There were so interesting notes and docuntations, ledgers in the safety deposit boxes beyond the secret door. And since Atlas and Dean were worried that whoever was breaking through the vault earlier would eventually find this secret passage — probably faster than they did — they took a few of them.
They didn’t overstay their welco and followed the path ahead.
The secret passage was undeniably a long journey. Neither Atlas nor Dean had any idea where this would lead them. Heck. They weren’t even sure if this might end with another dead end. However, while they might not have been optimistic, they also didn’t let negativity linger.
For them, this would eventually lead to sowhere based on their calculation.
If they were right, they would end up sowhere.
And they were right.
After what felt like an eternity, both n stopped before a long and narrow stair. So light bulbs were placed with wide gaps from each other on the wall, flickering — the light dancing on their faces.
Atlas glanced at Dean, and the latter quietly nodded at him.
Without a word, both n snapped their eyes ahead and trudged up the stairs. Every step echoed louder than the last, their breathing heavy and calculated.
Soon, Atlas stopped, eyes upward.
"Another hatch door?" he muttered, pulling his phone out to light up since his shadow was blocking its entirety. "Hold this."
Atlas handed his phone to Dean, who didn’t complain but complied. The latter lit up what was above them, until they caught a lever.
"I just hope this doesn’t have a lock," Dean comnted, almost holding his breath as he watched Atlas reach for the lever.
Clack.
Hearing it click loudly was akin to a thorn being pulled out from their throats. Without wasting another second, Atlas pushed up the hatch door from the inside and crawled his way out.
Once he reached the surface, Dean quickly followed along.
"So, where are we...?" Dean trailed off as his head first popped out of the short ladder. He looked around, his brows knitted in confusion.
What was outside the hatch door they ca from was another space. But unlike all the spaces they saw so far, this one was narrow. Just a square little space for one person to comfortably be in. Two people would fit, but it would obviously restrict movents.
Atlas eyed what looked like a door. After all, the one near where the underground entrance was was nothing but a concrete wall. He could be wrong, though, but he was certain Jonathan wouldn’t put another secret door on there unless he had no other choice.
Dean slowly crawled his way out of the hatch door, sitting on the surface, his feet dangling over it.
"I think that’s the door," he comnted, only to hear Atlas’s remark: "It is the door. That’s why I’m looking at it."
Dean’s expression soured, but he didn’t dwell on it. After hours stuck with this guy, he realized not dwelling on Atlas’s comnts was much better for his own sanity.
"Open it?" Dean asked as he pulled his feet from the open hatch door. When he managed, he crouched and reached for the door’s handle, pulling it down.
The hatch door creaked loudly, making both of them grimace.
"Oops..." Dean let out a shallow laugh before he continued, this ti, gentler. Even so, with this silence and with how rusty the hinges of this hatch door were...
As soon as it closed, Dean picked himself up. Turning to Atlas, the latter was feeling the wall with his palm. In the other hand, Atlas held the keycard as if searching for its sensors.
"Do you really think the keycard is a key for all..."
Tut...!
Atlas looked back at him, smirking smugly. He didn’t say anything, but the condescending silence he displayed was irritating.
Jonathan might be cunning in his own right, but at the sa ti, he had habits. He used the sa password on almost everything. Just like this underground passage that was built in secrecy and ticulousness, Atlas was sure the man wouldn’t want to carry around multiple keys every ti he went in here. At the sa ti, Jonathan wouldn’t just leave all entrances and exits unlocked.
It was why the vault locked automatically once it shut, and the secret passage was hidden behind the tiles, which was enough for the sensors to detect the keycard if one tapped it.
Dean hissed, not moving an inch as he watched Atlas try to push the secret door. Once it parted, Dean slowly followed, just so the two of them wouldn’t squeeze with each other.
At the sa ti, Atlas was careful to be the first one to co out.
They still had no idea where this other secret passage would lead them. But when Atlas stepped out, he paused and looked around. Walking out after him was Dean, a few seconds later.
Just like Atlas, Dean stopped and looked around the place.
It was a room.
A small one with a bed with a huge red heart headboard, so towels with a dove design on top of its red sheet. Dim candles were lit up, and warm lights to add to the mood that this room was trying to create.
"It’s a love motel," Dean muttered in disbelief and confusion. He furrowed his brows, scanning the small room once again. "It’s... a love motel."
"I know," Atlas remarked, giving him a cold glance. "You don’t have to repeat what it is."
Dean scrunched up his nose slightly, getting a bit uncomfortable. They had been in an underground space, ventured down a narrow and slightly dim path without certainty, and t a few jump scares because of rats. However, those didn’t give him the sa discomfort as being in a love motel with another man.
Atlas, unaware and surely disinterested in Dean’s thoughts, looked back at the entrance they ca. It was actually a shelf attached to the wall with so romantic figurines, and so bold magazines were glued in.
He walked back and closed it, and everything on the shelf didn’t even move.
"I don’t like this feeling," Dean finally confessed as he walked toward the closed red curtain. "The last thing I want is an article about a blind item regarding an office love triangle."
Dean pushed the curtain aside with his fingers, peeking out to see where they were. "We’re still in the Red District, but on another street."
Reviews
All reviews (0)