Underdogs

THIRTEEN

She cleared her throat, thus attracting the attention of the ugly man. He lifted his hooded head to glare at her with hollow eyes and a sneer on his dirty mouth. Upon recognizing her, his wrinkled face relaxed into an expression of surprise.

"Back in business, Magnolia?" A couple of dry chuckles escaped him; his body convulsed. "I knew you were too smart to be dead."

Galene peered at her surroundings, cautious. "Is Johan in?"

"He's waiting for you," he replied while putting his long knife out of sight again.

Nodding in understanding, Galene made sure the street was empty before unlocking the door. The inside of the house was crowded with dust, and nothing else. 

"What's the meaning of this, brat?" Levi asked while glaring at the vacant space.

"Don't be so quick to judge," was all she said before she strolled towards the furthest corner in the room ㅡ where artificial light couldn't reach to illuminate ㅡ and bent down. Then, she tapped the floor lightly.

Something echoed underneath, causing Levi to approach and look around with wary eyes.

A rustling sound rang from under the wooden planks, before what had been floor in front of her gave a sudden shake. The trapdoor became visible then, and Galene stepped back as it opened.

"Edgar," she started as a familiar face peered over the edge at them. Her eyes drifted to the red mark on his cheek before flickering to his wide eyes. "Were you sleeping again, idiot?"

He only scratched the back of his head nerviously, and then stepped away to let her in. Galene glanced at her friend and nodded, motioning for him to jump through the open trapdoor. Glad no complaint left him, Galene waited for Levi to disappear inside before following after.

ㅡ

Dim light illuminated the way as they reached the bottom of the stairs, and the sight was completely different from anything Levi had ever seen.

A main corridor spread to get lost in the distance, splitting into dozens of thinner passages as it kept on; splintered doors were located sporadically on the walls. Torches shed light to every nook, and a couple of wooden arrows signalled the way towards different parts of the place.

No words were written on them, however. Instead, someone had deemed it smarter to resort to carving drawings into the wood. Considering most of the population couldn't read, Levi thought it was a good idea.

"Galene." She stopped to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's this place?"

"Johan will fill you in."

There was a glint in her gaze, a slight shake in her voice as she spoke; and Levi was no fool. She knew more than she let on. But before he could press on the matter, Galene turned left and strolled towards the end of a corridor.

Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance; his patience was running thin.

"Just remember," Galene warned as they stopped in front of a cracked door. "Don't talk about where we've been or what we've done. Johan won't pry, but he's always been too fucking good at reading between the lines. Don't give him a reason to be curious."

He was intrigued, but a flicker of irritation struck his heart. "Do you take me for an idiot?"

Pursing her lips in thought, she looked up to meet his heated gaze. "No. And I know you'd rather get your answers and be done with this damn trip. But understand this, Levi: no matter how our lives are now, everyone has their past."