They have never thought that they could exchange supplies with this key, while they were all dumbfounded, Aaron was the one who could talk first, “I assumed that is how you get your candle”
“No, I got this from somewhere else”, Steven simply said, not really paying attention to Aaron's unfriendly gaze, it seemed that the both of them started off with a bad start.
Kayla finally realized the thing that was bothering her heart, “But aren't we supposed to collect these keys to save the others? If we used this key.. what would happen to them?”, all of them became silent, only Steven looked unbothered with it, “I suggest that you be careful when you used it, if you exchange them carelessly, be prepared for your problematic road ahead”
Kayla fell into deep thought, ‘What does he mean by “problematic road ahead”’, seeing her confused face, Steven immediately knew that she didn't know anything, “You didn’t know? You must have seen the number carved on the box. That is the number of each of us, each number represents one person”
If they were dumbfounded before, now they are completely stupefied, such important information, and not one of them knows about it, if they hadn't met with Steven, they would probably still be kept in the dark. Kayla has been suspicious about this number, that this number must represent something, but she has never thought that it was something like this. Kayla looked at him questioningly, she really wanted to ask how he got this information, but she didn't dare to, but without her saying anything, Steven already answered her question,
“You should have checked the computer instead of playing with these people”, he said coldly.
“What do you mean by “these people”!!!”, Clara got offended and scolded him.
“Isn't it true? I thought that you were quite smart from the things you had done before, but I see I am mistaken”, Steven didn't pay any attention to Clara, but still focused his gaze on Kayla, she didn't feel offended by his words, she just feels a little taken aback by his mockery. When she first came here, she was constantly cautious and very sensitive about her surroundings, but now that she has found someone who could share her burden, she has relaxed a lot, and she is not going to deny that.
“I hope you strengthen up, or you will end up dead”, Steven said and walked away, ignoring all of them, Aaron, Clara and Jeremy's faces has turned very ugly, and only Diane looked at him with an interesting look. ‘This man.. is quite interesting’
“Have you seen other people's aside from us then?”, Kayla asked, if he wanted to leave, she at least had to ask a few other questions first. Steven shakes his head and keeps on walking forward. Kayla is a little lost, she doesn't know what to ask anymore.
“I assumed that you wanted to go back to collect the card?”, Diane suddenly said, Steven finally stopped on his track and turned to look at her, he looked amazed, as if saying that they were not as stupid as he expected to be. “Are you saying that you are in possession of it? Don't tell me that you take it all with you?”
This person's intuition is very accurate, which makes Kayla feel a little creep out. Diane pulled out one of the cards inside her pocket that she had been helping Kayla carrying.
“We will give it to you, but you need to say everything that you know”, Diane said with a smug smile on her face.
Steven clenched his fist, his eyes darkening as he looked at Diane, it looked like another fight would break out soon, Kayla immediately stepped out and said, “We will give it to you, she just means that it will be good if you could tell us anything you know since there are a lot of keys to search for, we could work together to quickly get out of here”
Diane turns to look at her with a discontent expression, as if Kayla is ruining her fun, Kayla notices her fiery gaze, and whispers closely to her ears, “Even if you, me, Aaron, and Jeremy work together to fight him, there is a possibility that we won't be able to defeat him”
“How would you know if you haven't even tried?”, Diane said loudly while looking directly into Steven's eyes mockingly. Kayla looked at her as of this girl didn't have any sense of fear at all.
“Look, you took Clara and ran, we will be the one to handle him”, Diane confidently said, Kayla is utterly speechless, “What are you planning?”
“If he didn't want to cooperate, then we have to beat it out of him. Go”, Diane kept on pushing her away, Kayla could feel her silently shoving something towards her pocket. Diane blink towards her and Kayla knew what she meant, so she took Clara's hands and immediately flew. Clara who didn't understand anything could only dumbly be dragged by Kayla, only when they were far enough did she dare to stop.
“Why.. why are we running away?”, Clara is still gasping, trying to catch her breath, Kayla also takes a couple of deep breaths to calm her beating heart. “They are trying to negotiate with him, if something goes wrong, at least the card will still be in our hands. Furthermore, we can't really help anything”, Kayla said and Clara nodded in understanding.
“Does your phone still have a battery?”, Kayla asked and she nodded, giving her phone to her, it only had two percent of battery, so Kayla hurried to lighten up her path, it seemed that they had passed a couple of room along the way, so Kayla could only find one from in front of them, the room in front of them is a room of bird cage, many empty cages are being hanged and scattered all around the room. Kayla thought that this room was not that bad and decided to hide inside, waiting for them to come and find them, they just kept on walking ahead, so it might not be that hard to find them.
While waiting anxiously, Kayla just hoped that they wouldn't fight and have a nice conversation, since it wouldn’t do any good for them to be each other needle, ‘Now thinking about it, it is quite funny for us to run, just what could he do to us’, she sighs internally. But not long after that, he could hear Jeremy screaming, “Kayla!! No matter where you are, run as fast as you can!!!”, his voice loud and clear, Kayla could feel her ears ringing and Clara trembling from his shouts.
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“What is going.. ”, before Clara could finish her words, Kayla already closed her mouth with her hands, she could feel that someone was approaching, but before she could say anything, a light suddenly lit up her face, it was Steven, he just stood there, didn't say anything and just looks at her, Kayla could feel her body got goosebumps from the look of his face, without saying anything he immediately hoists Kayla up to his shoulder and sprint with her. Kayla is so shocked that she stiffened and was unable to think anything for a moment before she heard Aaron and Jeremy screaming from behind them.
“What the hell are you doing!!”, Jeremy screamed angrily and kept on chasing, that is when Kayla snapped out of it, “What are you doing? Put me down!”, she struggled, but his gripping was very strong, so she could barely push him at all. Steven suddenly turns into a sharp corner without any difficulties while holding a grown-up women like her, Kayla's heart almost jumps out from her chest and all she can do is grip onto him tightly, the voice of Aaron and Jeremy become distant, indicating that they have indeed gone far away from them.
Aaron who was hastily chasing from behind turned to the corner and opened his flashlight but found nothing, he could only let out a loud curse. Diane couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, “I have never seen such a crazy man before”
***
Kayla was still taken aback by what just happened, she didn't say anything even after Steven put her down, her legs became weak and she stumbled a few steps back, Steven just stood there with his calm unbothered face. Kayla looked at him and sighed, “If you wanted the card, I could give it to you, why bother also taking me with you?”, Kayla couldn't quite understand what this man is thinking about, ‘Is it very hard to just make a deal? What big secret do you have to not be willing to trade your information with some cards?’
“Have you ever heard that you will become a seawater if blend into seawater, and become a poop inside a mass of poop? You need a change of environment”, Steven flatly said, after running for so long, it didn't look like he was tired at all. But the things that annoyed Kayla the most was his words, she couldn't believe what she had heard that her jaw almost dropped to the floor, “Sorry, but am I close to you? Why do you keep on worrying about my business?”
Steven seemed to be taken aback by her words, his cold eyes finally giving some reaction, but quickly tuned normal, “You are not bad, it is a shame to be demoted”, he awkwardly said, his gaze averted. The first impression this person gave to Kayla is that he is a dangerous man who can't be provoked and the second one is that he doesn't really like to be meddling into other people business and the third is talking.
But looking at it now, this person didn't seem to be that scary, but he really didn't like to talk much, even his words had shortened a lot, but at least Kayla knew what he meant, she didn't know what happened to her, but she has been feeling uneasy and troubled by all of this experience, so she has been missing a lot of important information, and he wanted to remind her that this place is not a place for her to play.
If it were other people who heard it, they probably would have been offended by his words, but since Kayla knew what his intention was, she just felt.. thankful for him. She could still hear them screaming, but it was very dim, she could barely hear it if she didn't focus, ‘How could we be so far away from them in such a short period of time?’
“You must have searched this place thoroughly”, Kayla concluded, since only by knowing this terrain well could he do something like this, Steven didn't reply to her, but by looking at his eyes, Kayla knew that she had guessed it right. She scanned him up and down but couldn't find the box containing the key, ‘Since he has roamed around this place like his own home, he must have found a lot of keys, did he throw away the box and only collect the key?’
Steven must have seen her questioning look, because he suddenly patted his chest, meaning that he had kept the keys safe, “By not taking the box with you, have you remembered all the numbers carved on the box?”, Kayla asked, Steven looked at her with an aloof expression, Kayla couldn't help but think that she has yet said something wrong. Steven pulled out something from his inner pocket, instead of keys, it was gold coins. Kayla looked at it shocked, Steven gestured that she could have a closer look at it, so she carefully took it from his hands, the front of the coin was a carving of a number and the back was the carving of the palace.
“So.. you exchanged it for a coin first and then you used these coins to exchange for things?”, Kayla concluded and Steven nodded slightly, she suddenly felt kind of funny, ‘Why bother making it so complicated like this? Wouldn't it be better to immediately exchange it with supplies?'
“You actually remember every single number and the person it represents?”, Kayla asked amazed.
“No”, he said flatly, Kayla frowned, since he had said something to choose wisely, then it means that he must have his eyes on a couple of people who he thinks is annoying. Kayla gives him back his coins and couldn't help but ask, “Have you had any plans? Since according to the card before, the only way out from here is to find all the keys, and it is impossible for us to find it on our own, have you found anyone else?”
Steven looks at her as if what she is saying is very ridiculous, “So what? Do you think they will work together with you? Don't be naive”, he looked at her coldly, Kayla could feel herself shudder from his gaze, he was basically pinning Kayla to the wall, Kayla couldn't help but hold her breath, she looked at his eyes straight, “I am not naive, there are three hundred and sixteen keys needed to be found, are you saying that you could find it all by yourself?— We should at least have some hope”, Kayla sighed and walked away, but Steven didn't let her go. He held her wrist tightly, Kayla lifted her eyebrow in question, and he slowly muttered, “I will go with you”
Steven has always thought that Kayla's lines of thought are very silly, in such a dire situation like this, most people will only protect themselves. Instead of working together, they will use you up until you dry and then throw you away. Yet he couldn't seem to have the heart to let her bear that kind of consequence, ‘I am really looking forward to what you will do’
Kayla looks at him suspiciously, ‘Didn't he just said that I am stupid? What is with the change of mind?’
Kayla coughed awkwardly and nodded her head, “Let’s go back and find them, they are going to be worried”, the sound had completely disappeared, so either they had stopped searching(which is not possible) or they had been gone too far away from them. Kayla didn't panic and turned to look at him, “I.. assumed you still remember the way back?”
Steven didn't seem to be interested about it, he just sat down on the cold floor, resting one of his arms on his knees, “Just wait here until we hear them”
Kayla didn’t know if she was supposed to laugh or cry, she didn't know if he is doing it on purpose or because he wanted to hear their exact position so they didn't have to search around endlessly. But either way since she didn't know the route, she could only cooperate with him and sit down beside him and wait. The silence is kind of ominous, and since they are both sitting in the dark, she can't help but feel a little scared, so Kayla decides to start a conversation with him again, “Since you said you could exchange the coins with supplies, have you done it?”
“No, I think it is too soon for that”, he replies.
Kayla silently nodded her head, since they still didn't know what would happen to the people that are being taken away if they recklessly used the coin, it would be wise to just keep it first. Kayla decides to rest her eyes and lay more relaxed on the wall, thinking, ‘How long will it take for them to find us?’
TO BE CONTINUED…