The clouds obscure the moon when I strike.
Glancing over my shoulder furtively for the millionth time - you can never be too careful - I reach up to my head, quickly locating the two thin hairpins I shoved into my hair this morning.
Lockpicking has never been one of my greatest strengths, but it's often the best way to get into a building unnoticed. And given what I do, it's a skill that comes in handy.
The moment the night guard turns the corner of the large building, I slip out of the shadows, bolting for the window as though one of Rewera's servants is chasing me. I have approximately three minutes and twelve seconds until the second night guard turns around the other corner of the building, and I enter their line of sight. At that point, I would be totally and utterly screwed.
There is no time to waste.
Quickly, I separate the two prongs of my first hairpin until they're at a ninety-degree angle, using my teeth to rip off the rubber bit at one of the ends. It takes me a bit longer than I'd hoped - some of these rubber pieces can be incredibly difficult to detach.
Two minutes and forty-four seconds.
Then, I jam my first hairpin into the lock, bending one of the ends slightly before pulling it out again. After that's done, I turn my attention to my second hairpin, bending it into another ninety-degree angle, this time keeping the prongs together.
Two minutes and twenty-nine seconds.
With my hairpins ready, I jam the closed end of the second one into the lock, turning it a bit. It acts as a lever, putting tension on the lock mechanism, exactly what I need for my first hairpin to go in.
Using the slightly bent end of my first hairpin, I force it above the lever and into the lock.
Two minutes and eighteen seconds.
Gritting my teeth, I begin the search for the seized pin, wiggling my makeshift pick around inside the lock and testing each pin. It's an arduous process; unlike most locks, which contain five pins, this particular brand and style of lock contains seven, meaning I have more pins to test.
I'm not quite sure what the government was thinking while securing this building; who in their right mind includes a padlock outside a window? But if I had to guess, they were probably more concerned about things being taken out, rather than people getting in. They rely on the fact that the building is being guarded 24-7 to prevent the latter. Plus, this building is old, and they likely didn't want to spend even more money on an expensive security system.
Tonight, that will be their downfall.
It takes me a few long seconds, but finally, my pick meets resistance. Just my luck; the first seized pin is the sixth pin in.
I wiggle the pick back and forth under the pin. Finally, there's a click, and the lock turns slightly - the first seized pin is up.
One minute and fifty-six seconds.
Letting out a sigh, I start the process again. Every time one seized pin is freed, another pin becomes seized. So, I'll have to do this seven times.
In all the stories I've heard about epic heists, nobody mentions how utterly boring lockpicking is.
There's another click. The lock turns a bit.
One minute and thirty-eight seconds.
Click. Click. Click. Little by little, I force more pins up.
One minute and twenty-seven seconds.
One minute and six seconds.
Forty-nine seconds.
My fingers slip. My pick slips out of my grasp and onto the concrete.
Cursing at myself, I lean over, frantically groping the ground for my pick.
By some stroke of luck, I find it relatively quickly. Closing my fingers around it, I shoot up again.
Thirty-eight seconds.
Jamming the pick back into the lock, I begin searching for the next seized pin. My breaths grow short as the timer in my head ticks down.
Just two pins to go.
Click. Turn.
Nineteen seconds.
I glance back at the shadows where I was hiding, for about half a second. Should I run back? I'd have another two minutes and fifty-three seconds to go at this lock after the second guard is out of sight.
I dismiss the thought immediately. There are too many risks with that plan - for one thing, running back would make it easier for someone to spot me. Unlike Rinas, Zesa doesn't have a curfew - presumably because the government has a much tighter hold on its capital city. And there are always people willing to sell out others for a bit of cash.
My pick finds the last pin. I push it up and down, unable to stop my eyes from flitting to the corner where the second guard is due to appear.
Click.
The padlock pops open, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
Seven seconds.
Quickly, I yank the padlock off of the window, making sure I don't drop my hairpins. Depending on what situation I find myself in, I may still need them tonight.
Six.
Moving my hands to the bottom of the window, I push the glass upwards, thanking all the gods that the window goes up with little struggle.
Five.
I heave myself onto the window ledge, twist my body, and slip my legs inside.
Four.
As soon as I get my head and shoulders into the building, I turn back to the window, scrambling to close it again.
Three.
The window closes with a quiet thud. I grab the padlock. The guards will likely notice the absence of a lock on the window.
Two.
Spying the holes for a lock on the inside of the window, I loop the padlock through it, making sure the body of the lock can be seen from the outside, but not the noticeably unlocked handle.
Hopefully the guards aren't very observant.
One.
I duck underneath the window, leaning my head against the wall. With how fast my heart is racing, I wouldn't be surprised if the second night guard could hear it while walking by.
It is only after a full sixty seconds that I risk standing up again. A peek out the window confirms my prediction- the second guard is long gone, taking another lap around the building they're meant to protect.
Slowly, a grin spreads across my face.
Breaking into government buildings is always quite fun.
I don't allow myself to bask in my victory for long, though - I still have a job to do, after all.
It only takes me about a minute of striding down halls and turning corners to reach my destination. The crown jewel of this dilapidated building, what all the locks and guards seek to defend.
The records room.
Of course, this room doesn't store every record the Ayeran government has; it would be a much larger target for break-ins, otherwise. In actuality, this room stores the country's criminal records. Everyone that the new Ayeran government has charged with a crime, everyone they have imprisoned, everyone they are looking for - the latest information on all of them is in here.
Considering the fact that the new government only came to power two years ago, the number of records stored in here is a bit alarming.
I happen to know the files are organized by last name, in alphabetical order, so I head to a particular section of drawers, the place where I know I'll find the person I'm looking for.
Finding their file is laughably easy - I only have to open three drawers before I see it. Even on the tab of the folders, their name is highlighted in an angry red.
I pull out the file, laying it on the ground so I can pull out and read its contents.
But I don't get the chance.
The first piece of paper that falls out of the file is a rough sketch, done in colored pencil.
My heart drops to my feet.
"No," My voice is barely even a whisper. But, in the absolute silence of the room, I feel like I'm screaming. "No."
This can't be true. It can't be.
But it is. The face staring back at me, incredibly lifelike, refuses to let me deny it.
I squeeze my eyes shut. I can't afford to have a breakdown right now. Three seconds to get yourself together.
One. I breathe in.
Two. I try to picture what my jumble of emotions would look like. It's chaotic, messy, loud.
Three. I exhale, and all of those emotions go out with my breath. They don't exist anymore. They are nothing.
I am nothing.
And from now on, it will stay that way.
* * * * *
Current word count: 14438
Yes, I did teach myself how to lockpick to write this chapter, thank you for asking!
Well, that's a half-truth - I learnt the theory behind it, but I've never actually tested it. YouTube comments say this method of picking a lock with hairpins actually works, though.
Thank you all for reading! I'll see you next time - when some major stuff is going to get cleared up! Hope you're looking forward to it...