1 | No Holds Barred [Among Thieves]

Five

Chapter Five | Breaking and Entering

LANDING IN A PUDDLE of murky water, you started making your way through the sewers. You climbed up the wall leading to the other side of the sewer, following Flynn and Nathan across pipes attached to the wall, and jumped onto the opposite ledge.

        "It's like the good ol' days," Harry commented. "Isn't it?"

        "Yeah, when were those again?"

        Once you pushed yourself up, you turned on the angle head flashlight attached to your belt; the sewers were dark enough that you couldn't see ten feet in front of you. Sturdy and dependable, the water-resistant flashlight illuminated the room. You shuddered involuntarily as you noticed the large spider webs above you.

        Walking to where Nathan and Flynn were, you realized that the room you all were standing in was a dead end.

        Flynn looked around, scratching the back of his neck. "Oh, wait, this can't be right. We must've made a wrong turn somewhere.

        You furrowed your eyebrows. No, the map Chloe showed us clearly stated that there was an entrance here. But where? [Color] eyes flickered up the ceiling, spotting a ladder above. There it is! Nudging Nathan in the side, you nodded your head to where the ladder was.

        Nathan chuckled and pointed upwards. "Hey—Now whaddya bet that will take us right into the boiler room?"

        "And from there, we're in."

        "In like Flynn. Right?" Nathan joked, causing you to laugh lightly at his words.

        Flynn raised an eyebrow at the two of you. Clearly not getting the joke, he asked, "What?"

        "In like Flynn."

        "I don't get it."

        Of course, he didn't get it. The phrase was actually a pop culture expression meaning to be promptly and defensively successful. It was a somewhat dated reference to Errol Flynn, an Australian actor popular in the '40s and '50s. He had a reputation for heavy drinking, causing trouble, and being a rampant ladies' man, all of which were hard-earned and well-justified.

        That sounded like a certain cigar-smoking con man you knew . . . 

        You rolled your eyes and sighed, "One of you just give me a boost."

        Nathan stood directly under where the ladder was and crouched down, locking his hands together. Placing your right foot in his hands, you gripped onto his shoulders as he boosted you up to the ladder.

        "Watch out . . . here it comes." Kicking one of the handles with your foot, the ladder dropped down to the ground.

        "Thanks," both men thanked you.

        Using the bricks that stuck out on the wall, you scaled your way up to another ladder leading to the boiler room. Before you pushed the sewer cover away, you looked down and whispered, "You guys ready?"

        "No guts, no glory."

        You nodded and gathered all the strength you could muster up, pushing the manhole cover away. Making sure the coast was clear, you slowly climbed up into the boiler room and looked around. "We're good," you announced, and seconds later, Nathan and Flynn appeared from the hole.

        You vaulted over a pipe and noticed another ladder above. "Nate," you called. "I need another boost."

        "Sure thing."