifting other things. Climbing buildings regularly was paying off. I hadn't been this strong since junior year of high school when I'd gotten banned from all kinds of fighting teams and clubs because I broke the ribs of a guy who wouldn't leave Kacie alone.

Once I'd pulled my disappearing act, slipping into a corner that was only noticeable if you looked for it, and getting as far away from the party as I could before the cops could backtrack, I put the girl down long enough to gag and blindfold her. She'd been silent until that point, probably out of shock and fear, but I couldn't risk her screaming for help.

I could hear spy music playing in my head as I slipped from shadow to shadow. If the situation had been less serious, I likely would have held up my hands in a finger gun. This whole thing would be a lot more fun if my life didn't hinge on it.

It wasn't long before I reached the nearest subway entrance. The city had built the tunnels years before, only to run out of money before they could get the system up and running. After that it just never managed to reach the top of their to-do list. A bunch of people were still in favor of the project, though, so the entrances were just boarded up and left that way. Supposedly they were "abandoned", but that's only if you don't count the homeless population and people like me, who find them useful for getting around unnoticed.

I scampered through the tunnels, turning corners I knew all too well. The few people I saw along the way ignored me. Most of them had a general policy of not bothering people who didn't bother them. The fact that I was making things miserable for the rich people who preferred to sit on their money instead of helping those with nowhere to live but the tunnels didn't hurt, either. As long as I kept my antics away from these people, I could occasionally even get some help from them.

Far from any entrances, at the end of a tunnel that was never finished, I found things just as I'd left them. The stone floor ended about 20 feet back, leaving just packed dirt in the dead end. As a result it hadn't been hard to drive an iron pike into the ground and cement it in place. I'd attached a heavy chain to the top, and it now lay in a pile, waiting for my prisoner. I'd wrapped the shackle in cloth to prevent as much injury to the girl's arm as possible, but I still regretted having to hurt her.

She'd stopped struggling along the way, choosing instead to cry silently, even as I set her down and chained her. I didn't remove the blindfold or gag, but there was nothing stopping her from doing it herself. Back in this corner of the labyrinth, I didn't have to worry very much about someone finding her, so I left a candle burning, with a few unlit ones lying next to it. If she was smart she'd use the flame of one to light another before the first went out. I also left a pitcher of water within reach. With any luck, she'd get out of this with little more than a scare.

Before I left, I crouched in front of her. She still was refusing to acknowledge anything, but, as gently as I could without it seeming entirely out of place, I told her about the candle and water, ending with, "There's no point in screaming. No one can hear you here. All you'll do is wear yourself out."

Back down the tunnel a ways, but before I reached any turned, I scrabbled up the uneven stones in the wall, squeezing through a hole into the basement of a class building on the north edge of campus. At first I'd worried about the hole being discovered, but I had a hard enough time finding it even knowing where it was. As long as the girl believed me and didn't bother screaming, there would be nothing to lead anyone to the spot. My willpower almost caved at the thought of her sitting there alone, but I couldn't turn back. I knew when I started playing this game that it would lead me to some hard choices. To choose my future over her happiness, that was only the beginning. Worse choices were ahead.