The Skin Thief

Chapter 58

No one pays me any attention as I leave the grubby pub. A man carrying around a case is hardly odd.

As I walk, I ignore everyone around me. In my head, I go over the next steps again and again. I even plan out scenarios of what to do if things go wrong.

By the time I reach the final location, I allow myself to feel a little confident.

I stop and look up at the building before me. It is a tall mass of concrete and exposed iron rods, towering twenty stories into the sky. Metal gates surround the building site and I can already see the CCTV cameras watching over the area.

I let out a deep breath and square my shoulders.

This is it.

I walk around the outskirts of the fenced perimeter, looking for the right spot. When I get to it, I slide the case through the gaps before effortlessly climbing up the metal poles, my hands gripping them tightly as I pull myself up and leap over the top.

I pause when I land, the gravel crunching beneath my heavy boots. The air is still, and silent. Around me are darkness and shadows. The only light comes from the beaming white industrial lamps on the first floor of the building and around the makeshift security office on the other side.

In my head, I go over the rotations of the security guards. Knowing that those patrolling are inside the building at the moment, I make my way over to the flimsy, rectangular container that is the office.

The blueprints given to me showed me where the cameras are and the areas in which they can see. It takes a little longer than I would like, but I carefully navigate my way around the edges of the building to avoid the cameras.

I stop, staring at a camera as it's pointed at the area I need to go. Crouching down, I don't take my eyes off it.

As I wait, I lick my dry lips. In my gloves, my hands sweat. The moments I am still are the worst because these are the moments that I'm allowed to think. I feel the bubble of terror rising up inside me, making my stomach churn.

I force it down and shake my body out as if that will help me.

The camera moves and I duck into the new blind spot. I see the office now. It's only a few metres away.

The dull, grey container has a single window and is surrounded by various wires that link to all the large lights and all the cameras around the sight. A generator shudders next to it, the loud, gurgling engine filling the silence.

I lick my dry lips, put the gun down, and square my shoulders. My veins start to burn with adrenaline, and I stretch my neck to either side. My eyes zero in on the door and the camera just above it.

A camera that every thirty seconds, moves to look at another section.

Slowly, the device spins a couple of inches to the right, pointing at the entrance gate to the site.

The world around me disappears and I stand up and run.

In only a few seconds, I am at the entrance, carefully climbing up the two metal stairs. My hand wraps around the knob. Inside, I can hear low voices. There is a laugh and then some music is turned on.

I turn the knob slowly, knowing it won't be locked just in case those inside need to get out quickly.

Letting out a small breath, I open the door quickly.

"What?" the guard closest to me says, but I cut him off before he can say more.

My foot slams into his stomach, sending him falling back into his partner who was reaching for his radio. I cannot let them contact the other guards.