HERO

25 / Discovery

"Wh...?"

Thomas's question was cut off by Bren's hand covering his mouth. Being unable to take it away, he could only lay there and take the hint to stay silent.

There was a sudden loud thud that pushed the air in against their ears, and the ground beneath them shuddered. The crash of something heavy falling. A pause.

Unknown voices.

"Let me in there."

"We need to check it first, sir."

"Look. They've gone. Nothing to check."

"Could be traps, sir. Please, sir."

"Hurry then!"

Shuffling. Heavy footsteps.

"Clear."

"I told you as much. Now, out of my way."

"Sir."

"They've cleared out. How the hell have they cleared out?"

"I don't know, sir."

"I don't pay you to not know. I pay and expect you to most definitely know."

"Sir."

"She's meant to be a Cham, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Sure?"

"Yes, sir. Cham confirmed."

"Fuck. Well. I ain't hanging around this dump. We need to find them. And by we, I mean you."

"Sir!"

"Sir? I think you should look at this." it was another speaker, the voice further away.

"What you got?"

"Glass fragments, sir. My guess is they're from some bottles."

"Bottles? They were probably drinking their dad's vodka supply."

"I don't think to sir. There's traces of fluid."

"What sort of... Ah. The boy is trying to jump start himself."

"Maybe it worked, sir. They'll be long gone if it has."

"I don't think we need to worry about that. Doesn't matter, he's not getting away."

"What about the girl, sir?"

"What about her?"

"Yes, sir. Understood sir."

"Move out!"

Shuffling, hurried feet. A clatter of something falling.

Silence.

From inside the shallow hole behind the sofa, there was only heavy breathing and thudding heartbeats. Both Thomas and Bren were too afraid to move. Thomas wasn't sure if he was capable of movement but, either way, he was remaining still. Bren had released her hand from his mouth, leaving them both feeling isolated in the darkness. Fumbling, she laid her hand on his chest, the pair of them gaining some measure of comfort from the contact.

"Can you move?"

Thomas jumped. He hadn't heard her move and couldn't, in the darkness, see. He would have assumed their eyes would have grown accustomed to the lack of light, at least allowing him to make out shapes. That wasn't happening. A wall of deepest black had built itself around his eyes, blocking everything.

"I don't know," he said. He was still feeling apart from himself and wasn't sure if he yet had control of his body.

"Wel, how about trying?" Bren sounded harsher than she intended, but he'd have to deal with that.