Chapter 32
The temperature dropped considerably since earlier.
Esmie wrapped Samson’s scarf around her neck, ensuring it was tied to where it wouldn’t fly off if she ran.
Then she set off into the darkness, pulling out the map Deepika gave her.
It was too dark to see, and Esmie searched her pockets for her phone before realizing it was still in her pack.
The very one she had dropped outside of Leo’s apartment garage when she fled from Chad.
Esmie closed her eyes, slapping a palm to her hip in frustration.
Elohim, why couldn’t you have at least made me put it in my jeans pocket?
The silent prayer went unanswered, until she saw a streetlight at the end of the alley.
She jogged over as close as she dared to get in order to see the map while still staying in the shadows.
According to Deepika’s map, she was headed in the right direction.
She would have to walk ten blocks further, staying within the alleys, until she reached Genetronetics TMC.
Then there was an alley behind the large parking structure connected to the conglomerate skyscraper, she could cut through to get to the other side of downtown.
The paper fluttered in the wind and partially flipped over revealing more writing on the back in Deepika’s handwriting.
My dear, this is the safest route through Andloor Capitol.
Unfortunately, Genetronetics is in the dead center, and you have to go around it.
Avoid cutting through The Plaza at all costs.
When you go through the alley behind the parking garage, stay on the other side as far away from the garage as possible.
There are surveillance cameras that will trip if you get too close, especially at night.
Do not detour from this route otherwise you could put yourself in grave danger. May He be with you on your journey.
The paper fluttered back over as if announcing she needed to move on. Esmie swallowed the lump in her throat. Deepika didn’t have to help her and yet she risked herself to do so. Esmie hoped one day she could repay her.
Before exiting the alley, Esmie peeked out into the empty street.
Doors and windows were shuttered closed.
She counted to three then jogged across until she reached the next alley, melding into its darkness.
The city was quiet, except for the occasional police siren in the distance, thankfully far from her.
Few people were out at this time of night, especially after the alerts on the news.
No, they were huddled in their warm apartments or houses, eating dinner and watching tv.
The neon lights of the skyscrapers still blinked at her in the intersection of each alley, which made crossing the street to the next alley more conspicuous, but the direction Deepika sent her had less cars than the busier streets The Bodega and her business were on.
If there was a car driving down the street Esmie intended to cross, she waited until it was a block away before crossing.
As the night stretched on and the blocks seemed endless, Esmie’s thoughts wandered back to what her brother and Samson would be doing now.
Her throat constricted at the thought of how betrayed they would feel.
Especially Leo. He had gone out on a limb for her, sacrificed so much, and she still ditched him the moment their mother called her back home.
Hopefully, he will forgive her. It was for the best, she continued to console herself, but deep down she knew it had been out of fear.
Now knowing it was a trap the whole time and she was stuck running for her life from Chad, sucker punched her gut.
If only she had stayed in the safety and security of Leo’s apartment.
For a fleeting moment she thought of going back but dashed it from her mind.
Chad would be hanging around searching for her there.
And she had no way of getting in touch with her brother to let her inside the building without going through the lobby. Another non-negotiable.
Esmie bit her lip, forcing the tears back.
Getting caught up in self-pity would only distract her.
Right now, she needed to focus on getting to safety.
Afterward, she could figure out how to get a message to Leo and Samson regarding what happened and her whereabouts.
Samson’s handsome smiling face intruded into her thoughts.
The way his long lashes touched his cheek when he was peering down at her warmed her body.
She wondered if he would be hurt too because she left without telling him or answering his question.
What transpired between them grew but was also uncertain.
They were stuck in an apartment together with nowhere to go and he essentially was helping Leo babysit her.
Their connection could be purely circumstantial. At least it’s what she told herself.
Yet, the regretful nagging persisted. Her heart reasoned, she deserved to explore their connection to verify if it was legitimate or not.
Samson seemed so sincere. He wasn’t like the guys at school who enjoyed the art of flirting.
His intentions were genuine, without a single ounce of malice in him.
He was too grounded for games. But was he?
She didn’t even really know him. Was it only yesterday, or the day before, she had learned of his last name?
Where did he even come from? Was it from the same place Deepika came from?
Esmie sighed. Regretting anything beyond an acquaintance with Samson was absurd.
Their lives were going in different directions.
Chewing her lip, she wondered about what Deepika had said regarding coming from outside of Andloor.
Esmie knew there were places beyond the city of Andloor, but it was never discussed much.
She was curious about the world, and visiting different places, especially their homeland on the island, but every teacher and even her parents discouraged her from leaving.
She asked Leo about it one day. He also expressed his confusion.
They heard of people leaving and traveling the world but didn’t know of anyone personally.
Everyone she knew said the same. There were rumors but nothing concrete.
Now here were two people she knew who were from outside of Andloor but didn’t speak of it. Why?
The skyscrapers around her shifted from their imposing blue glass heights, to more elegant and shorter with different shades of glass, concrete, and steel.
Trees weren’t as sparse and were within several feet of each other now.
Even the lamp posts on the main streets she passed held a sophistication to them.
She must be getting closer to The Plaza, Deepika mentioned, where Genetronetics was located.
Glancing around, she noted the area and checked the map.
Sure enough, at the next intersection, off in the distance to her left, she saw the towering Genetronetics TMC skyscraper.
Its blue neon name, a beacon of danger in the distance.
Esmie could even see the large green space surrounding the front of the building.
In a couple more blocks, she would make the most dangerous part of her journey.
A sign noted she officially entered The Plaza District.
The buildings in The Plaza were more of an antebellum style instead of skyscrapers.
They were beautifully inlaid with white stone and decorative metal pieces, as well as considerably shorter than the building towering in the center of them.
Esmie turned back and noticed the taller skyscrapers ended a couple blocks before, allowing for Genetronetics to completely dominate the space.
It was definitely a choice. Turning back, she realized the brighter, antebellum style buildings were actually townhouses.
She lowered her ball cap, feeling more exposed without her sunglasses.
Finally, she ran through the last intersection before she had to make a left in the alley to walk toward Genetronetics.
After a beautiful building with a bank name blazoned across its front, Esmie found the alley.
It stretched before her feeling longer than all the other ones she encountered, the end out of sight.
Esmie blew out a breath then stepped beyond the threshold, the light dimming as she trekked further down the alley.
The backs of the houses ended, and a large parking garage imposed the area above her. The garage was even taller than the surrounding houses and bank on the corner. Genetronetics wanted every part of its empire towering over all the other businesses, even something as trivial as a parking garage.
The concrete structure’s front and sides were inlaid with more neon lights blinking the colors of the Genetronetics logo.
The back had lights, but less vibrant than the ones in the front.
Esmie was grateful as anything brighter would expose her.
She stuck to the opposite side of the alley.
A few straggling workers could be seen from between the railings of each level of the brightly lit structure.
Muffled chatter drifted towards Esmie as she carefully walked along.
She strained her ears to listen to the snippets of conversations.
“Can’t wait for the masquerade party. You going?” A male’s voice rose over the railing along with the click clack of heels.
“When is it?” A female’s voice asked.
“Friday. It’s in two days from today so you still have time to get an outfit and mask.”
What masquerade party were they talking about? She never heard of them hosting any parties. Why were they having one? Esmie paused in the alley, straining her ears to hear more of the conversation.
“Outfit? Don’t we just need a mask?” The woman’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“What’s the fun in that? Genetronetics is finally hosting a party, and it happens to be themed. Why not go all out? There are free appetizers and drinks. Can’t go wrong with going.” The man huffed a laugh.
“True, especially the way they’ve been working us. We deserve to be in on their celebration. If it wasn’t for us, they wouldn’t even have a fancy contract with Andloor Capitol to begin with.”
“Exactly. If anything, go for the free food and drinks. It’s the least they can do for us.”
“Although they could have had it somewhere else besides here. It’d be nice to go someplace different than work. Oh well, I just might go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” A car door slammed after the woman spoke.
“Bright and early,” the man grumbled. Another car door slammed, and engines hummed as the duo drove off.
Esmie continued down the alley but walked slowly, keeping her ears perked for more conversations. As she neared the end of the parking garage, loud voices could be heard again from inside. This time two male voices.
“This is such bull, and you know it.” A man’s voice echoed in the parking garage. It held a slight rasp to it.
“Yo, keep your voice down. You know they record in here too.” The other hissed quieter.
“Then maybe they should listen to their employees. We literally had our CEO die last week and they are still continuing with this stupid masquerade thing.”
“You were in the meeting yesterday. Didn’t you hear? Mr. Johnson said they wanted to keep the employee’s morale up.”
“Just because I heard it doesn’t mean I agree.
Why are we celebrating something we’re not even sure we’ll be able to keep once Andloor Capitol finds out we don’t have anything to uphold our end of the contract?
Brackford held the key to how purple glass works.
Without him we don’t know how to control it.
” The raspy man’s voice rose another octave again.
Esmie’s eyes widened. The panic in his voice made her stop moving to listen.
“Dude, shut up already. We can’t be talking about this outside of work.”
“Or else what? I’ll get fired? I’d almost rather to at this point with the crap show we are dealing with, having to put on smiling faces as if the whole company isn’t imploding.”
“Fired would be the least of your worries if any of this leaks out.” The other man’s voice lowered in a warning.
“Pfft. I would like to see them try.” The raspy man let out a humorless laugh.
“I don’t care how far up in the company you are. Every one of us is expendable. Look at Brackford. He was murdered for a reason.”
“Those are just rumors.”
“They aren’t baseless rumors. There’s some truth to them. People have disappeared. People who have pissed off the execs and shareholders. You may get on my nerves, but I like you enough not to have you vanishing one day.”
The raspy man chuckled. “While I appreciate it, they shouldn’t be throwing a party when our future is uncertain.”
“That may be, but we’ve voiced our concerns at the meetings. They chose not to listen to keep up appearances. You may not care for it, but you should still go. Mr. Johnson said they’ll be announcing more details about the contract at the party and what to expect in the future.”
“Hopefully not layoffs,” raspy voice said dryly.
“Then don’t give them reason to, if they do. You have a family to care for. I don’t want to see them struggle because you lose your job…or worse.”
“Heard loud and clear.”
Esmie gasped. So, the rumors were true. Because of Tyler’s death, Genetronetics contract with Andloor Capitol was in jeopardy and they were celebrating in a big way, but prematurely. The party would announce more. She needed to go to the party. But how?
A screech sounded through the night. Esmie jumped, bumping into a dumpster as a cat hissed at her.
“What was that?” raspy voice said.
“Who’s there?” the other voice shouted. A flashlight turned on, its beam aimed at Esmie.