Bushes, trees of almost the same heights here and there. Poisonous plants scattered all over the place. This was what the environment would look like for someone unfamiliar with the place. But to Alex Pearson, this was only a good sign for him.

Around two hours ago, a small, blood stained copper bell he had been keeping with him rang. So he sent his encrypted message out to his clients, before grabbing his jacket, his keys, his talismans and heading out of his hiding place, for the last time.

Not completely surprisingly, not all of them came to him on time. In fact, only two came. Out of courtesy, he waited five more minutes at their rendezvous point. Still, not even one more his clients came.

Eve Kim, Tanya Su, two clients in whom he had no high hopes of making it back to him, were the ones that he would be responsible for from then on.

He handed two small copper bells tied onto red ribbons to the girls, along with two wooden plaques with symbols engraved on them that would normally be written on talismans: “Here’s the deal: you are to keep silent at all times unless you see something out of the ordinary; you must follow my every command. If you have any questions, ring this bell, and only speak if I ring my bell back at you. Got it!?”

“Got it.” The two young women nodded at him, both of whom had cut their long hair and rubbed dirt and ashes from the bottoms of woks on their faces per his command. Tanya Su wanted to ask something, but was stopped by Eve Kim. “Thank you.” She practically whispered this sentence.

“Good. Be smart.” Alex Pearson nodded at the two young women before sliding open the door to his modified truck: “Go in, sit on the mats on the ground. The seats are not for you, got it? And when I tell you to lie down. You lie down!”

The two young women went into the bus just like he said. They sat on two mats in the middle of the walkway - the walkway was made to sink lower on the floor than regular buses. There were dirty drapes on the window, and the seats were old and dirty too.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

“Sit back.” He pushed Eve Kim’s feet back so that no parts of her body would extend beyond the stairs between the door of the bus and the walkway: “You see that pierce of carpet before you? If someone wants to come onboard and check the bus, lie down and I’ll pull it over you. Then we’ll hope for the best.”

The entire bus ride to their midway destination was much smoother than Alex imagined previously. It was probably due to the ruckus happening all over the city - from the radio chatter he intercepted, the city police began looking for those unfortunate detectives as well.

They ditched the bus when they reached a hilly area at the edge of the city. When they went further there would be patrols and riding a bus would be exponentially more difficult to pass the border. When they were out of the city’s limits, they would need to meet with their handler on the other side in order to get to the next destination.

“Ring.” One of the young women rang the bell.

Alex looked around, then rang back.

“Can I - can I go to the bathroom?” It was Tanya Su, the timid one.

“Go ahead. Don’t go too far. And don’t touch any of the plants, most of them are poisonous and I am in no mood to drag you the rest of the way.” Alex Pearson turned and averted his eyes: “Be quick.”

Tanya looked around and gave up the thought of finding a bush to hide behind. Eve Kim volunteered to stand between her and Alex Pearson.

Just when Alex scanned the area for any signs of patrol, his heart skipped a beat, chills ran down his spine and every hair on his body stood up. He grabbed the jade buddha amulet on his neck and recited a short buddhist verse, but it did not help the sudden unease. He turned, ignoring Eve Kim’s staring daggers at him and looking towards the north.

A faint trace of smoke arose from that direction. Could it be the old house? It could. For what he knew it was made into a “site”, a place to relay Qiyun and to deposit corrupt energy. And sites fell, more than usual in the past few weeks.

Eve Kim’s mouth moved, she was about to say something but was hesitant due to the rules laid down earlier, by the only man who could bring them out of the city. Alex Pearson huffed: “We should go. Things are about to get hairy. So stay close.”

They hastened their steps, caution had become less of a priority now. They lowered their bodies and rushed through the space between the bushes, trees and uneven parts of the land.

“Crack!” A loud thunder came from behind them, making everyone flinch at the same time. Alex Pearson looked back, and saw only the sky getting gray. The moon was bright and its light was still piercing through the clouds, though to a less and less extent.

They pressed on. The path before them grew steeper and steeper, which was a sign that they were getting close to the edge of the city. The land in this area used to be more clear of vegetation and uneven rocks, which would make it easier for the patrol team to see those who wanted to sneak out of the city without going through the official routes. But over the years the maintenance was not able catch up and the tough working conditions of the patrol teams led to what everything around looked like today.

“Ring” “Ring” Both young women rang their bells.

Without needing to answer, Alex Pearson already knew what it was - the sudden pungent smell carried over by the wind.