Colourless

Chapter 55

It seemed as if he was frozen in place, body wanting to move forward but mind pulling it back.

Another second and the officers will be here, we don't have much time. I grabbed Zane's wrist and gave it a tug in the direction of the stairs. The movement attached him to reality and he leapt into action. Cards danced out in the hallway, sticking to the cameras and we ran towards the stair.

I took a step down and my ears started ringing with my own heartbeat, I breathed heavily, straining my legs to be quiet on the stairs leading down, away from our exit.

I jumped down the last step and as soon as my feet collide with the floor I stumbled back. There were two ways on either side, the right one had stairs leading further down and the left one had an office on the left line.

That wasn't it.

"Didn't I tell you this yesterday?" the man leaning on the door frame of the office called with a laugh. Swinging on the door forward and backwards.

"He is coming back today, we need everything in order," he answered in the same position, I glanced back. We were at the bottom of the stairs, maybe hidden for now but if anyone from up were to glance down, or this man decides to look to the side?

I peered at Zane, he was already contemplating our options, glancing at the stairs leading down to what I assume was the lockup. Footsteps echoed above the mouth of the stairs and Zane nodded at me.

I took a deep breath and ran to the stairs. My glided across the short corridor and I descended the stairs with Zane beside me. Four steps down and I turned left under inertia. I was suddenly pushed back against the wall with a heavy arm across my stomach. I took in a sharp breath, my chest rising and falling with the panic that I refused to take shelter in me.

With the next breath the cold stench entered my nose, it reeked of metallic blood and foul sweat. I didn't notice this before but the walls have changed, the floor turning into a harsh concrete the closer we got to the lockup.

I tried to swallow the heavy breath, keeping my eyes focused on Zane who had me trapped against the wall with his eyes and ears on the surrounding. I held the next breath to quieten down and listen.

But everything was quiet, drops of water from a leaking pipe echoed in a maddening rhythm in the empty silence. I couldn't hear more than that, couldn't see in the dimmed light that painted the basement in shadows.

Zane loosened his grip on me, taking a step back. He gave me a nod and I blinked in confirmation. He took hold of my wrist and stepped down the last step, turning left. I let him guide me in the unchartered territory. The basement was smaller than I had anticipated, lockups lined side by side in a U, maybe ten in number. I kept my eyes open, widening them at what I saw.

These were not simple lockups, they were prison cells with iron bars and cement beds. A single row of dimmed light illuminated the path and the occupants of the cells.

But it was still hard to make out anything besides bodies slumped on the floor. I took in a shuddering breath, wrapping my hand around Zane's wrist that was holding my hand. My legs felt week and I wanted to cower from the pictures of torment written on the walls. They are prisoners, criminals.

I took a deep breath to hold myself together. The door of a cell at the corner creaked, its hinges groaning as it was opened one-fourth way. I stopped in my tracks once I realised where Zane was taking me.

"Where is Kai, I need him down," Someone called from the mouth of the stairs, it echoed loudly down to us, I snapped my panicked eyes at Zane. Someone took a step, then another. But the steps were fading away.