Liam tossed and turned in bed, stewing over the recent events that had just transpired. They lay in a hospital bed, and why is that? Because Ont and Yelm wanted to be as authentic as possible, so next thing he knows, he has a few broken ribs and a bloody nose. If they weren’t authentic, then they might find them out. That was the excuse Ont used trying to convince them of the plan.

Harold got it a bit easier, only losing a tooth and a few bruises. While Liam could barely move, Harold was busy flirting with the nurses who came and took care of them.

“Then, after we gave the homeless man a home, he tried to repay us by giving us a fraction of his newly required riches, but as the great guys we are, we just waved and went on our way.” Harold said to the nurse who was trying to rip her hand away from Harold.

“That’s nice, now can you get some rest?” The nurse suggested.

“Anything for you, madam. I’ll rest here, and upon my reawakening, I will whisk you away to a paradise that you never knew existed.”

Harold let go of the poor woman’s hand and she chuckled and walked away as fast as possible. He watched her go with butterflies floating in his eyes. The whole scene made Liam want to throw up.

“You realize she doesn’t like you.” Liam laid the news out to Harold.

“What? Couldn’t you see the romance between us? You have a wife. You should know the spark of romance when you see it.”

“That’s exactly why I’m telling you she ain’t into you.”

Harold scoffed and laid down on his bed while looking up at the ceiling. Meanwhile, Liam turned to his side and stared at his bedsheets. He wondered how Lucille was doing at the moment. How were the kids getting along? That and many more questions stirred in his mind as he twirled his bedsheet with his fingertip.

He shook his head, tossing the intrusive thoughts aside. There was no reason for him to be thinking about them at a time like this. He needed to believe they would be okay, no matter how far he was from them. Without that betrayal of concern, he wouldn’t be able to keep moving.

The door to their hospital room opened, and Yelm walked in, a cast around his arm. Even with a broken arm, he continued to smile. It was somewhat jealous inducing that no matter the situation he’s in, Yelm could still find a reason to smile.

“How are you two holding up?” Yelm said, pulling up a chair to the head of Harold’s bed. He sat in it and stared at Harold while leaning forward, giving off the idea his full attention was on them.

“I’m doing fine, you know. Just have a tooth missing. Nothing big.” The way Harold said that was the complete opposite of what he actually said.

“Good, then.” Yelm smiled even brighter, ignorant of Harold’s annoyance. “What about you?”

Liam refused to turn around to face the old man. Instead, he just said his piece and kept his back to the two.

“I’m good.”

Yelm sighed and repositioned himself in the chair so he could feel more comfortable. He raised a hand to the back of his neck and twirled his head around. A cracking sound came from his neck as it made a full rotation.

“Don’t you worry. Once this job is done, you’ll be extremely rich. One of the things Ont and I were briefed on before we came to help you was the pay of this job. With the amount of money you get from this, you can quit Grimwall for good.” Yelm chuckled. “That is, if they let you leave.”

“I wasn’t planning on leaving, anyway.” Harold said, stretching his feet out. “There’s no way I’d give up such a well-paying job.”

If this is the best pay you think there is, then you’re absolutely out of your mind, Liam thought. Then again, he’s there because of the pay, so it’s not like he could complain.

“So you went into illegal business because of pay?” Yelm said with a raised eyebrow. Harold nodded, which only made Yelm’s eyebrow go even higher. “Are you in debt or something?”

“Nah, I just like money.”

Liam couldn’t help but wonder if the job called for Harold instead of the other way around, considering the amount of greed he possessed. Liam and he had been partners for years, and with every job, Liam would leave with a heavy heart, which only grew numb after each successful payday. As for Harold, he didn’t even give those people’s lives a second thought as long as the pay was good.

“What about you, Yelm? You joined for any particular reason?”

Yelm smiled and returned to the position he was in before.

“A few years ago, I survived a terminal illness that has an eighty percent mortality rate.” Harold whistled while Yelm continued the story. “After that, I realized my life was the farthest thing from exciting, so I entered into this business which helped me live on the edge again. I haven’t felt this good since my teenage years.”

Liam listened to the story with mild interest, but refused to bring in his unique commentary of his reasoning for killing and trafficking. It was really none of his business about what he thought about other people. All that mattered was the job at hand.

“How’s the girl doing?” Liam asked.

“Ont’s guarding her for now since he’s the healthiest of us. With him around, there’s nothing she can do.”

Liam tossed around in bed, pulling the hospital blanket above his shoulders. As long as she wasn’t dead, Liam didn’t need to worry about her. However, there’s always a chance for her to escape again. There’s always a chance one of the guards caught on to their act at the entrance. If that’s the case, with them in their condition, it’d be difficult to extract Zaundra and bring her with them.

They’re not just at some random village with weirdly buff people this time. They’re in a country with a love hate relationship with the Grimwall organization. If the guards figured out who they were, it wouldn’t be too much of an issue. They could easily buy their way out. The danger came from them recognizing Zaundra, and if they did, or if she told anyone her identity, the entire town could fall on them. With each step they take with her in hand, a trail of thousands upon thousands of soldiers would follow their footsteps.

If there’s one thing Liam will always refuse to do, it would be dying. As soon as they figure out Zaundra’s identity, or if they figure it out, the first thing he’d do would be to make a break for the hills.

“What about you Liam?” Yelm turned his attention to the figure covered entirely by a light blue blanket. “Why did you get into this business?”

Liam covered himself further and hid from the question. Instead of him answering, Harold spoke up.

“I’m the one who introduced him to it. He needed money, so I told him about my job.”

Yelm raised another eyebrow and looked back at Harold.

“What would you have done if he refused? If the boss got word of you telling someone about your job, and they didn’t join, the Serpents would be the ones knocking at your door the next day.”

“Well, let’s just say I knew he wouldn’t refuse.”

Yelm looked at the both of them, then shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t his job to get caught up in their affairs. He just needed to rest up and leave the next day, then Ont and him could get back on their original task.

***

“Hey,” the guard nudged his partner. When he looked at him, the guard pointed at something in the distance. “Do you see that?”

The guard had been thinking about the people that had just shown up recently that he neglected to keep up with his job. There was just something about that box that unnerved him, and their story as a whole didn’t stick well with him. But he could think about it later. According to the chief doctor, they wouldn’t be leaving until tomorrow, so he had all day to put the pieces together.

Returning to his job, he looked out the window and spotted what his partner had just pointed out. At first, nothing seemed off, but upon closer inspection, almost everything about the figure approaching the town had something weird about him.

Not only was the person walking about completely shirtless, but on top of his head was a frilly, whitish purple hat.