Reprisal

(8)

The fumes from the car flood the car with a horrible stench. I close the windows and wait at a red traffic light.

"How far are we? It's been a little while since I've been down here." Chris relaxes and lowers the car seat.

"A couple more miles. Remember the drill." I warn him. After another ten minutes, we would still be crammed in traffic.

"I would just like to say if we do get found and put in jail. These last few days have been fun with you." Chris puts his phone on his lap.

"I guess I feel the same. But let's not be pessimistic. Remember why we are here." I suddenly remember Lydia.

"Yeah, I know." Chris acknowledges.

"Shit, I almost forgot. I met his wife." I tell Chris.

"You what?" Our conversation is interrupted. I slam the brakes as a car pulls out of a junction too early.

"Idiot!" Chris bellows at the driver. We continue through the traffic and reach the forest which you could call a jungle.

"Anyway, you met his wife?" Christopher coughs.

"Yeah. She was nice. Also, Katie is pissed off." I mention.

"Jesus. You are a drama queen. How much do you have going on?" Chris teases.

"Enough to keep me busy and drunk." We park near the gate but hide around the turning so anyone wouldn't suspect anything. We go through the plan again.

"We rush into the woods to our left. We jump the fence, watch out for cameras and make our way to the side. Once we do that we will hook on to the roof and rappel. I'm less heavy so I will climb." I consider.

"Rude." Christopher laughs.

"You aren't the smallest person on Earth. And on second thought you are probably Arnold Schwarzenegger." I joke.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Chris closes the door and we sneak into the woods. Thorn bushes slice and cut at my trousers. My balaclava starts to tug on a twig.

"I'm stuck!" I whisper. I steadily detach my balls from the twig and we continue to lurk around the forest. I spot the old fence.

"That's the fence there. I'll check for security. Wait here. Have the taser." I give him the weapon.

"Cheers." Chris snatches it with a hint of banter. I crunch the twigs beneath me and peer over the wooden fence. No one is there and the only thing I am worried about is the tall lamp post. I give the all-clear and we leap over the fence.

Everything has gone smoothly so far. The side of the building is grassy and bumpy. The brownish and cherry-red bricks are illuminated by the lights. In the distance, a guard walks around the corner. I could barely detach his clothing from the surroundings. We drop to the floor and pray he doesn't come walking over this way. We are not exactly camoed up. We slowly manoeuvre and sneak around the perimeter until the guard passes. We reach the side of the mansion and it ominously stands before us.

"Hook me on," I demand and Chris unzips the duffel bag.

"Shit I think I left the harness," Chris exclaims.

"Shush. You bloody what?" I growl quietly.

"I left it at home. You will have to go up there with no safety. I can clip everything to your backpack and balaclava." Chris advises me. How could he forget?

"Turn around madam," Christopher asks and tries to lighten my mood. He lends me the thick metal wire and I throw the hook to the roof. It narrowly catches the edge and then I tug the wire to check the safety.

"Turn." Chris clears his throat.

"Bloody turn?" I angrily whisper.

"Do you wanna fall?" Chris grumbles.

"Jesus." I sigh.

He attaches clips to the belt around my waist. He looks up at me and there is an awkward silence. I snatch the carabiners and other gear.

"Climb up the rope then. We haven't got long before that guard pops up again." Chris hurries me up. I sigh anxiously with a sinking heart. I carefully ascend the wire and with each step, I try my best to focus.

"Keep going. You are almost there sunshine." Chris jokes.

"Flattering will get you nowhere," I whisper back down.

"It already has." Chris' voice breaks. His whispering turned into an accidental shout.

"Ha! Voice crack!" I tease him while climbing the mansion.

I reach the roof and detach from the wire. I stand and stare at the stars. I drop all of my equipment down to Chris.

"Enjoy packing that away!" I laugh.

I open the roof hatch and drop down into the attic. I close the hatch shut and shut away the sweeping and bitter cold.

The attic is impeccably clean and is lit up by yellow LEDs. I dodge the beam that obnoxiously gets in the way. I open the attic hatch and climb down the ladder. I've never been up here before. Is this the third floor? The corridors are similar but without pictures hanging on the walls. There are fewer rooms. The only thing that catches my eye as I walk around is the bright light shining out of one of the films. I crouch and peep through the open door.

Alex has left a television on. I close the door and walk downstairs. I'm on the second floor and now I recognise it. The library is probably around the corner of the corridor. Suddenly, a guard walks out of one of the guest rooms, opposite the one I climbed out of. I stay completely still like a statue, crouching and my knees begin to tremble under the pressure.

The guard walks down the grand staircase that is located near the laundry room. If I am near the laundry room the library must be on the other side. I sneak around the corridor and reach the library door. This time it has a keypad with a lock symbol on the screen. This would mean I can't get in without the code. However, the keyhole that originally kept the door locked could be picked and the door would open nicely.

I take a hair clip out of my hair and twist it inside the hole. I hear a few clicks and the door opens. The keypad inaudibly beeps. I close the door behind me and jog to the book that opened the secret room. I pull on it and the shelf opens like a portal awaiting a queen. I walk inside and switch the bloody red lights on. I put in the same code from last time which I have managed to memorise inside my head. It opens like a bank vault. I grasp a few of the photos and at first glance, I knew this changed everything.

Thank you for reading and feel free to leave feedback. It would be much appreciated.

Have a good day!