Ninjago | Flumptober Challenge ✓

Day 5| The Cough That Filled The Night

Candy!!! 🍭🍬🍭🍬

Prompt: "Does anyone have a cough drop?"

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Darkness loomed over Ninjago City, everything still and silent. The clock struck late after midnight and only a handful of cars could be seen cruising on the empty roads. The big moon overhead glowed in the night sky like a giant pearl in midst of an ebony silk cloth with stars littered all around.

The silence was broken by the soft padding of feet. Feet that were skilled in stealth and covering distances without making distinct sounds. A figure emerged from the dark, darting across the rooftop of a tall building with impressive speed.

The person was clad from head to foot in a white ninja gi with only his eyes visible which seemed to be shining in the dark like two blue luminescent points. He crouched near the edge of the roof, glancing down onto the street below.

He seemed to be scouting around, making sure he was out of sight and well hidden. He abruptly turned around and gestured for someone to follow. There was a pause before five more figures jumped out from the shadows, moving with the same agility as the first person.

The others reached him and crouched down beside him, looking over at the building across the street from the one they were on. "Any movements, Zane?" the ninja in a green gi asked.

"Negatory," the white one, Zane, replied, his eyes still scanning the area. The one clothed in black shifted impatiently next to him. "Ugh, I hate reconnaissance missions! I wanna go in and bash heads."

The female of the group shook her head. "This isn't recon, Cole," she said, squinting at the black ninja in the dark. "We got the intel that the trucks would move out tonight. We're just waiting for them to leave."

A loud yawn sounded from her right. It turned out to be the red ninja, Kai. "But why – yawn – did it have to be at two in the morning?" He grumbled sleepily.

"I would think that the time after midnight is the most suitable for illegal smuggling operations," Zane stated, taking his eyes off the building in front.

"It's also suitable for sleeping," argued the tired red ninja.

"Shh! We're ninjas which means we keep quiet!" snapped the green one. He glared at Kai who simply grumbled something inaudible to the rest of the team.

The Ninja stayed silent after that, carefully observing the street, ready for any signs of movement or suspicious activity. The silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Only the sounds of the ninjas' gentle breathing could be heard . . .

Cough!

They all jumped and abruptly looked at each other. The ninja in green panicked and applied a roundhouse kick to the empty space behind him. "Who's there?" He demanded, heart beating fast.

"Relax, Lloyd. It's just me," came a hoarse voice from somewhere. They all turned to look at the blue ninja on the other side of Cole. Lloyd sighed and loosened his posture. He dropped back down in position.

"Jay, what's the matter with you?!" Cole hissed at the blue ninja. "You nearly scared the dumplings out of me!"

"I'm sorry," croaked Jay, clearing his throat afterwards. "I have a cold."

Kai face-palmed. "Then why didn't you tell us before? You're really not helping with the stealth and stuff." Jay rolled his eyes at the red ninja. "I probably mentioned it a thousand times but my friends were too busy to notice!"

"Well . . ." Lloyd began, thinking of a solution but coming up with none. "just . . . try to keep it down."

"Look!" Nya whisper-shouted, pointing at something at a distance. They all squinted at the base of the building they were observing and saw a black Bentley parking outside the main doors. A man in a suit and tie climbed out with an attaché case clutched in one hand.

He was greeted by some men at the doors before they escorted him inside. The Ninja watched in silence as the Bentley drove off, a silent black figure speeding away. The mysterious man stopped in his tracks and turned around, eyes roaming over to where the Ninja were hidden.

The colourful band of warriors squatted lower, blending in the shadows. The man scrutinized the area for a second or two before following the other men inside. Kai let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Did he see us?"

Lloyd shook his head, narrowing his eyes as he tried to see inside through the dark windows of the building. "Don't think so. Otherwise he would've sent thugs after us about now."

Cole leaned closer to the rest of the group. "Is that the guy who's supposed to supervise it all?" he asked in a confused whisper. "Must be," replied Zane. "He did seem to have a boss-like demeanor."

"Let's move," Lloyd ordered, getting up from his position. Cole perked up in excitement while Kai let out a surprised noise. "What– now?!"

The ninja in green tutted in irritation. "If the head of the operation just arrived, it would take them an hour more to get going!" He stood with his arms folded, waiting for the rest of his team.

"I believe what Lloyd is implying," the nindroid spoke up, "is that we finish the job before the trucks depart and return home early." He eyed Kai as he released another loud yawn. "And we need to make up for the loss of sleep."

"Sounds like a plan!" Cole announced enthusiastically, punching the palm of his left hand with the fist of his right. He paused before adding, "Eh . . . kinda."

They all stood up (grumpily in Kai's case) and got ready to zip line over to their targeted building. Kai squinted at his grappling hook, difficult for him to see in the dark and because of the lack of sleep stinging his eyes.

Cough! Cough!

The red ninja jumped in alarm and accidentally pulled the trigger, causing his hook to shoot out like a bullet, its rope tailing behind. The Ninja cringed as the hook collided with the pole of a nearby street lamp with a dull yet loud ting. Before anyone could react, Kai pressed the trigger (intentionally this time) to which the hook zoomed back into its position.

Everyone turned to face Jay, anger and irritation sparking in their eyes. Jay, however, coughed to his heart's content before clearing his throat and looking apologetically at his team. "Whoopsie-daisies!" He chuckled nervously and added, "Sorry but does anyone have a cough drop?"

"Why would we be carrying cough drops in the middle of the night while on a mission?!" Lloyd whisper-shouted at the blue ninja. The latter shrugged as if it were not a rhetorical question. "I dunno. For emergency coughing episodes?"

Cole groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. "Seriously, Jay? How did you even become a ninja?"

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