“What do you need me to do?” Ed asked nervously, his eyes darting around the room. He had no plans of going against Keith, but even if he did, that threat would’ve stopped him dead in his tracks.

“It’s rather simple really. I made a deal with someone that, let’s just say, needs to be kept secret. Tonight, it’s time for him to fulfil his end of the deal and give me what I asked for.” Keith explained.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but if it needs to be kept secret, then why are you telling me about it?” Ed asked.

“Are you going to tell someone about it?” Keith pressed his hands into the desk, the glint of a gun barrel poking out in his mechanical arm for just long enough for Ed to see.

“No.” Ed shook his head violently, gulping loudly.

“Good.” Keith relaxed back into his chair. “Your job is simple. Go inside the factory, shake hands with the guy, swap briefcases, and leave. Got it?”

“Loud and clear. But um, which factory is it?” It’s only right that I know, right? How else will I know where I’m going.

“You don’t need to know that. There’s a car outside waiting to take you there. And before you ask, you don’t need to know what’s in the briefcases. Just make the swap, then hand it over to one of my guys outside. Do that, and you’ll get your credits, and be able to forget this ever happened. Got it?”

“Yes sir.”

Keith nodded at him before getting out of his chair. “Now get out.”

SLAM.

The door slammed shut behind him as Ed stepped out into the hallway, once again surrounded by armed guards. Honestly, I feel like my thinking was correct. That guy is scary. Somehow, this hallway felt safer to be in than that room.

Ed walked between the guards, slowly making his way back out to the club. Just swap the briefcases, hand the new one over, get paid, and leave. That’s all I’ve got to do. It’s nice and simple, don’t complicate things.

Stepping back out onto the club floor, Ed was once again bathed in the sounds of music and people dancing the night away without a care in the world. What a waste of time.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

His eyes trailed over to the bar, where he saw Zara serving a customer. I never did get that drink... Well, it’s probably too late now.

He used the small amount of time it took to cross the dance floor as a chance to relax his nerves and prepare himself for what is to come.

That guy’s rich, he’ll definitely give me enough money to pay off this part of the debt, then maybe I’ll have a few hours to rest. Who knows, he might give me so much money that I won’t have to worry for a week.

Ed allowed that thought to carry him out the door, where the bouncer from earlier suddenly wrapped his arm around Ed’s shoulder.

“I heard you got the job kid. Let me take you to the car.” He said while pulling Ed to the right.

Looks like I’ve got no way of turning back now. I already know too much. Ed helplessly followed the man a little ways down the street where he was ‘helped’ into the backseat of a car.

The car consisted of two rows of seats facing inwards with a table in the middle. A briefcase sat on the table, seemingly without any precautions to stop it from being opened, with only a few cameras in the car to act as deterrence.

The door closed behind him as he took a seat, and as he looked around, he found no steering wheel, and no dedicated driver’s seat.

No way! Is the first car I’m gonna be in driverless? That’s so cool. Ed was amazed at being able to experience this, briefly forgetting the situation he was in.

Now, driverless cars had existed for a long time, at least a few hundred years. But they weren’t exactly a common sight in the lower city. And it was all but impossible for someone like Ed to get the chance to ride in one of them.

Up until this point, the only experience Ed had with being in a car was when he snuck into the junkyard to find a warm place to sleep and ended up spending the night in an old car.

Sitting down, he felt out of place. The car was far to fancy and high tech for him, that he worried that if he even touched anything, it would break.

The windows blackened, as a simple smiley face appeared on the glass in front of him. As this happened, Ed heard the doors lock up.

“Welcome, my name is Annie, I will be your driver today.” An overly synthesised and cheerful voice said, as the cartoonish mouth opened in time with the words.

Woah. This is even fancier than I thought. What should I do? Do I need to say something? Ed opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off before he could say anything.

“Please fasten your seatbelt and sit back and enjoy the ride.” Annie said.

The seatbelt automatically pulled itself around Ed before buckling itself in. It snapped tight, knocking the air out of him as it sat snuggly on his chest.

The car drove off silently towards its destination. There was no hum of an engine. In fact, Ed could barely even here the sound of the tyres on the road. If it wasn’t for the fact he could feel the car moving, he would’ve assumed he was still outside the club.

He looked around nervously, his eyes awkwardly darting between the cameras, Annie’s face, and the briefcase. I wonder what’s inside? I know he told me not to look, but... Ed felt something build up inside him as his eyes flashed with greed. They can’t really stop me from opening it now.

Ed’s hand inched closer to the briefcase.