They walked for a while through the narrow corridor, their footsteps falling into an uneven rhythm against the cold stone floor. The sound echoed strangely in the confined space, bouncing back at them from sturdy rock walls.
"Oye, Rugged Woman!!! Stop chatting with her and get back in character."
Zack's voice came out sharp, cutting through the casual atmosphere. He looked at front, his eyes catching Rugged Woman happily talking alongside Mature Woman as if they were old friends on a leisurely stroll through the market instead of walking through a dangerous underground tunnel on a mission.
"Ah, okay, Boss!"
Rugged Woman smiled brightly at him, then snapped her posture straight in an instant. She stepped ahead smoothly, slipping back into her role without missing a beat, her entire demeanour shifting from friendly to professional. Mature Woman followed just behind her, walking steadily with measured steps, saying nothing at all.
CRACK!!
"Mmh." Zack looked toward Mature Woman without breaking his stride, his eyes briefly meeting hers. "You brought it?"
"Yes," she replied simply, her voice mimicking tone of a Crown woman.
"How's the security at the main office?" Rugged Woman asked, without looking back at her.
Mature Woman looked at her back, confusion crossing her features. "Huh? Didn't you come from there?"
"Nope. We only arrived here today."
"WHAT!"
Mature Woman stopped walking for half a second, her feet freezing mid-step. Her wide eyes snapped between them both, searching their faces for any sign they were joking. Then she forced herself to keep moving, dropping her voice to barely above a whisper despite the shock radiating from her. "How? Did you sneak in somehow? This place is completely sealed off from the outside world!!! Only a handful of people even know the entrance exists. Even us buyers don't know the actual entry point. We can only come here through our own houses using special passages."
She took a breath, her voice growing more urgent. "You think this area has so little visible security?" A low breath escaped her. "Because all the real tightness is concentrated at the entry. They check every single person coming inside, no exceptions whatsoever. How did you even manage to come here?"
CRACK!
"Hmmmmm." Subordinate Woman piped up curiously from her position at the back, her voice filled with genuine interest. "Then what happens if someone comes through the houses?"
Mature Woman almost laugh out loud. "Hahaha. Not just anyone can get access to this place through those passages. Only people with a certain kind of history….Ahm…. you know those types of people who can increase their sales significantly are eligible. And even then, they're under constant monitoring every single moment." Her voice went flat, becoming deadly serious. "We all had to sign a document before we were allowed access. If we bring someone unregistered inside, they don't just punish us....."
She let that statement hang in the air for a long moment before continuing, making sure they understood the weight of it. "They kill us and our whole family. Every single member, no matter how young or old."
She looked at Zack directly, her eyes holding his. "You two are lucky you know me from before, and you've never once been to my house. As far as they're concerned, I'm just a regular buyer making a complaint. But even if you get what you came for….. how are you planning to get back out? The way you came in won't work twice, does it?"
"We have a way for ourself and for you" Zack said evenly, his voice carrying quiet confidence. "Don't worry about it. Just play your role as the angry buyer and hand over those tools to me."
Mature Woman sighed and didn't choose to ask more, she reached into her clothing and passed him some tool over without ceremony. Zack took them and secured each one carefully, checking their weight and feel. He kept one tucked against his body and then tossed the other backward over his shoulder without even looking behind him.
"AH! B-Boss!"
Subordinate Woman yelped loudly, her eyes going wide as the tool came flying directly at her face. She shot out one hand desperately and barely snatched it from the air before it hit the ground, her fingers fumbling with the smooth surface. She straightened up quickly, clutching it tightly against her chest with her trembling fingers. "BOSS! Don't throw it at me that way!!! I barely caught it!" she complained, her bottom lip pushing out in a full pout that made her look cute.
Zack glanced back at her briefly, his expression softening. "Set it up and wait for us when the time comes." His voice shifted to a calmer tone, filled with trust. "I'm trusting you with this. Give it everything you've got, okay?"
He smiled warmly at her, the expression reaching his eyes.
Her entire face lit up immediately, transforming completely. A joyful bright and warm expression shot through her face as she stood straighter, squeezing her fist at her side with renewed determination. "Leave it to me, Boss. I will not disappoint you! I promise!"
"Here."
Zack slid a knife along the top of the box toward her without fanfare, the blade making a soft scraping sound. It stopped right at the edge, perfectly positioned.
"AH! Thank you, Boss!" She picked it up quickly and tucked it away out of sight, pressing it close against her body where nobody could see it.
Rugged Woman glanced back over her shoulder with obvious expectation written across her face. "Boss... anything for me?"
"Nope." Zack smirked without bothering to look at her directly. "Though I do owe you a good beating once we're out of here. Make sure you're ready for it."
"GAH!!! Boss! NOOO!" Rugged Woman's face twisted in exaggerated horror, her mouth dropping open.
The other two women let out quiet laughs as the group moved steadily forward. The air was growing heavier and more oppressive as they got closer to the main area, the weight of it pressing down on their shoulders.
CRACK!
.
.
As they were walking suddenly the tunnel opened up without any warning.
One moment the ceiling was low and pressing down on them from above, making the space feel suffocating. Then it wasn't…. Suddenly the ceiling shot upward into a massive open space that felt almost dizzyingly large after the confined corridor. Stepping through felt nearly identical to stepping outside from a cave into daylight.
Zack paused just inside the opening, his feet stopping at the threshold. He looked around carefully, his eyes taking in every detail with practiced observation. Multiple tunnels branched off in every direction, spreading out from this central point in a pattern that reminded him of veins radiating from a beating heart. Crates and storage structures were built up along the walls in neat rows, stacked and organized by group of people so carefully that meant someone had been doing this work for a very long time.
Still it is smaller than I expected. This is just storage….. The real source is somewhere else entirely. The others are going to have their work cut out for them finding the main source of problem.
Zack muttered the thought quietly to himself. His eyes continued scanning the space, cataloguing exits and positions. Then he fell in behind Mature Woman as she walked ahead with purposeful strides.
She didn't ease into it gradually.
The moment she reached the center of the floor where workers moved between tables and boxes with varying levels of attention, some making notes on papers, some lifting heavy things with obvious strain, some just standing around and watching others. She walked straight to the main table present in middle of all chaos, and without slowing her pace even slightly, she brought both hands down on its wooden surface with everything she had.
BAAAAMMM!
The sound rang out across the whole space, making every single head in the chamber turned simultaneously toward the source.
"OYE, YOU BASTARDS!!!! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"
Her voice went up and filled the room completely, raw fury pouring from her throat. "I GAVE YOU SO MUCH MONEY AND YOU SEND ME THIS GARBAGE????? ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME? OF THIS WOMAN?!!!!"
For a long moment, the entire chamber went absolutely still. Not a single person moved.
The Leader, who had been seated comfortably behind the center table going through some papers, stood up quickly. His movements became careful and measured as he straightened his clothing. "Miss, please calm down." His voice came out professional, smooth and practiced from years of dealing with difficult customers. "Tell me what happened."
"CALM DOWN?!"
Mature Woman's eyes went sharp and burning hot with rage. "TODAY MY BOX ARRIVED AND I WAS READY TO ENJOY MY DAY….. BUT INSTEAD I HAVE TO WALK ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE WITH THESE USELESS PEOPLE OF YOURS!" She turned her glare sharply onto Zack, her finger pointing accusingly. "OYE, YOU! BRING IT UP HERE. LET THEM SEE FOR THEMSELVES WHAT KIND OF WORK THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING!"
Zack carried the box forward with both hands, his movements completely composed. Not a flicker of anything showed on his face, his expression remaining perfectly neutral. He set the box down on the table with a solid thump and stepped back immediately. Behind him, Subordinate Woman kept glancing backwards nervously, her fingers fidgeting constantly with the hem of her clothing.
"HERE!! CHECK IT YOURSELF."
Mature Woman slammed her key down on top of the box with tremendous force. TAANG! The box rattled with her force. " I DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS SHIT!!! REMOVE MY NAME FROM YOUR LIST. I AM DONE. I DON'T WANT ANOTHER ONE OF THESE STUPID THINGS EVER AGAIN. WHAT A COMPLETE WASTE OF MY MONEY."
The Worker Leader's jaw tightened visibly, muscles working beneath his skin. He picked up the key with speedy hands, then inserted it into the lock.
CLICK. CLANG.
The box opened smoothly and he looked inside, his eyes scanning the contents.
"...Huh?"
He reached in carefully and lifted the cylinder out, turning it over in his hands with growing confusion. He checked the markings on the side, checked the seal at the top, checked the date stamp on the bottom. Everything matched perfectly. The delivery was completely legitimate. The cylinder itself was just simply..... EMPTY!!!!.
He looked up at Rugged Woman and Zack, his voice dropping lower from all the confusion. "You!! did anything unusual happen during transport?"
"No, Leader." Rugged Woman's voice came out even and completely professional, showing no emotion whatsoever. "Delivered as always."
TSK.
The Leader looked back down at the cylinder in his hands, his mind working through the problem. The box itself comes sealed from the warehouse. There was nothing we actually touched during delivery. He set the cylinder down carefully on the table and smoothed his expression back into sharp polished look and with a calm smile he turned to face Mature Woman, who was still standing tall with her face full of anger. She kept glaring at him so intensely that it made him shiver slightly.
"Miss, it appears this was a mistake on the upper management's end. Our role here is only delivery…. I AM SORRY this particular issue is outside our control." He kept his tone respectful and apologetic. "A refund will require us to go through the official procedure. If you could wait just a short while, I'll have someone look into this right away and…."
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID PROCEDURE! I AM NOT WAITING EVEN A SINGLE MINUTE IN THIS GODDAMN PLACE!!"
Mature Woman's voice didn't drop a single degree, her fury remaining at full blast. "MY ENTIRE DAY IS ALREADY RUINED BECAUSE OF THIS NONSENSE. TSSKKK! FINE!!!! KEEP YOUR MONEY. I DON'T WANT IT BACK. JUST GET MY NAME OFF YOUR LIST. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANOTHER BLACK BOX IN MY HOUSE EVER AGAIN. REMOVE….. MY…... NAME.... NOWWWW!!!!"
The Leader held in a deep sigh, his shoulders tensing. He turned on his heel and walked to the back room with stiff movements. He returned a moment later carrying a long ledger book bound in dark leather, muttering under his breath as he moved.
TSK. What a headache. They said it will be an easy job! Now bringing me trouble just because some idiot can't even check a cylinder before sending it out. Now I've got this furious woman dancing on my chest. And after all that I have to answer those foolish people on why I couldn't make her wait. Sighhhhhh....
He set the book down heavily on top of the box and looked up at her. "Your name, Miss?"
Mature Woman drew herself up to her full height and answered without hesitation, her voice loud and clear and filled with pride.
"Phoebe MacManus. My name is Phoebe MacManus."
"Miss Phoebe... Miss Phoebe..."
The Leader ran his finger slowly down the columns of names, his lips moving faintly as he scanned each line. "Miss Phoebe... Miss Phoebe... hmm... ah." His finger stopped on a specific entry. He drew a clean line through the name with his pen and closed it with a decisive click. "I'll need to send an official letter to complete the removal, but it's done on our end. Miss Phoebe, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience"
He was about to bow when her voice cut him off.
"SHOW ME!!!"
She leaned forward, her eyes glaring at him with suspicion. "I don't believe you. What if another box turns up at my house anyway? My husband already hates these deliveries. I will not bring this trouble home to him. SHOW ME THE PAGE!!!"
The Leader's left eye gave one tight twitch, barely noticeable to others, he was fuming inside but he want to get it over with.
He turned the ledger around slowly and slid it toward her across the surface of the box, bringing it right to the edge so she could read it clearly for herself.
She leaned in closer to look, her eyes scanning the page.
BOOOOMMMMMM!!! FFFFFFFOOOOOFF!!
Suddenly with a soft low dud, the explosion of white smoke hit without any warning whatsoever. It erupted upward from near the box in a massive cloud, thick and impossibly dense, swallowing the table and everyone standing near it in a single instant. The smoke didn't roll outward or drift lazily, it just stayed there, suffocating everyone inside it, pressing into every corner of the center area with no wind to move it anywhere.
For a full two seconds, nobody could see anything at all.
"Huh!!what!!!"
The Leader spun around blindly, one hand already reaching desperately through the white smoke. "THE BOOK!" His hand swept forward through empty air and hit nothing. Nothing remained on the table. He grabbed again frantically…. NOTHING!!!! A cold spike of panic hit his stomach hard. "GRRRRR!!"
"KKYYAAAA!!! WHAT IS THIS?! OYE, YOU BASTARDS!! IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME, I WILL KILL YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY!!! KYYAAAA!!!"
Miss Phoebe's voice tore through the smoke at full volume, completely doing her role as a panicked buyer. The sound filled every corner of the chamber with pure fury and panic mixed together. For those few seconds, the whole center area became nothing but white fog, shouting voices, and complete confusion spreading among everyone present. Nobody was sure which way was which. Nobody was sure what had just happened or who had caused it.
"TSK! SPREAD OUT! FIND ANYONE RUNNING WITH A BOOK!! NNNNOOOOOWWWW!!!!!"
The Leader's voice cracked through the chaos, commanding his people. Workers began pushing outward from the smoke immediately, blinking hard, their eyes adjusting slowly to the clearer air at the edges of this huge area.
Almost without thinking, every single pair of eyes drifted toward the main entrance, instinct pulling them automatically to the most obvious exit point.
But there was nothing there. No movement. No one was running toward the main exit at all.
"...There! THOSE THREE!"
One of the workers pointed urgently. Down the far side of the chamber, three figures were already moving fast, their forms barely visible as they disappeared back into the tunnel they'd originally come from.
A beat of confused silence rippled through the workers. Why are they running that way? There's no exit down there.
"OYE!!!! CHASE THEM! DON'T LET THEM LEAVE WITH THAT BOOK!"
"YES!"
But the critical moment had already been lost. By the time feet started moving, by the time workers began running in the right direction, Zack, Rugged Woman, and Subordinate Woman were already swallowed up completely by the darkness of the tunnel! They were moving fast and not looking back even once.
.
.
"COUGH!!! COUGH!! COUGH!! YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARDS!!!"
Miss Phoebe burst out of the dissipating smoke looking completely dishevelled. Her hair was in complete disarray, sticking out in every direction. Her expression was absolutely murderous, eyes blazing with rage. She grabbed the Leader by his hair the moment she found him, both hands locking on with a grip that made him yelp loudly in pain.
"YOU! CALL MY HUSBAND! RIGHT NOW! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!!! DO YOU HEAR ME?! ALL OF YOU!!!"
"TSK! STUPID FAT WOMAN!! LET GO OF ME!!!"
The Leader's professional composure cracked completely, shattering into pieces. He grabbed her wrists desperately, his voice going from calm and professional to furious in the span of a single syllable. "THEY CAME IN WITH YOU, AND NO TOOLS ARE ALLOWED INSIDE. YOU ARE THE PRIMARY SUSPECT HERE. SIT DOWN AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT RUNNING!"
"OH, SO NOW YOU'RE BLAMING THIS POOR LADY?!"
Miss Phoebe yanked harder on his hair, refusing to release her grip even slightly. "SAVING YOUR OWN FACE BY DRAGGING ME DOWN WITH YOU?! KEKKEKEKE!!! FINE! FINE! I'LL KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS FIRST AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHO'S A SUSPECT!"
"OW! OW! YOU!!! LET GO OF MY HAIR! LET ITTTT GOOOO!!!"
The Leader twisted his body, reaching up uselessly against her surprisingly strong grip. "OW OW OW!! SOMEONE GET HER OFF ME!!! SAVE ME!!!"
His cries rang out through the chamber. The sound bounced off the stone walls and the high ceiling above, echoing repeatedly. Every worker who heard it hesitated for half a second, genuinely unsure whether to chase down the tunnel or help their leader who was currently being assaulted.
That half second was all Zack's team needed to gain more distance.
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END OF CHAPTER
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AUTHOR BLABBERING
Hello hello—another day, another chapter finished! I hope you're having fun reading along. If you've made it this far, then I'm sure it's at least a little interesting. Keep going, and if you feel like it, drop a comment or two.
I don't check daily (not that I get many comments… sniff sniff), but I promise I'll read them when I do. So stay safe, stay healthy, and keep smiling!
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Hohoho… I love my peaceful life more. 🌿✨
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