The maintenance tunnel led them deeper into the earth, the air growing colder and heavier.
The glow from the Watch barely pierced the darkness ahead.
Ox walked confidently, his heavy boots crunching broken glass and debris.
Elias, Quinn, and Elira followed closely, tension pulling at their nerves.
The tunnel ended at a massive steel door, rusted and scarred from time.
Ox turned to them, his face grave.
"Inside these vaults," he said, "are things the city tried to erase.
Weapons, documents, money... and secrets powerful enough to burn the world."
He pulled a ring of old keys from his belt and unlocked the door.
With a deep groan, it swung open.
---
Rows upon rows of lockers stretched into the darkness.
Each one marked only by a number.
And each one hiding something forgotten.
Elias looked around in awe — and dread.
The Watch buzzed against his wrist, sensing opportunity... and danger.
Watch Alert:
"Hidden Missions Unlocked: Choose Wisely."
Locker 108: Information that could destroy a political figure.
Locker 212: A serum prototype labeled "Project Aegis."
Locker 375: A suitcase full of untraceable diamonds.
Ox pointed at Locker 375.
"That's what I'm after.
You can take whatever else you find — but that one's mine."
Quinn whistled low.
"Looks like Christmas came early."
Elira, however, clutched Elias's sleeve.
"This feels wrong," she whispered. "Like... we're opening graves."
Elias knew she was right.
But they needed a way out — and Ox was their only ticket.
---
Desperation forces you into choices you swore you'd never make.
It blurs the line between right and wrong.
Until, one day, you can no longer tell the difference.
Elias realized he was standing on that very line.
--
Elias moved to Locker 212.
His fingers trembled slightly as he opened it.
Inside:
A small metallic case labeled "Project Aegis".
A syringe with a shimmering blue serum.
He grabbed it, just as Quinn cracked open another locker filled with old passports and money bundles.
Meanwhile, Ox retrieved the suitcase from Locker 375, popping it open to reveal glittering stones.
"Jackpot," Ox grinned, teeth flashing.
But before they could leave, a deep metallic clang echoed behind them.
The vault door slammed shut.
Locked.
"Uh... Ox?" Elias said slowly.
Ox cursed under his breath.
"We're not alone."
---
Name: Damon Frost
Age: 38
Profession: Blackmarket Enforcer
Appearance: Pale skin, icy blue eyes, slicked-back blonde hair, dressed in a tailored black trench coat
Attitude: Ruthless, calculating
Flaws: Sadistic tendencies; underestimates desperate people
---
From the shadows stepped Damon Frost, flanked by three armed men.
"Thought you could sneak in and steal from me, Ox?" Damon's voice dripped with mockery.
"You brought children this time. How cute."
Ox growled low in his throat.
"We had a deal, Damon. You broke it."
Damon chuckled.
"I break a lot of things."
His gaze settled on Elias.
"And you... boy.
Hand over the Watch."
Elias stood his ground, his heart hammering.
"No."
Damon's smile faded.
"Wrong answer."
He snapped his fingers — and his men raised their weapons.
---
The Watch pulsed violently on Elias's wrist, the screen flashing:
"New Skill Unlocked: Tactical Evasion — Level 1"
Elias's muscles tensed.
Somehow, instinctively, he knew how to move, how to react.
"Get ready!" he hissed to Quinn and Elira.
As the first gunshot echoed through the Graveyard, Elias dove into action —
not as a helpless boy anymore, but as someone who could fight back.
---