The Warehouse Case

A Familiar Voice

[I guess you saw it here first, folks. Fanfiction.net is being heckin rude and not letting me post this chapter so... Guess I'll just do it here in the mean time?

Also, i didn't proofread this bc I was excited about posting it lmao whoops I'm sure y'all wont mind??

Anyways, enjoy this chapter :) ]

Chapter 3: A Familiar Voice

...

Malik, nearly shaking with excitement, explained to Touzoku the plan he had thought of. His first idea was to simply show off their badges and see if whoever was working at the storage facility was naive enough to not think a warrant was needed, but Touzoku said that was much too risky. That would seriously put their jobs at stake. Touzoku then mentioned that if they gave a fake name, perhaps it would be played off casually and they could enter without much of a hassle.

This was plan A.

Plan B was to ask to rent, give fake information, and then snoop around the facility for anything suspicious.

Plan C was what they agreed upon: Wait until later in the night to sneak in, since that was when the suspect was seen, and then see if anything was suspicious. That was, perhaps, the most risky out of all three plans, but the two didn't really seem to mind at all. It was the most exciting, after all.

Malik discussed the plan with his sister then, and she seemed to not mind their illegal plan, or rather she pretended like she didn't hear Malik telling it to her.

The hours passed, test results came and went, and Malik was more eager than ever to get to that facility. Soon, dusk came upon them, and Malik and Touzoku went out for the trip to what Malik hoped was an important lead. Malik was anxious as he drove, his hands gripping the steering wheel harder than was necessary, and a faint sweat dripped from his brow.

He hoped Ryou was okay. He hoped Ryou was still alive.

...

When they arrived, Malik parked the car away from the storage building, and the two investigators walked to their destination. They were careful, constantly looking over their shoulders for anyone who might see them. When they reached the fence around the building, Malik frowned. "This place.. Is it still operating?" He asked, looking to Touzoku to see if maybe he knew. "I thought it was, but there aren't any lights on in the office or by the storage lockers. Isn't that... Shouldn't there be lights?"

Malik was starting to become aware of his heartbeat, how fast it had become the closer they got. What if Ryou wasn't here? What if he was already dead? What if...

What if Malik was too late?

"I'm not sure. I suppose it's better if it is, but frankly I don't want to find out," Touzoku replied to Malik's question, placing a hand on the links of the fence. "We have to climb." Malik nodded, and they both easily scaled the fence and hopped over to the other side. They looked around, and cautiously pulled out small flashlights to help them see in the dark.

"Should we look in the building first or the outer lockers?" Malik asked, shining some light on the door to the storage building. He wasn't really one to ask questions often, but this entire situation made him feel... lost.

Malik had never realized how important Ryou actually was to him. It was like they had the same mind, and if Malik didn't know something, Ryou had a back up for them to think off of. Touzoku wasn't Ryou, and Malik realized his mistake after asking. It was weird to have this reputation as an astounding detective, yet be the one to ask others questions. Malik felt vulnerable.

"I think we should check the building first. Or..." Touzoku shined his light on Malik a bit, biting over his lip as if he were nervous about something. "We could, erm.. Split up?"