Chapter 50: Chapter 50

THIEVES IN THE NIGHT

Thieves in the Night

Kitee, North Karelia, Finland

The sirens seemed to grow louder with each passing second. Floor held her breath as she moved into the shadows. Every once in awhile, the creature would bang up against the stack, but even its attempts grew weaker and weaker.

She stared up at the hole in the roof. This was not how it was going to end. She was not going to allow herself to be taken, but mere humans. Esa caught her eye and offered her a small smile. She really didn't get how he could be so okay with this. It just seemed like he was ready to lay down the fight.

Floor looked back up at the hole. It really didn't seem that far from down here. At least the ring was safe…Who knew what even made that piece of jewelry so special?

She could hear the sounds of people running up the steps. The creature must have too, because it let out a scream that sent her rushing to cover her ears. The force sent her tumbling back a few steps-not really enough to do any damage, but enough to get your attention. She was almost back far enough now to be on top of Esa. He looked at her with own painful expression.

The creature stopped screaming.

No sooner than it stopped screaming, did the footsteps start again. They were yelling in Finnish so quickly that Floor could not make out a single word. She did have to give them credit. They did not step down from a fight.

"We have to get out of here," Esa whispered, his voice desperate. "They are coming in here to kill anything that moves."

Floor felt her eyes widened. She had been picturing arrest, not certain death. "How?" Her eyes shifted around. "Why are they using force?"

"The screaming probably sounds like a human being tortured to them and they probably think that by killing the attacker, they will free someone."

"And what if we were to play the victim?"

Esa gestured to their weapons. "I really don't think any of these will help our cause."

"Ah, right." Floor peered out into the room, but all she could see was stack upon stack. There really was no other way out. Her hand brushed against a small metal object, sending a burning sensation through her arm as more objects multiplied around her. Frowning, she touched it again. "Esa, I think have something. It's completely mental, but it just might work."

The footsteps and voices were getting louder. The creature snarled.

"And what is that?"

Floor brushed against a bigger metal object. "We let the stacks do the work for us." She kept brushing as the pile of metal grew higher and higher. "We keep touching it until it is high enough for us to climb out."

"Are you forgetting that it burns?" Esa pointed out.

She gave him a dark look. "I don't see you coming up with any other ideas."

Sighing, Esa reached out and touched the closest metal object to him. It exploded, sending a wave around them. As each bumped into each other, it sent the stack higher and higher. Floor kept reaching. She just needed a little bit more and she could get out. Esa, who was a little bit taller, probably could get out now if he wanted to.

The stack kept growing and growing. Floor could now feel her fingers brushing against the edge of the opening. She turned, excited, back to Esa. "Almost there."

Esa nodded, his skin a faint pink. "How much more?"

Floor stretched. "Probably one more round and we should have it."

Esa kicked a metal cup. Floor felt her feet raise up and the opening came closer. This was it! They were going to make it to safety.

She looked behind her. The creature was nowhere to be seen over the stacks, but she could still hear its growls. The police were getting louder and she thought she could hear shots being fired. It wasn't the same sound as the creature, but it was still there.

Movement caught her eye. She didn't even have time to warn Esa before the officer opened up fire.

!

Mikko was unarmed and bound. There was really nothing he could do to her. "Wrench, is it wise to leave me behind you?"

Floor turned and glared at him. "I have a name. Wrench is so old fashioned by the way."

Mikko rolled his eyes. "Why I am here?"

Floor didn't answer.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I don't have to answer anything. You are my captive."

He looked at her. "No, I just look the part."

She ignored this and continued to sharpen the knife.

Mikko sighed. "Here I am, unarmed. Here I am, helpless and left for dead."

Floor shrugged. "Just close your eyes and you won't see anyone kill you."

The middle aged Hunter stepped back in the room and snorted. "It'll be days before anyone notices that you are gone. You're an Omega, no one cares about you."

Mikko ignored him and went back to Floor. "So, you find it easy to find what's wrong with me?"

Floor shrugged. "It's easier than finding what's right." She paused and eyed Mikko. "I don't know why I'm even talking to you in the first place.

He stared into her eyes. "You really do have no idea what you are up against." He smirked as she eyed him. "Oh, I know so much more than you." His eyes shifted. "You have lost a man."

Floor felt her eyes narrow. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Mikko laughed. "If you would only open your eyes, you would see that this is just all inside your head. While you were sleeping, one of your number bleed out next to you."

Floor opened and closed her mouth as she tried to wrap her head around it. "Esa!" Mikko 's laughter only grew louder.

Floor jerked awake, left in a world of pain. Her eyes shifted around as she stared at the room. It was a very small place-a place that she hadn't been in before. She felt around for her gun, but it was not to be found.

Someone was moving around in the shadows, their figure barely visible in the faint light of the fireplace.

Floor felt around for some kind of a weapon. If this person intended to kill her, she was not about to go down without a fight. Her eyes followed the figure as it moved from the fireplace to the table. She didn't move.

Esa…How could Esa be dead? It just all had to be a sick dream. There was no way that he could be gone. However, the more Floor looked around the room, the more it seemed like he was. There was no sign of him and the figure moving around was not tall enough to be him.

She wanted to close her eyes and forget about what had happened. There was just no way that warrior Esa could be dead; he was supposed to be stronger than death. She guessed that Death had never lost a battle though. It seemed like that even though you had won, there were still loved ones who never came back from the struggle.

"I was wondering if you were going to come back."

Floor jerked up as Lydia offered her a cup of something steaming. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you, by the looks of it." She all but shoved the steaming mug in Floor's face. "I was just thinking that you should be able to take care of yourself, but I guess I was wrong."

Floor didn't say anything as she took the mug. She stared down into its depths, but didn't take a drink. "The ring?"

Lydia showed Floor her hand. Sure enough, it was glittering off her ring finger. "I figured it was the best way to keep it safe."

Floor nodded. "I'm kind of surprised that it's not burning you."

"So far it's not. Though it did sting the first time I put it on." Lydia smiled, nodding down to the cup. "You really should drink that. It will not do you any good once it is cold."

"What is it?" Floor sniffed it. It really didn't have a scent to it.

"Just a little something to make you feel better." Lydia moved away. "I probably should let you get your rest. You've had a pretty long night."

Floor frowned. "It's just been a night?"

"Well, it's actually been a bit longer." Lydia looked rather nervous as she spoke.

"How much is a bit longer?" Floor took a drink. It did actually warm up her insides.

"Um, it's not been a week, but pretty close to it."

Floor groaned. So much probably had happened and she hadn't been a part of it. Plus, it really dimmed their chances of being able to get Esa's body back.

Lydia lowered herself into a chair, still watching Floor. The ring glittered on her finger as the fire's light caught it. It reminded Floor so much of the magic that they were trying to end.

From here, the ring looked old. A lot of its precious metal was worn down to the point where it had lost its sparkle. In more than one place, it looked as if the metal was completely gone. The jewel in the middle still shone so brightly that it looked as if it had been forged just days ago, when it probably had been years.

Floor frowned. The ring had to mean something. There was no reason why that monster would have tried so hard to stop them from taking it.

Lydia offered Floor a small smile. "I've been researching the ring and no, I haven't found anything. I've found rings that are close to it, but they just serve as a symbol of power. No, there hasn't been any clear mention as to what power the ring is believed to have." She sighs. "On the bright side, I do really think we have the real ring."

Floor nodded. "Well, I guess that's better than having a fake one."

"You are right on that one." Lydia looked away. "About your friend-"

Floor shook her head. "There's nothing we can do. He wouldn't want us to risk getting killed for him. He'd want us to figure this all out and put an end to it."

Lydia didn't say anything. It raised the never ending answer that really had no answer. No one really knew what the dead wanted. No one really knew what secrets came after death.

"What is this place?" Floor asked.

"It's just a hunting cabin. It looked like no one had been here in awhile, so I figured that it would be safe." Lydia looked nervous. Her eyes couldn't stay focused on one thing and her voice sounded strange, like she was expecting something bad to happen.

Floor slowly got out of bed and made her way over to the wolf. "Lydia, what is going on?"

Lydia looked up at her with big, round eyes. "I think he knows we're here. When I look out into the bush, I think I can see his red eyes."

Floor frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I think the Rogue knows we're here and I think he's been following us all this time."

Floor rushed over to the window. There was nothing out there, but darkness. Her eyes kept scanning the area. A big part of her wanted to believe that Lydia was wrong, but there was something in her gut, telling her that it was true. The Rogue was out there and it knew what they had.

"We'll just have to be extra careful," Floor said, turning away from the window. "It's going to be okay."

The look on Lydia's face was enough to tell Floor that she did not believe one word.