Chereads / Hunt the mate / Chapter 5 - Tick-Tick 5

Chapter 5 - Tick-Tick 5

TREASURE HUNT"So that clown seeming employ who punched his friend called Chief Blair," Hael sighs while clutching down Liliane's index finger in his small fist. "This is risky.""Well spotted," Liliane comments as she waves the torch light around the hallway with four locked doors. "What can be more valuable than your job.""You adults are crazy for playing such a dangerous game, illegally." Hael murmurs with a supressed excitement shining in his eyes, earning a light chuckle from Liliane. Such a contradictory kid whose words doesn't meet up with his eyes."We are not crazy. Our reality is just different from others." Liliane puts her palm on Hael's hair to mess it up and mockingly exclaimed, "That to be said, aren't you too having your little venture here.""My situation is different," Hael smacks Liliane's hand on his head and sets up his tangled locks again with frustration while pouting at her tittering face."Okay, little arrogance. Why is your situation different? Perhaps, running from home is on impulse.""It's serious! I am literally never going back to my house.""When I was at your age, I escaped from my house with a bag full of clothes sliding down from my arms, after having a petty argument with my mother. But when hunger stroked my senses, I went home and was welcomed with delicacies my mother cooked for me.""Aren't you cooking up a tale so that you can get rid of me!" Hael stomps and walks away from Liliane."This arrogant princess," Liliane sighs and monitors him silently. "Wait for me!"Hael ignores the shadow lurking behind him and strolls towards the two doors on the right wall, facing the other two on the left wall. Down the hall is a bend which leads to several other bolted rooms. In total, the orange hall resides ten doors. The first four doors are to be crossed safely as most of the traps are in the beginning of the hunt.The six doors which are left are after the bend of the hallway and two of them is either a clue room or treasure room. If luck is on the side, then it can be conceivable to stumble upon the treasure room when hunting for the clue one first. The main setback is Chief Loid who can come from any direction in any hall."This punk!" Liliane grabs Hael's arm to cease his motions and stays silent for a moment. "Trap door, princess. One wrong move and you will end up getting eliminated."Hael's skips a heartbeat and inquires, "I thought the trap doors have hidden spikes and arrows or a hole beneath the wrong tiles."Liliane lifts her brow with amusement and scoffs, "Do you really think we can access such things and set them up in a little time. On top of that, the expense is not worth our little game. Worry not, the sensors will feed the elimination and broken rules in everyone's tab... so no cheating.""So, if I step on wrong tile here," Hael takes a breath with relief. "I will only get eliminate. How boring!" Want to get stabbed by spikes and arrows?"So, you want daggers and spikes to pass through your body and end up in a pit hole." Liliane derides and carries Hael who shows no sign of struggle, as if preferring to be carried all the way long due to exhaustion. Liliane notices his little mind weaving such plan and drops him on the ground, indifferently.Hael cusses under his breath, while getting up from the ground and observes the old witch stepping carefully on a checked tile. All the tiles had either a checked pattern or floral pattern creating a game of right or wrong choice. "Follow me."Hael trails Liliane while stepping carefully on first checked tile, then for three times in a row floral one before putting his foot on checked and then again the same pattern from the beginning. All the way, Liliane select her subsequent step cautiously and passed the trap doors. After Hael did the same as her, she took his arm and shifted towards the turn of the hallway.Hael questioned, "Care to explain the pattern.""I have cheats." Liliane flicks Hael's forehead with a grin, receiving an angry sneer without hiding the fact that she was being decietful. "If you are one of the righteous fellows, which I don't believe so, still feel safe because I cheated, not you. If you rat on me, then I will make you familiar with the torture room.""Old hag!" Hael murmurs but still clutched on Liliane's dress alarmed of the dark.Throughout the way to the other six rooms, there were negative signs of traps or clues. Upon reaching the destination where one of the six room is a clue one and another treasure one, a question rosed in the throat of Hael and he supposed, "I have good luck.""You really think you can find treasure room without the help of clue." Liliane mocks silently before taking in the surroundings- Room B22, B23, B24, B25, B27, B25."B26?" Hael looks around. "Two B25. One of them is B26 for sure. Even I can tell. Your friends are so predictable.""Touché." Liliane moves towards the opening of a passage on left wall, sandwiched between B23 and B25. "A restroom.""Male one. Clear discrimination," Hael exclaims, earning a pleased look from Liliane. She mulls, such heavy words slipping out from a kid's mouth... how amusing. "Or maybe a place for clue.""It's locked. How fortunate." Liliane stomps on her feet with her index finger touching the wooden door of the restroom. "I wish breaking these doors were within the rules.""You will be charged with property damage if you do so and on top of that, will surely get eliminated." Hael remarks, "It's a male restroom. Perhaps a clue for the clue room.""How smart," Liliane taunts but a wave of reminiscence swims over followed by a sudden realization. "How smart!!" Liliane grabs Hael and spins him around the air with excitement. Hael's mind became a mess before Liliane stops spinning him around the air."Did I hit the point?" Hael asks after getting off from Liliane's arms who doesn't wait long to tangle up his curls once again. Hael moves away from her and sets his locks back to original before expressing, "Enlighten me if you are done been childish.""All odd numbers are male and even are females. Someone in history was hit with the idea of distributing numbers as females males.""How do you know?""A tedious seminar which I attended with my late grandfather and Mysty. She is the one who set this traps and clues for us, remember. Not smart enough to think that I remember those horrible moment which left a huge imprint in my conscious cerebrum."Liliane hums silently before exclaiming, "We have now B23, B25, B27 and B25. One of B25, is B26 which is an even number.""So, the clue room is B26. Which B25 to open then?"Liliane smirks looking at Hael, "You choose.""Eh?""Smart fellow. Only fifteen minutes are left and one of them is a clue room while other is the safe room.""What?" Hael's eyes widened with sudden surprise. "That easy."Liliane shrugs her shoulders with indifference, "I hope so.""I really didn't mean that my luck is that good.""Getting back on your own words. Now who is playing a dangerous game.""Fine. Don't get mad if I get the clue room.""If you did then worry not because we already know the treasure room would be the other B25. Now hurry up. Time is precious.""Job is precious too!" A voice reverberated in the hallways. "But sleep overshadows everything! To think I'm here for this little game.""Don't shout, arrogance." Liliane smacks Hael's head who frowns with irritation written on his face, "I didn't utter a single word.""Then who?" Liliane calls before heavy steps enter her eardrums from right. "Shit. He is coming from the four rooms where traps lie. One wrong step, and the 'eliminate' siren will rang and his suspicion would be proven correct.""Blair? Why now and here! Can't he come from the restroom side." Hael sighs as he pointed at the room facing B27. Liliane grabs the lock-pin tight and started working on breaking inside the room. Within thirty seconds a siren halted her motions before she regained her focus and continued with the task with clenched jaw.A heavy familiar voice rang with fury, "Who did this behind my back!" Chief Loid continued, getting closer to the bend of the hallway after encountering trap doors, ringing 'eliminated' song on repeat to alarm others, "If I found you, snoopers, I will make sure of your sufferings in prison for trespassing in my territory."Another voice filled in the room, which Liliane wasn't acquainted with but her team member was, "Calm down, Chief. We are here because of that anonymous call and my brother who escaped from my mother's sight.""Sister." Liliane gives Hael a look before opening the door and entering inside, followed by Hael who replies with disgust, "Foster one. Always trailing me like a shadow. An annoyance for my existence."Liliane didn't pry and closed the door with hush before Chief and Hael's sister took a turn and the six closed room enter their viewpoint with no soul present.