Chapter 33
Esmie froze, her eyes darting, searching for a place to hide. The two workers couldn’t see her here. They would suspect she overheard them and try to confront her. Deepika told her to stay out of sight, especially in this area. It would be dangerous if they caught her.
She dove behind the dumpster she bumped into right as the light beam shone where she had just been.
The smell from the dumpster made her gag.
Covering her mouth and nose with her purple scarf, she prayed the men hadn’t seen her.
Footsteps crunched on the gravel in the alley.
Esmie held her breath, not only from the smell but also to keep from making a sound.
Another screech sounded followed by a yelp from one of the men.
“Stupid cat,” raspy voice grunted. The cat hissed in response.
“You’re lucky it was a cat and not a person who overheard you,” the other man responded with a tinge of snark in his voice. Their footsteps stomped back toward the parking garage.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” the raspy man sighed, clearly defeated. Esmie let out her breath, then regretted her inhale when the rotten smell of the garbage infiltrated her nose again. She tightened the scarf around her face, willing the men to hurry up and get to their cars.
Once two car doors slammed shut, Esmie peeked out from her hiding place.
The cat still sat in the middle of the alley, licking its paw while it peered at her with yellow eyes.
Esmie stuck her tongue out at it, but its feline intuitions ignored her as it continued to clean its fur.
When she felt the area was clear, and the surveillance videos weren’t on anymore, Esmie popped out from behind the dumpster.
Ensuring she avoided the cat, she stayed away from the parking garage, then continued her way out of the alley, grateful to get away from the awful smell of garbage.
The rest of her trek through the alleys was uneventful.
Deepika was right. It was a long way around, but besides the almost encounter with the two men by the parking garage, she didn’t encounter anyone on her journey.
Finally, Esmie found the street Deepika marked where the apartment was located.
The buildings were brick buildings, similar to the ones by Nightcrawler.
They were still in good condition though, and comfortable looking.
The apartment windows shone on the second floor, above some type of hardware shop.
Esmie crept around to the side, finding a metal staircase, out of view from the street.
She climbed them two at a time, anxious to get inside.
When she arrived at the door, a keypad glowed in place of a lock.
Checking the paper, she entered the complicated code, hoping she did it correctly.
The keypad beeped three times, before a green button lit, and the door clicked.
Esmie checked the knob and it opened for her.
She sighed when she entered, leaning against the door as she closed it soundlessly.
Taking in the dark apartment, she wondered if the electricity worked and if she should use it.
Drawing unwanted attention to an abandoned apartment probably wasn’t the best idea.
Esmie dropped a knee to the ground, sliding off the duffel bag from her back and placing it on the floor in front of her.
She glanced inside and noticed on top was a flashlight.
Smiling, she grabbed it and clicked it on, shining it inside the bag seeing what Deepika packed her.
There were a couple changes of clothes, food, a water bottle, toiletries, and other items. Another note lay at the bottom.
Esmie shimmied it out and read over Deepika’s instructions about the apartment.
The woman had thought of everything. Esmie thanked Elohim for Deepika, requesting an extra blessing over the kind woman.
Setting the duffle bag aside, Esmie checked out the cozy apartment.
It was a little bigger than Deepika’s, with a small kitchen instead of a kitchenette in front of her.
A short island separated the kitchen from the dining room to her right, with a dining table placed close to the window facing the street.
A half bath against the far wall and a living room with a sofa, loveseat, and wooden coffee table, similar to Deepika’s, was to the left of the door finishing the downstairs space.
In the back, past the living room, was a set of stairs next to a door which led to the balcony.
Esmie crept up the stairs, careful not to trip in the dark.
When she reached the next landing, the space opened up to reveal two bedrooms each with their own bathroom. Not a bad space for the city.
The weight of the night hit her but so did her stomach which growled from the exertion.
Esmie made her way back downstairs, placing the duffle bag on the worn wooden kitchen counter and removing the food items Deepika packed.
The wooden beams in the ceiling matched the countertop space, cabinets, and dining table.
While the place looked loved, it was clean, upkept, and held a warmth to it that Leo’s apartment lacked with all of its metal and Formica.
She opened the cabinets finding plates, bowls, cups, and cookware.
At the end, a larger cabinet held more food inside.
Even the fridge had milk, more water bottles, juice, condiments, and other items. Esmie checked their expiration dates, and they were well within being spoiled.
Deepika must visit here more often than she led on.
After preparing a quick meal, where she attempted to make a mallorca de jamón y queso and tomato soup, using a couple lanterns she found in the closet.
At this time of morning, powdering the mallorca with sugar wouldn’t be ideal so she avoided it.
Esmie sat at the dining table eating her food while she mulled over the events of the day.
Putting together the details from the different sources from the past week and a half, she gathered that Genetronetics had won a contract with Andloor Capitol to create purple glass, a drug which they hoped would produce super soldiers.
Purple glass didn’t go as planned so the CEO had an idea how to fix it but unfortunately was killed before he could do anything about it.
Genetronetics was now scrambling to make good on their end of the contract before Andloor Capitol figured out the issues they were having.
In the meantime, they were still going to throw a big masquerade party in two nights, celebrating their win while also announcing how they will move forward despite their setbacks.
They were also tracking Esmie, who seemed to be the only one able to take purple glass, have its powers, and still survive.
Her getting caught would essentially end her life.
Chad was on her trail, searching for her as a guise that he was helping her mother, but Esmie had a feeling he was going to hand her over to the highest bidder, whether it be Andloor Capitol or Genetronetics she wasn’t sure.
Either way, she didn’t want to be caught by any of them. Lying low would be her best bet.
Yet, not knowing what Genetronetics held up their sleeve would be a future problem she didn’t want to encounter when it reared its ugly head.
What if they came up with a solution and announced it at the party?
She needed answers for her survival and continued hiding.
Getting inside the party somehow was now a priority.