"Are you sure this is okay?" I asked, feeling hesitant to carry out Lave's devious joke.

Although I would usually never agree to do something as ridiculous as what we were about to do, you never know when what I've learned from her might come in handy.

Or perhaps I was simply trying to justify why I was spending time with Lave. She was someone around my age and appeared to be in as much trouble as I was, considering she was in the Underworld, too.

"Don't you think it's a little too late to back away now?" she muttered as she scribbled in her journal before ripping out the page and stuffing it into the crevice in the wall. "It's not like we're causing him any harm. I mean, who in their right mind would get so drunk they'd pass out in the alley? All we're doing is teaching him a lesson."

Sleeping in a place as dangerous as the Underworld wasn't a bright idea. Some thieves could have stolen from him while he was unconscious, while others could be planning to play a joke on him. Pun intended.

"Is he still sleeping?"

"Like a log," I responded, watching his chest move slightly and consistently as he breathed in and out.

"What about his phone?"

"Do we really have to call him?"

"So, how are we supposed to wake him up once we're done here, mm? There are only so many spots in this alley where we can hide his wallet, you know?"

I sighed, looked around, then stooped down and took out his phone as soon as I was sure no one was watching. It's fine, Gray. It's not as if we're actually harming him...

"Cautious much?"

"Shut up," I replied, not wanting to hear that from someone who seemed used to doing things like this.

"I'm not really comfortable with this," Lave whispered, denying my thoughts. "I just wanted to try doing something bad for a change."

When I tried to open the phone, it had a password, as I expected. "Locked," I mumbled as I shoved it back into his pocket.

"Don't worry," she reached into the dumpster and pulled out a bottle of beer. "This should do the trick."

"You're hellbent on scaring the crap out of the poor fella..." I pitted him.

"We're doing him a favor, Douglass. If we just let him sleep through the night, something a lot worse could happen."

Since I agreed with her to a certain extent, I uttered, "Fine, but do you think someone who hasn't woken up after being mocked for this long will react in any way when you toss that bottle?"

"To be honest," Lava pressed a finger against her chin. "I never thought about it that far."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I was an idiot to go along with your prank..."

"Then come up with a brighter idea if you can, genius!"

"Slap him?"

If we were to do that, then he'd wake up for sure.

"I'm not touching him," Lava said, crossing her arms as if to make a statement. "Feel free to do that if you really want to."

He wasn't a looker, now that I gave the matter some thought...

"How about we trim his beard, bathe him, find him a job, and transform him into a respectable member of our society," I yelped. "Maybe then you won't find him as repulsive as you do now, Miss Lavender."

She glared at me, clearly annoyed by my sarcasm. "Please don't call me that. Oh, and if you're so high and mighty, you should be the one to wake him up."

"Well, then I guess this is as far as our little prank—" but I couldn't help but shudder when I noticed a pair of shadows trailing on the concrete behind Leva.

"What's with the silence?'

As I reached for the paper shaved within the wall, unable to provide a proper explanation, I only spat out: "The notes!"

Not delving too much into the matter, Lavender snatched another piece of paper as she passed by. Because the alley was so narrow, there weren't many spots where we could put those messages.

We turned the corner with a second to spare.

Lave sighed and pressed one hand on her chest. "That was scary..."

"Maybe we should be a bit more thorough the next time we do something like this," I suggested.

"So, Douglass, you're saying you want to meet me again?" She raised her nose in triumph. "I'm delighted to hear you had such a good time with me."

"Only if you're available after work."

Whether I'd actually get in contact with her once we split up was a different matter.

"Perhaps—" Lave then pressed her finger against her lips, shushing me as voices could be heard coming from the alley.

"—that drunkard's out cold—"

"—see if he has something on him—"

I couldn't discern exactly everything they said, but for a brief moment, Lave and I just stared at one another. Her lips crept upwards, mine probably did too. We were both chuckling at the absurdity of what was happening.

"Should we intervene?" I inquired, my smile withering as I understood the gravity of the situation.

When this guy wakes up, he wouldn't have any of his personal belongings on him...

"He did it to himself," said Leva, her sneer still visible. "I guess he's really unfortunate, huh?"

That kind of reaction felt so wrong, and yet—

"More so than the next guy," I said, pointing my chin towards an older gentleman hauled out of a brothel by the scruff of his neck. The thrower was a behemoth of a man, his muscle popping through the shirt tucked in his pants.

"This place is quite the mess," Lave admitted. "Do you think we'd go viral if we recorded something like this and posted it on the internet?"

"That's... a good idea, I think..."

I found it more appealing the more I considered it.

"I was joking, Douglass," she said, wiping away a tear as her tone turned serious. "There are unspoken rules in this place. Call them taboos, if you will. You're free to stab, spit on, steal, and even murder without issue, but recordings aren't allowed."

"Why?"

Although Ethan had told me something along those lines, it still made no sense to me.

"You really aren't from here..." Lave stared at me with pity. "I'm not sure what led you here, but that's one of the rules you must follow. Most importantly, guns are a no-no."

"You still haven't told me why."

"Right," she muttered, running her fingers through her messy hair. "It's because others regard it as an insult. By using one, you're essentially saying you don't care about anyone else in this place. It's the most egregious form of disrespect you could ever commit."

That seemed ridiculous, but I held that part to myself.

"And if you do use one?"

What were the punishments for defying the rules? What is the distinguishing difference between the society below as opposed to the one above?

"It feels like you're interrogating me, Douglass," Lave grumbled before sighing. "But fine, I'll tell you. The last time I've seen someone pulling the trigger, he was chased down, murdered, and made a spectacle out of. I'd prefer if you didn't ask for specifics..."

"Thank you for clarifying that."

Because of you, now I know a little bit more about the Underworld.

And for that, I was grateful.