As the morning came around and the sun began rising Devin and Afton are awoken by the sounds of the local beasts in the water singing. The city is cloaked in its usual thin layer of fog for the morning, only a few tall buildings in the city are seen above it. Devin sluggishly stands, wiping the sleep out of his eyes, Afton pretends to be asleep, not making a sound, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep. Devin kicks her in the leg a few times and says "I know your awake", she stands up quickly angrily saying "if you knew I was awake why did you kick me so hard?".
As they both stand stretching on the rooftop they hear the voice of an older woman shouting up towards them from the path below "Are more of you stupid kids up on that roof again, get off before the whole building comes down". They both quickly dart towards the rickety stairs on the other side of the roof and clamber their way down, swiftly leaving the area making sure not to get spotted by anyone else.
They slow down to a walk as they get back into the market district of Kolla, staying far from the streets they used to escape the previous day. After finding a quiet street they stop and lean against the wall of a building and begin to chat.
Afton crosses her arms and sarcastically says " so... do you agree with my Radburn idea or should I start scouting a lovely little spot for us to start begging for the week?"
"I think its a good idea I just don't like Radburn and what he does" Devin responds, still catching his breath.
"We wont get caught no matter what happens, we will get out of the jobs together" Afton says, looking Devin in the eyes.
After they both recover from the morning journey they stand up and gather their bearings before conversing about the directions to Radburns hideout. Navigating through the bustling market, they ventures down narrow streets and pathways, searching for the sign that they know leads to Radburns hideout. Time seems to stretch as they diligently comb through the vibrant market.
Finally, after some perseverance and half an hour of wandering around gazing down every alley they walked past a chalk drawing of a cat with one paw pointing down an alley catches their eyes. Relief floods their bodies. The drawing looks a bit weathered like it has been there for a long time but it was still clear that this was the direction to go. They both pick up a piece of chalk that they see underneath the drawing and carefully add a notch for themselves as a silent testament to the beginning of a new chapter of their life's.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Devin nervously gulps as they put the chalk back down on the ground and begin to walk down the dark empty alley, Afton holds his hand to give him some comfort. Together, they follow the chalk drawings that lead them through the winding alleyways and across bustling streets, traversing through a few districts of the city before they eventually get to the very south docks of the city.
They find stairs at the side of the water that they remember lead to the hideout in the old forgotten sewers of the town, a place predating Kolla's establishment. They apprehensively go down the old, slippery, unkept stairs and across a short pathway that is just over the water line. Finally they reach a large spherical opening that is incorporated into a chalk drawing of a cats face with its mouth open, most of it has been washed off by the water, the intent behind it still remains visible.
"Are you sure about this?" Devin says before entering the sewer tunnel with a lot of fear in his voice.
Afton hugs him "We can always leave if he asks us to do something we are un sure about".
Afton releases Devin and the two stand, staring into the tunnel, waves crashing behind them. Even thought the entrance into the tunnel is only a small step, to them it looks like they can barely reach it, the apprehension limiting their mobility, this simple step holds so much meaning to them. It could mean life or death depending on what Radburn decides.
After they make the arduous step into the tunnel they start walking further into the depths of the darkness. Even thought they remember the directions to the hideouts door they find it challenging getting to it. The darkness is as unforgiving as it is all encompassing the tunnel, whenever they get to a wall they whisper in unison "Left one", "Left two", "Right three", "Left four". After the final left turn they are met with a small opening with either side with boxes and old sacks. An old rusting small metal door with a slot at the top stands at the far back, allowing some faint light past into the area the duo find themselves in.
Afton stands tall, clears her throat, puts on the façade of a brave face and slowly walks towards the door, Devin following closely behind. She knocks on the door loudly three times before stopping and putting her hands back by her side. They hear faint footsteps coming closer to the door from the inside and what sounds like something being dragged up to the door, the slit opens up and they are faced with the sight of a very young girls eyes.
"What's your names? who invited you, how do you know about this place?" she says injecting a hint of sass into her questions.
Afton responds "I'm Afton" she leans to the side revealing Devin "this is Devin... we didn't really get invited, we did some work for Radburn a few years ago"
Before Afton can finish answering her questions the girl closes the slit and walks off. As they hear her footsteps fade into the distance they hear a louder voice from the inside and much larger steps walking up to the door, The door swings open, revealing Radburn standing in the doorway. He gestures with his arm, inviting them inside, and warmly says, "You are welcome here. Feel free to come in.".