Jackpot

"Didn't Clara say it was restricted?" Jacob asked. The two stood in front of the door, the end of the hall and where Clara forbade them from going through.

"Yeah, but sometimes some rules are made to he broken." She replied with a smug smile.

"I don't want to be lectured by her again, who knows what she'll do to us when we're spotted." Ella patted his head, sensing the worry and anxiety.

"I'm sure she would be more lenient since we're just exploring, and if we are spotted, i'll just take the blame again. Besides, we're not gonna steal anything like before." She took out her phone, waving it in front of Jacob's face while a game was playing on it.

"Didn't games teach you anything about restricted areas? They always have the best loot, and where the mc normally goes." She added.

It only took a few seconds for Jacob to decide. The door opened as they went closer to it, revealing another hallway.

The hall was similar to the last one, but held storage rooms and utility rooms, unlike the hall the two were in right now. A noticeable amount of boxes and clutter could be seen on the sides.

Before they could continue, they spotted the man on top of a ladder, fixing an ac while two guards stood below.

"What's the plan now?" Ella asked. Jacob realized that the boxes were big enough for them to hide behind.

"Go to the boxes, we can see where they got from there." The two made a quick dash for a pile of crates, crouching behind them while having a full view of the man. 

"Just fixing an air conditioner, nothing weird about that." Ella commented. The two waited until the man finally finished fixing the ac and started moving forward.

—--

The tailing stopped once the man reached a storage room. He opened a compartment from the cart and pulled out another huge box, similar to the one Jacob saw before.

"Weird, I didn't find another box on that thing." Ella whispered, surprised. 

The man entered inside with the box, briefly heading back out and moving the cart again.

"What did he put in there?" Jacob asked, could it be another one of those boxes with something metallic in it? 

Guards began to pass by, patrolling the halls and making the situation harder.

"I'll go see if that box has anything good inside it." Ella spoke. 

"You see where that guy is going." She ordered Jacob, who quickly obeyed. 

Just beyond the cover of the boxes, more guards patrolled the area. Jacob observed their moves, trying to find a way through, hoping they would act like guards in stealth games.

Slowly creeping and dashing from box to box, Jacob hid from the patrolling guards, finding the right time to move. Looking behind him, Ella was nowhere to be seen.

'She got in already? That was fast.' He turned back, noticing more guards than usual marching around. 

Just as a group passed him, he made a quick dash to a nearby box, but his foot slipped and he fell hard on the floor, causing a loud thud. 

Before they could react, he scurried to the next box, just in time for a guard to turn around.

"What was that? A rat?" The man questioned, leaving the group he slowly approached the set of boxes.

'Oh no…' Jacob looked around with terror, trying to find a way to hide. Next to him, one of the boxes was slightly open, big enough to fit someone inside of.

'This better work.' Crawling to the box, he failed to realize that his scythe was too big, and with deep regret and a prayer that it won't get noticed, placed it on the boxes.

Inside the box, he closed it shut, just for the guard to step in to investigate the noise. He walked on, inspecting the area carefully while standing just in front of Jacob's box.

As he silently observed, he turned to something odd.

"Is that a scythe? Huh, probably the new shipment of weapons. About damn time they sent it." With a grunt, the guard walked away. Jacob breathed a sigh of relief and slowly left the box.

Grabbing his scythe, he returned to finding where the man went.

'Close one, something good better come from this like some money or something.' 

—--

After passing through more guard patrols, and more doors, he spotted the cart placed next to the power generator room. 

The man left, this time carrying a toolbox and a bag while wiping some sweat from his face, he still looked nervous, quickly moving away and leaving the area.

'A maintenance guy in a power room, yeah I'm probably going crazy.' Jacob started to doubt this entire thing, unsure if this guy is even that suspicious.

'But i'll check this room and see if it's all just a stupid gut feeling.' He made a quick run towards the generator room. 

—----

The room was partially dark, lit up by terminals and the large generator in the center. A constant buzz came from the machine, irritating Jacob.

'I need to search this place quick.' He looked around, trying his best to check every corner of the dark room. But as he approached the generator, he noticed something. One of the panels seemed damaged, as if someone broke it open.

Jacob slowly opened the panel, inside, rather than wires or a small screen, he realized it held something else.

A square object resembling a bomb with a timer was attached to the thing.

[Timer: 2:00]

'Oh no, oh crap.' Jacob's breathing increased, he stepped back from the thing, unsure of what to do.

A thud from a nearby vent grabbed his attention, in a few seconds, someone emerged from it. Ella.

"So what did you find?" She asked, dusting off her clothes.

"Don't know, but it looks like a bomb." He pointed at the opened panel, showing the bomb with a timer strapped to it.

Ella's face went pale, and the confident expression she once had was replaced by a horrified expression as he looked at the bomb.

"We need to tell Clara or the guards about this!" She shouted in a panic.

Just as she finished, the door opened.