They reached the first building of the two, and after picking the padlock, sneaked in. The interior was full of shadows, but the scent of machine oil lay heavy in the air. Two bulldozers occupied the space like sleeping giants, their engines still radiating heat. A quick search proved there was nothing else there that didn’t run on coal—no former warlords, or their henchmen.
They went to the last warehouse, but it turned out to be an innocent workshop and not a den of criminals.
“That leaves us one place to check.” Nat looked past Anouk, and she followed his gaze. The lights of the refinery wrapped the area in a bright cocoon. The chimney stretched skyward like Jack’s beanstalk; the dark smoke pillars it spat out added to the image.
“Great.” Anouk wasn’t impressed. The refinery would most likely have many ‘excellent’ corners to remain unseen. Not to mention the place would be stiflingly hot and filled with toxic fumes. Furthermore, if Stalo and the captain were indeed inside, the factory held plenty of opportunities to trick Anouk and Nat into an oven or a furnace of molten metal.
“The refinery is a dangerous place, so we must be extra vigilant about our surroundings.”
“No, really? And here I thought we were on a romantic moonlight walk,” Anouk snapped, but regretted it immediately. Nat lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.
Anouk hung her head. “I’m sorry, Nat. I shouldn’t take it out on you. I’m just so bloody scared to be face to face with Stalo again. After he broke into my home and threatened to kill me, I…” She shook her head. “Every time, ever since, I’ve been paralysed with terror. So far I’ve survived, somehow, but I fear next time my luck will run out. After all, he’s a warlord and I’m just an accountant.”
“You have done well. This isn’t any different.” Nat placed his hand on Anouk’s shoulder. “I have faith in you.”
Anouk forced a smile on her face. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Nat smiled back and winked. “Come on.” He spun on his heels and walked out of the warehouse.
Anouk took a deep breath. “If I survive this, I’ll eat a whole lemon cheesecake to myself and wash it down with a bottle of the best champagne.”
Chapter 26
Anouk eyed the massive refinery complex as they zig-zagged towards it. The gaslights gave a yellow hue to its black, soot-covered brick walls. There were no windows, only metal stairs, leading up to a single iron door.
Without slowing, Nat ran up, taking two steps at a time. A relentless itch between her shoulder blades made Anouk give another quick scan across the yard before following him. No one had set off an alarm or come to stop them, but it didn’t mean there was no one lurking in the shadows. What if it was Stalo or Captain Biddulph whose eyes she felt watching her? She shook her head. No, otherwise she and Nat would have been shot already. Maybe the eyes she felt belonged to nocturnal wildlife.
By the time Anouk joined Nat, he was already keeping the door cracked open, his foot tapping the landing. Anouk opened her mouth to apologise, but Nat tilted his head towards the noise and slipped inside. The bangs and hisses of machines echoed sharp through the narrow gap. Anouk swallowed hard. She looked over her shoulder before slipping through the doorway.
The scorching heat, fumes, and cacophony of running machines slammed her senses with the force of a concrete wall. She coughed and pressed her hand over her nose while she fumbled for the mask. As she was about to pull it over her mouth, Nat shook his head. She let her mask drop back around her neck. He was right, breathing through it would be too laborious and she would pass out for sure.
The fire from the kilns, and the crucibles of molten metal gave the large manufacturing hall below her an angry orange glow. Production lines, ladders, catwalks, large melting cauldrons, cranks and lifts all criss-crossed over the large space. Men worked under them, manipulating the machines, poking the smelting ovens with long poles, and pouring liquid metal from cauldrons into square moulds with minimum protection—goggles, leather aprons and leather gloves.
Nat tapped on her shoulder and waved; Anouk nodded. He jogged in front of her along the catwalk, keeping low and out of sight. Anouk did the same.
Workers ran up and down the ladders and a few times Nat and Anouk had to drop flat or hide in niches, sucking in their stomachs. No alarm was raised though.
Sweat ran down Anouk’s back, sticking her shirt to her torso. The salt burned her eyes, and she had to blink and wipe them frequently. It had been a good idea to hide their backpacks and take just minimal gear. Running and jumping up and down in this heat with a heavy pack would kill them from heat exhaustion alone.
She glanced over to see Nat pulling goggles over his eyes. Good idea. She wiped her eyes once more before covering them with her own set of regular goggles.
Nat leaned closer. Strands of his dark curls clung to his forehead and beads of perspiration condensed on the stubble over his full upper lip.
“If we split up, we could search the area quicker,” Nat shouted next to her ear. “But there is no way we can communicate, so better to stay together.”
“Agreed,” Anouk shouted back.
They continued searching the industrial hall floor by floor, peering in every room and corner. Anouk took in the sight of men working below. In a way it reminded her of Star Wars and the droid factory although there were no droids here. The only thing that looked remotely like a robot was a man, loading crates, wearing an exoskeleton. He was strapped into a large metal framework that covered his legs and torso. Joysticks manipulated the long arms and legs. What its power source was, Anouk couldn’t tell, and there was no time to find out. Nat was
