(TW: Next few chapters have minor mentions of violence and blood, as well as usage of strong language)
Day was gone.
"There's no way he got out of the building," Caid insisted. Wen knew this was entirely untrue. There was no way that he hadn't already found a way out. Minutes had passed, and any chance Wen had of seeing Day again was slipping away.
"He always shows up at some point," Caid continued, "why are you so worried about it?"
Wen ground his teeth and glared until Caid snapped his mouth shut and disappeared, shouting directions to the rest of the men. Another minute ticked by. Wen found his way to the emergency stairs he had never used, taking the steps two at a time. He didn't bother alerting Caid once he stepped outside—it seemed as if he wanted something done right he was going to have to do it himself.
The streets were crowded with people, the night vendors already having set up shop. Bright lanterns hung from stalls and illuminated the dark street. A myriad of voices and music mushed together, instantly overwhelming Wen. He remembered why he stayed inside most nights; the outside world was a nightmare.
Wen walked with purpose, despite having no clear direction. He anxiously shoved past people strolling by, glaring at passerbys who got a little too close. The air was filled with laughter and chatter, making Wen feel like he was suffocating. This was the reason he always used the tunnels.
The tunnels.
Wen stopped in his tracks, narrowly avoiding slamming into a shopkeeper adjusting his wares. The tunnels—of course!
Running under the city, they formed an entire network of passageways used only by the Five Tides—the illicit organizations that ran the streets above them. Unknown to the general population, they were completely inaccessible to outsiders. There was no reason to believe that Day knew about them, or to think that's where he would have gone.
But then again, why wouldn't he? Day was known for finding himself in the strangest of places, disappearing into vents and popping up in places he wasn't supposed to know about. If there was a secret system of tunnels under the city, how would Day not end up there?
Wen swiveled on his heels as he made up his mind. He retraced his steps as he headed back to his apartment building, taking one turn sooner into the private garage attached. Two turns, a push against a seemingly solid cement wall, two more turns and a quick decent down found Wen submerged in darkeness, the sounds of the city finally dulling.
Strips of glowing emerald colored lights flickered on as soon as he entered, illuminating just enough to see a few feet forward but no more. A few more steps and another section of lights pulsed ahead, the first set of lights flicking off.
Wen hurried forward, becoming more and more aware of the fact that knowing Day was in the tunnels didn't actually do anything to help him locate him.
The tunnels were complex, branching out often, with multiple entrances and exits. It was impossible to tell where Day had gone, or if he was even still here. It did seem likely that he would have found the quickest way to get as far away as possible, so Wen made a few successive turns until he found the path that would lead him the farthest in one straight shot.
Of course, it was possible that Day had taken a different strategy. The tunnels were often like a maze, and it was easy to get tangled in the various routes. Instead of the fastest route, Day could have chosen the most complex, hiding in various twists and turns. Suddenly, this seemed much more likely to Wen, and he quickly veered off route to take a side route leading to more branches.
But if this was Day's strategy, it would be nearly impossible to find him. Hell, even if it wasn't, it was impossible to find Day in any circumstance when he didn't want to be found. There were absolutely no clues left as to which path he would take, so Wen began making turns based on what seemed most likely to be the most confusing route. Day did have a penchant for submerging his entire world into utter confusion.
Wen's footsteps grew heavier with each turn, and his stomach felt sour. Why did this matter so much? He had told Day to leave, and the man had left. It was fine. Everything would go back to how it was before, how it was supposed to be. This solved all his problems. Except now his hands were shaking. To go back home, alone, was somehow the most terrifying thought. How could he live like that, with his last memory of Day the man's heartbroken face?
No.
He would fix this. He was powerful. Resourceful. His name struck fear in the hearts of his enemies. He could track down a man who refused to wear close-toed shoes.
Wen made another turn, and felt his breathing steady. He had to focus.
Another two turns, and the lights flicked from green to blue. Wen stopped.
Fuck, had he really gone that far? He could back, stick to the tunnels illuminated in green, but there was really no guarantee Day would have done the same. Still, walking alone in blue light was a bad idea. Wen figured he could go forward, veer right, and end up back in tunnels that shone green.
The blue light lasted longer than Wen expected, and just as he was sure his next steps would lead to green, the light turned red.
Wen briefly considered stopping to punch the wall, but decided he was in too much of a hurry. Still, this was bad.
No, no, this wasn't an issue. Wen steeled himself. He could go back the exact way he came. He turned around and let the light switch to blue. A few turns, the exact same way he had gone before. The lights turned to yellow. Fuck.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Of all the colors, yellow was probably the least threatening, but it was still giving him a headache.
How long had he been down here? I felt like only a few minutes, a half hour at most, but if he had gone through this many color changes it had to be more.
Surely the colors weren't meant to change this fast. Wen had thought he knew where he was, but now he wasn't sure. Yellow was towards the east, right? But didn't that depend on the direction he was facing? And blue was south so how did that make any sense? Or maybe that was red? How did he not know this? Had Caid always been with him in the tunnels? Had he never actually gone in them alone?
Two more steps, and the yellow lights flickered on to reveal several figures standing in his path. Illuminated in yellow light, with long shadows stretching behind them, Wen felt all hope he had of dealing with this quickly leave. Great.