The Assassin's Assistant

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen - LUX

I jiggled the door handle.

Locked.

I raised my hand to my ear, activating the Bluetooth.

"Jason, I need you to-" I froze mid-sentence. I didn't feel the cold chill of metal on my fingertips. I wasn't wearing an earpiece.

Of course I wasn't. Jason had said that it would be too risky. No doubt the people at this party would have some way of tracing the signal. My mission was simple, anyways. We hadn't planned for this.

The one time I actually need an earpiece, I don't have one. Fantastic.

I looked around the room, staying calm. I checked the timer: 27 minutes. I still have time. I just needed something to pry the door open with.

The hanging lights. The metal rods they individually hung from were only an inch in diameter. If I could get one, it'd fit under the door crack perfectly.

I jumped for the lamp, thankful for my abnormal height. I just barely managed to snag the edge of the glass. I gripped with all of my strength, and the light tumbled down.

I coughed as the roof showered fine dust and sparks onto me. I dislodged the rod from the rest of the lamp, and sprinted to the doorway. Jamming it under the door crack, I yanked the rod furiously. It bent in half. My brow furrowed. I took out my steel switchblade and dragged it along the surface of the rod. It scratched the pole like it was made of wet clay. I swore under my breath.

Aluminum. The rod was made of weak, bendy, tawdry aluminum. "Cheap Bastards," I seethed.

I threw the useless pole across the room. The timer now read 21 minutes. I cursed Jason for being so careful as to leave out a deactivation method. Sure, he didn't know this would happen, but I had the right to be upset. I was about to die.

I scanned the room once more hoping for a way to make a Hollywood vent escape, but I had no such luck. The vents in the kitchen wouldn't be able to fit a half of a Lux.

14 minutes.

I began to punch and kick at the wall. It was starting to wear down, but not fast enough. I can't waste precious seconds. I only had 11 minutes left.

I was losing hope very fast. I didn't have any other options. I could scream for help, but the people who would come wouldn't be of the helpful kind, guaranteed. That was assuming that anybody would hear me over the talking and the band and the four stories separating us.

I was, undeniably, screwed.

My head shot to the garbage chute. 'Lux, you're an idiot'.

I walked over to it. I was just skinny enough to fit. 'You'll get yourself killed.'

I climbed in, feet first. 'This is insane. You can't seriously be doing this.'

I took a deep breathe. 'Geronimo.'

I slid down the chute. At first, it was just like a slide. Then, the angle increased. I was submerged into darkness.

My head snapped into the top of the cute at the sudden change of angles. Dots danced in my eyes, but I needed my thoughts to stay vivid. I concentrated as best I could. I was accelerating rapidly now. I pushed my gloved hands against the sides of the vent in an attempt to slow down, but the metal just shaved right through the leather, and leaving my fingertips exposed.

I saw the change in light levels. Light was making its way to my eyes. I jammed my hands into the sides of the chute with all of the force I could muster, and braced myself.