The Concrete Labyrinth
306 Words
They were moving through the "invisible" city now—the gaps between buildings, the narrow passages where Leo had spent ten years delivering packages. He knew every loose board and every broken gate.
He led her through the back of a laundromat, the air thick with steam and the scent of bleach, and out into the loading bay of a wholesale florist. They were a mile away from their apartment, soaked to the bone and shivering, but the "Fixers" had lost the trail.
Leo ducked into a rusted shipping container behind the Union Hall. He slid the heavy door shut, plunging them into absolute darkness.
In the silence, the only sound was the frantic, jagged breathing of his mother and the crinkle of the Red Folder against his chest.
"We’re safe," Leo whispered, though he knew it was a lie. "I'm calling Gus."
"No," Elena breathed, her hand finding his in the dark. Her skin was ice-cold. "Don't call anyone. In this city, Leo... even the shadows have a price. You have the folder. That's your only shield. Don't give it to anyone until you've used it to kill the King."
The heavy steel door of the shipping container groaned, a sound like a dying animal. A sliver of light pierced the darkness, expanding until it hit Leo’s boots. He shielded his mother’s eyes, his free hand tightening into a fist.
Standing in the doorway was not Gus. Nor was it the faceless "Fixers" in their gray tactical gear.
It was Detective Sarah Chen (40s). She wore a worn leather jacket over a cheap precinct tie, and her eyes looked like they had seen every lie the city of Oakhaven had to house. She wasn't holding a gun; she was holding a cigarette she hadn't lit yet.
- Writer
