Hiraeth |✔

A Quick Shower

Scarlett removed her onyx-black beaded choker, which was a weapon to strangle Zen then, now it was indeed something else. The pellet-like neckband, its blazing surface reflecting the orange-damped light, was a gift given to her by Ayden.
The handicraft was a masterpiece of African women, who made their living out of these. The jewellery was bought by Ayden's dad, a philanthropic man, on a trip to East Africa. The choker was bought by paying 3 times the actual worth, which made it an extraordinary gift to Scarlett. The feather pendant, which hung elegantly, was lost on this disastrous crusade of hers. Every little section of black beads was separated by a cylindrical white one.

Zen stared at the little piece. It had some black beads missing. He saw what every human might see -a plain choker.

"The number begins from 6, that I remember," saying this she began counting from the section of necklace which had 6 black beads. The next section had 3. In the next part, she encountered a white one only after 2 black beads, she finally reached the end of the loop after counting 8 black beads.

"6328, it says."

She rolled the discs into her desired combination. They both stood, hand in hand, squeezing with anticipation. A green light glowed, bumping the faint orange light. The huge door slid open, making way to its two intruders.

Zen stared at her with pride that travelled miles to reach his tough face.

"I'm impressed! You are a stream of innovative ideas. I'm envious!"

"Oh! The things boredom makes you do!"

"Yes! Boredom is surely the mother of all inventions."
Their sprinting smiles splashed the little questionable room with cans and toxic fuming fragrance.

"Don't step in." He threw a stern warning at her.

Zen removed his jacket, handing the gun which slid out, to Scarlett. He tiptoed, aligning to a sidewall in the new room. His body looked like it was glued to the wall with a moving lever. He reached the edges of the wall and hastily placed his jacket on the only camera patrolling the room. The roof of this room was relatively lower than the other, which made things easier. The walls were painted with fewer details and the colour spat melancholy.

Scarlett walked in with her darting eyes. All the labels on the tins on the front row read acetone. As she moved a few steps forward, the mud-coloured boxes read 'cocaine'. The rest of the room flooded with all sorts of illegal drugs. Everything became clear to them, as when cloudy glasses get rubbed with alcohol.

The reason for the secrecy and intense security was revealed. The cellar in which Zen and Scarlett ended up was somewhere interior. Even if the police were to come inside, it was almost absurd to notice the door to this illegal opening, which assumed the exterior of its filthy surrounding. There were piles of sacked goods, organised in disciplined rows and columns.

"How careless of the guards to let us in that cellar." Scarlett wasn't too horrified seeing all this when she was also illegally hoarded too.

"Ah! Thanks to the earthquake. In that violent chaos, they were busy saving their own lives!"

"I think this is the end, Zen. There is nothing besides these two rooms." Disappointed snuggled into her voice.

They moved the huge cans and sacks, slacking against the floor, making way to their fatigued legs. They started exploring the room. In a corner, there was a huge desk and a leather chair that looked fleshy. On the right wall, another small door stood at the verge, this time it was a plain black one. Zen unlocked it to reveal a tiny bathroom. A toilet sat in the corner, the cupboards were all furnished with splendid wood. In one of the chests, we're the same disgusting clothes that Scarlett was wearing.

"Zen! Someone resides here!"

"There is no bedroom, Scarlett. There are no more doors."

"I think I've got an interesting idea. Since there is nowhere to go any further, let me take a quick shower." He had a playful grin on his face.

"Zen!! Stop being ridiculous. You get the most stupid ideas in the most threatening circumstances! The time you sang in the van..argh!.. let's go up. It's nearly sunrise. They will be down anytime. You see me sweating, don't you?"

"Scarlett! I haven't showered for days! I know you were allowed to take a bath yesterday. Please?" He was a little frantic at her.

Scarlett was shaking at the thought of lingering alone in this dungeon. Zen was already in the bathroom, blocks of water rained on his body, reaching the wet floor.

Scarlett moved closer to the sombre desk. She pulled the hefty drawers. She fiddled through the tons of paper, some looked like age-old manuscripts. Her left hand was engaged as it carried the gun. She never kept it down as if doing it might dissolve the fatal metal into the surface she has kept it on. Scarlett fiddled around the long drawers. The last one to the left had a blueprint of a map. She moved her slender fingers, tracing the lines of the diagram. The lines resembled the room she had earlier landed in and the adjacent room she was standing in. What enthralled her was an entrance that looked different from what they had entered through. She discovered another door other than the hidden platform on the dusty map.

She walked towards the bathroom.
"Zen! There is another door to these rooms! A way to get out of here!" She felt delighted at the thought of it.

"Oh! Wait, I'm done. I will be coming out!"

Before Zen could finish blurting his words, she heard a massive metallic sound saunter in through the stillness of the room they had been a little while ago.

Scarlett tucked the map into the elastic of her ragged pants, making sure the lengths of the t-shirt covered it up.

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A/N: how curious are you guys? 1-10 (comment, please!)