Almost Hidden

There was nothing suspicious about where Vincent stopped the car, and Charlotte crossed her arms as she followed Vincent, her boots crunching on the gravel. They were at a warehouse that was located next to other buildings where people were unbothered and going about their day.

Charlotte didn't want to disturb them, dodging their line of vision, and lifted the cloak that Vincent got her earlier to cover herself.

The overcast sky predicting of the rain that was to come, and they strode to the doors of the warehouse. Vincent slipped on white gloves and grabbed the metal lock on the handle of the doors, ripping them open with a loud crack.

Charlotte's mouth dropped but made no sound, not wanting to draw attention. Her eyes shifted back to see if there was anyone watching them but saw no one of the sorts.

Vincent slid the lock into his pocket with ease and fixed his dark grey cap, shifting it to the side and back before walking into the warehouse. Charlotte paused for a second before tracing his footsteps and peeked her head through the doors to peer inside.

She didn't know what she was expecting, maybe wooden crates or whatnot, but instead, it was completely empty. Almost too much so.

A warehouse of this size especially in the area should be used well, but instead, there was nothing inside. Charlotte walked inside, and the heel of her boots echoed throughout the building.

Vincent was scanning the ground, looking for anything that was out of place. She followed the lines of the walls, careful not to touch anything.

With her arms crossed, she surveyed the area and strode deeper into the warehouse, but there was nothing to be questioned about since there was literally nothing there. The secret would have to lie with the clues that were embedded into the building.

Vincent crouched down to touch the ground, and he rubbed his fingers together. "The ground is powdery."

"What could it be?" Charlotte asked.

"It's clear, so it's not ashes," Vincent muttered. "They were very thorough with their cleaning."

Charlotte nodded and knelt on the ground to also feel the ground. It was most likely some sort of sterilizer. Vincent took his phone out of his pocket to snap a few pictures of the warehouse before going over to the knicks in the wall that were deep yet too small to have been any true conscious damage. She pointed her gaze down.

There was a rock beside her foot, and she kicked it forward without a thought, as her eyes still focused on the lining of the windows which were odd due to their abnormal placement.

It almost seemed too low. She turned back to see that her rock was still skidding forward. Charlotte tilted her head when the realization crashed down on her.

The rock wasn't only sliding down but rolling. How could that be? Charlotte continued with a leisurely pace after the small pebble that probably snuck in from the gravel outside before it stopped at the furthest wall.

Charlotte pressed a hand to the wall and pushed at it, but it was clearly sturdy. She glanced down at the floor to see that nothing was amiss either.

She stood from the endpoint of the warehouse, her arms still crossed as she bit her lip to think. Her eyes caught onto the window to her left and realized that it was at a much better height than when she first entered.

The rectangular window was at the middle of her waist and went higher here versus slightly bit lower which made it feel off near the entrance.

It couldn't be... Charlotte straightened. "Vincent? Can you stand up?"

Vincent was crouching and staring at a crack in the wall with his hands in his pocket when he slid a look over at her. She motioned with her hand to stand up quickly, and he sighed before bending back up. Charlotte placed a hand under her chin, running her eyes down his form.

She was correct. Vincent looked much taller than usual. "Vincent," Charlotte started. "There is something wrong with the floor."

Vincent glanced down. "I can tell."

"No," Charlotte shook her head. The flooring was a disgusting shade of green with an odd powder sprinkled on top, but that wasn't what she was talking about. "The ground is slanted."

Realization dawned in his eyes. "Where?"

He strode over to her, and she pointed at the windows. "Use the windows as your viewpoint. They are clearly in the correct spot here, but when you get closer to the doors, the ground slopes up."

Vincent turned to the side and stared at the floor before crouching to feel the flooring. "There has to be an underground passage somewhere. That space there, Charlotte, is evidence that there could be a room underneath."