The gunfire grew more intense with every passing moment, marking a bloody and brutal battle. People hid away in fear, unable to sleep. Unable to block the sounds from their mind. It wasn’t uncommon for gunfights like this to happen. The lower city was plagued with gangs and ‘businesses’ that didn’t like it when people stepped on their turf.

The police were mostly seen as a non-issue in the lower city, despite how oppressive the government was. They were around, but they always bent the knee to the gang leaders. They were seen as weak and spineless by anyone that was in a gang. And anyone who wasn’t had bigger things to be afraid about. Never before had they put on a show of force like this.

Tonight, they showed who was really in control. They showed that they shouldn’t be ignored.

Curiosity gnawed away at Ed’s mind, constantly tempting him to go have a look. To see what was going on. But he knew better than that. Police drones were still flying around, constantly sweeping over every inch of the surrounding area.

It wasn’t safe for him to move. Not yet.

So instead, he waited patiently, watching as more and more police officers ran past the alley. Surely they don’t need this many. He had already seen dozens of police officers run past in high tech gear, and that was just from the confines of the small alley. Hundreds had probably converged on the warehouse by now, with even more still approaching.

It was ridiculous. The police far outstripped the gang members in both training and technology, and yet they still continued to swarm down on the warehouse like an endless tide of ants. It was as if they were afraid that they would lose their lives if something went wrong, so their captains sent everyone available to handle it.

The drones alone would be enough to hunt down the gang members, so this all felt oddly performative to Ed. He wanted to watch this show, knowing that he’d probably never get the chance to see something like this again.

His eyes scanned the surroundings, and despite what logic told him was the safest option, he chose to move. To get closer, and have a look. He waited patiently for the drones to finish their search of the surroundings, and when they did, he moved.

Avoiding the roads, he found a sewer grate in the alley and cautiously removed the grate. Grimacing at the pungent smell he forced himself inside. Covering his nose, he followed the sewers back towards the warehouse. The entire time his brain was screaming at him to leave. Nobody was in the sewer. This was his chance to escape.

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Trudging through the sewers, he wondered why the place wasn’t swarming with cops. Did they not think that someone would try and escape through here? Or were they just confident that they would be able to catch them before they could even try.

It felt completely separated from the street above. Like its own world. If it wasn’t for the sounds above still travelling underground through the grates, it would’ve felt peaceful. Mind you, he would by no means want to stay here any longer than he had to. The smell was awful, even for him.

Pushed by his curiosity, he stopped below a manhole cover that he was pretty sure was connected to the warehouse. The sounds of gunshots rang out even louder, almost deafening. Proof that he was in the right place.

Light filtered in through the sewer grates, allowing him to see where he was going. If it wasn’t for that, he doubted he would’ve been able to find his way here.

Old trash laid strewn about around a well-used ladder. Chocolate wrappers, cans of cola, chip bags. It seemed that someone in the warehouse was using the sewer as a trash dump to hide their snacking efforts. Why they had to do so, Ed didn’t know.

Should I be doing this? I could die. If a single person sees me, I won’t be able to escape. Anxious thoughts rushed through his mind in a frenzy, but they couldn’t dim his curiosity. What if this is my chance? He could make it big here, given enough luck. And so what if he got caught. At least he would die knowing he had done something exciting. That was more than what most people like him could say.

But no matter how he tried to convince himself, he was still scared. He was afraid of what would happen to him if he got caught. Would he die an exciting death like he believed? Or would he be brutally tortured and made an example of by the police?

Even worse, what if he was handed over as a test subject to the government?

Clouded by uncertainty, he couldn’t bring himself to climb the ladder and leave the sewers. He was moments away from turning back and trying to flee when a blue screen appeared in his vision, displaying a warning:

Warning! Insufficient funds. Please secure enough funds within the next two hours or your debtor will be contacted and made aware of your location.

Staring at the blinking message in his vision, Ed firmed his resolve and started climbing the ladder. Fuck it. If I die, I die. It’s better than becoming his slave.

The deafening gunshots made it difficult to hear, which was a problem, since he couldn’t tell if anyone was above him. Reaching the top of the ladder, he pressed his ear against the cover and listened. He felt the cold metal against his bruised face, and winced. At least it was believable.

The gunshots stopped, replaced by sudden silence. The room above was silent. He couldn’t hear any movement. It should be safe. Using his legs to secure his place on the ladder, he pushed against the cover until it lifted by a slither.

Peeking through the crack, he found himself in a cramped, dark room.