A loud thud echoed throughout the entire room as the iron gate hit the ground with a resounding crash, the noise reverberating off the walls and causing the dust to flutter in the air. Tom and Sunny fell from the ceiling, their flight path interrupted by the unexpected disturbance.
As soon as they landed, Tom immediately pushed himself up, scanning the area to make sure there were no immediate threats. The room was dimly lit, with the only source of light coming from the small cracks between the boarded-up windows.
In the dimly lit storage room, stacks of crates and boxes lined the walls, creating a maze of makeshift barriers. Dust motes danced in the beams of sunlight that managed to pierce through the gaps in the boards covering the windows, casting eerie shadows across the floor.
The air was thick with a musty, stagnant smell, a telltale sign of disuse and neglect. Its once-vibrant colors of the discarded goods were now muted, fading into the gloom. The clutter of the room seemed endless, as if it had been hastily abandoned by its former occupants, leaving behind a mess of broken promises and shattered findings.
Their eyes adjusted to the poor lighting around them after they stood up from their backs, taking in the scene before them. The pair exchanged a knowing glance, understanding the gravity of the situation. "It looks like we landed ourselves in some abandoned warehouse," Sunny guessed, his fingers brushing against the rough, dusty crates near them.
"It's a good place to hide, but I don't think an elevator would be in place like this. We'll have to find another way of getting out in here," Tom replied, scanning the room for any potential tools or items they could use to their advantage. "I'm going to find a weapon encase if we are ever pushed in the corner," the first thing that came into his mind was to defend themselves.
"You stay put and keep watch for anything suspicious," he ordered, wanting to find an exit while Sunny would keep a lookout encase if there is anything that might jeopardize their safety.
Sunny nodded in agreement. "I'll keep my ears and eyes open; just don't take too long."
Tom disappeared into the maze of crates and boxes, carefully navigating through the cluttered space. He moved with purpose, his every step calculated as he searched for a tool or weapon he could use while also finding a way out of this flame-ridden hellhole.
Meanwhile, Sunny leaned against a stack of crates, scanning the room with a wary eye, listening intently to the sounds of the place, trying to detect any unusual activity that might signal danger to alert his friend to impending danger.
So far, nothing has bothered his senses; everything is quiet and still, as if the place itself is holding its breath, waiting for something to break the silence.
The only sound that filled his surroundings was the muffled sounds of people talking outside of these walls, making him honestly believe that they were alone in this storage room.
And he felt satisfied to know they were safe and hidden for the time being, allowing him to gather his bearings in thinking about the dangerous situation they were in.
With his arms folded together, he looked down at the floor in contemplation of finding a solution to get back to the surface. Then again, what will happen to Tom? There will be no doubt that they have already caught his friend's face; he is already aware that the waiter is his accomplice.
What will happen to his friend after this is all over? While Lei will safely return to her original body, the young waiter isn't ready to do so. The thought of it pained him, but the young waiter had already chosen this fate.
There will be no turning back now, not when they have come this far, and the stakes are higher than ever. The responsibility hung on his shoulders, firm and unyielding, as if the weight of the world rested on his tiny frame, but he refused to let it break him.
Pushing forward with the knowledge that the end is near and he must find a way to survive it no matter what. As he continued to ponder, he began to feel sleepy all of a sudden.
The back of his mind is telling him to just take a nap, that everything will get a little better from just having a short sleep. However, he is fully aware of how dangerous that is when there are many pursuers currently finding them.
Moreover, they are within the very building of their headquarters, which is not a very bright idea to sleep or rest when there are people still looking for them in every crook and cranny. But he can't deny that he desperately wants to at least take a break from all of this mess.
His body is slightly tired, but his mind is trying to stay awake. As he swayed slightly, his eyes were shut for a moment. Suddenly he yawned, the first sign of his battle with sleep: "Tom, hurry up!" He called out, his voice weak and wavering, the strain of staying awake clearly visible in his tone, not caring if the angeloids could hear him. "Tom?!" He called again, receiving not a single response after a few seconds had passed since he first shouted.
Worry and concern flashed before his eyes. "If you're still out there, I need you to answer me," he called out once more, his voice barely above a whisper, the fear of the unknown creeping into his heart. "Is everything alright?" Something feels wrong, filling his chest with a sense of dread. "You better not be hurt; I won't leave you behind," he promised to himself, his eyes scanning the room one last time, making sure that no one is sneaking up on him.
He waited and waited, but no one came. His patience was growing, and the anxiety was rising like a firestorm in his heart. "Tom!" He called out louder, his voice cracking under the weight of his worry, "Where are you?" Anxiety flowing through him, he started to pace around, searching for any sign of his friend, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Tom?!" Eyes softening, he sank to the ground, his hands shaking as he tried to find any sign of his friend. "I don't want to lose you," he whispered to himself, the lump in his throat making it difficult to speak, the first tear running down his cheek. "Please, be okay."
The thought of someone close to him dying brings him immense fear of finding his friend dead; his mind raced with memories of the times they spent together for a short while.
While the two of them didn't spend much time doing any ordinary activities like fishing or hiking, they shared a bond that he himself never believed to be true. His first true friend, whom he finally opened up to, poured his heart out to him about his aspirations of seeing the outside world rather than their imprisoned lives.
"Tom—"
Before long, he was suddenly interrupted when he was yanked from behind and his body pulled roughly from the ground.
"Shh..." Tom finally spoke, his breath coming in ragged gasps, the exertion of finding him evident in every line of his face.
"I'm right here, man," he murmured, pulling Sunny to his side behind a large crate. "Listen, I managed to find a functional elevator, but there is a problem; it needs a keycard to operate." His friends fiddled with the card in their hands. "I've got one, but I'm not sure if it will work," he finished, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Nodding his head, Sunny was relieved to find his friend safe and sound, wiping the sweat that had formed on his forehead. "Finally," he muttered, his voice still shaky from his mini breakdown. "Let's just hope it works," he replied, his heart pounding from the adrenaline flowing through him.
Just as Tom was about to respond back in return, a door somewhere in this room creaked open, revealing two voices of angeloids in the room and two females holding what seemed to be stun pistols equipped with flashlights.
"We know you're in there," one of them spoke, her voice cold and unfeeling. "Come out with your hands up," she said, sending a warning shot into the air as the ash of light from the shot caused Sunny and his friend to wince slightly in pain from the sudden white light.
"Follow me and don't make any sounds."
According to his friend's request, the duo crawled against the ground, following the path laid out by Tom's stealthy movements while hearing the sounds of footsteps moving directly behind them.
They moved slowly and carefully, trying to stay as quiet as possible while also keeping a close eye on the androids, who were clearly not very far away with their beams of light emitting from their flashlights. "We were almost there," he whispered quietly, encouraging themselves to keep going.
From his perspective, Sunny felt if they were in some horror movie being made; the tension was so thick, he could cut it with a knife, the force and urgency of the situation pressing down on his chest the further they went.
He wanted to deny this, but sometimes those androids could be intimidating—especially when they were armed. The feeling of being hunted was something new to him, making his heart race more than usual and the sweat increasing tenfold from how scary this is becoming.
The thought of what would happen to them once the angeloids caught up to them is a horrifying thought, knowing that they are in for a world of hurt. Even though they won't kill them, the tone of their voices sounded like they wouldn't mind inflicting some pain if it meant capturing them alive.
Yet he continued following his friend behind like a well-trained soldier, swallowing his fear and pushing forward. When they continue to move, the approaching footsteps begin to come closer to their comfortable zone.
"Were going to get the two of you," one of the angeloids called out, her voice growing more impatient as they followed where the pair's path might be. "Don't make us come in there and get you by force," she warned. Their flashlights grew larger and brighter the closer they were getting to them.
Sunny and Tom were at a loss for words. From the corner of their eyes, they could see the bright lights getting closer to their hiding spot, making them feel pinned in a box.
The only way out is to face the threat head-on or find another route. But judging from how close they are, the latter option sounds fictitious at best and risky at worst. At least, however, finding solace in the fact that they are still together. Instead Tom had other plans: "Take it." Handing the keycard to Sunny, he urged the young man to take it from his hand.
Lowering his voice, "Wait, you don't mean...?!" Whispering a little loudly from what his friend is trying to do, "We are going to go through this together; I'm not leaving you behind," he finished, the desperation in his voice as clear as day. One of the things he despises is discarding others as if they were tools.
But Sunny, being the righteous person he is, would never steep that low to abandon someone he has grown to care about, especially when this is his first ever friend in the Ark. "I'm staying if it means being captured with you," he vowed, his hands tightening into a fist.
"You are going, whether you like it or not," Tom answered honestly, "I promise to meet you at the other side, but right now I'm going to distract them long enough for you to make it to the elevator," showing just how much faith he had in him, even if it was to save his friend.
"Now move! Keep moving forward; you will see the elevator!" He commanded, urging Sunny to keep going as he handed the keycard in his hand before jumping out of his hiding spot and waving his arms around in front of the two armed androids.
"Come and get me!"
Then the chase began, desperately dodging and ducking from shots as the angeloids gave pursuit, their footsteps pounding behind him.
"Stop! I order you to stop!" One of them shouted; their threatening tone wasn't what Tom was worried about; it was getting shot left and right without a sense of remorse or hesitation. Although he probably doesn't have to dwell on them too much when they these fine ladies are just doing their job.
With adrenaline pumping through his veins, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him, dodging between crates and boxes, weaving in and out of the maze of makeshift barriers as if he were some speeding train, but it would be a matter of time before he got caught.
Watching the chaos unfold, Sunny wanted to help him, to do anything to stop this madness, but he knew that Tom is a man of his word, and he can't break his promise. So with a heavy heart, he did as his friend asked and ran as fast as he could towards the elevator.
A pained expression ashed across his face with every step he took, feeling like he was leaving his best friend to die. "Please don't die on me!" He shouted as, while he still believed the androids wouldn't outright kill him, there was always the possibility they could be ruthless behind the curtains.
