Doris looked like a child in adult clothing. The man's clothes hung from her body like a dress but she did her best to shove the shirt into the pants and make the belt as tight as possible so they didn't fall off her body. With a coat on, it didn't look half bad. But she knew it was still painfully obvious the clothes didn't belong to her.
William was a little too big for his own clothes. His muscles strained against the the fabric and he was one sharp turn away from splitting his clothes open. He pulled a hat down on his head and shoved a bit of his black hair beneath it.
He looked her up and down with the nerve to look amused. "I sometimes forget how small you are." He said quietly. Doris rolled the sleeves a bit so they didn't fall past her hands before she pushed all of her hair up into the sweaty hat on her head. It was almost a brilliant idea from William, but she was afraid if she admitted that, he would insult her again just to keep it even.
"Yes, well-let's hope no one looks too closely at how giant my clothes are." Doris whispered back. He gripped her hand and led her back towards the door with keys in his grip. Her stomach turned the closer they got and she tried to hold in her sick feelings.
Once they stepped out of the bushes, they both stood up straight and acted as if they were back on duty. He dropped her hand the second they stepped back on the main path. She used her feet to cover the traces of blood that were left from the other guards-she didn't have time to feel guilty about what she'd done.
He looked around casually, Doris kept her head down until they reached the door. He slipped the keys in her hand and she tested the door before she started fitting the keys one by one. On her luck, it took a dozen tries before she found the right one. She opened the door and they slipped inside quickly before they clicked the door shut behind them. Her head spun along with the room around her.
The hall was a lot brighter than she remembered, it also stretched on more than she first thought when Joseph had led her down it. Perhaps it was due to the daylight, but there was no time to wonder. A few guards passed by the end of the hall and they both quickly ducked into a shadowy part of the wall until they were out of sight.
"Which way do we go?" William whispered against her ear. His warm breath tickled a little, she brushed her loose hairs behind her ear. It wasn't the time to focus on how close he was to her. It almost made her forget that she was supposed to be mad at him still.
"At the end of the hall, we turn left and there should be a green door. After that, we turn right and go all the way down to the end and that's where the cells would be." Doris whispered. She peered around the corner of the wall. "They're behind a big dark door. We might need to find a guard that works near the cells for the keys. I don't think these ones would have it."
William nodded and stepped back out into the light of the hall with more confidence than she could ever hope to obtain. Doris straightened herself and followed. He took the lead and walked down the end of the hallway with his hat tilted down a little to hide his eyes. To her, they were a dead giveaway to who he was but she doubted a lot of the rouges would feel the same.
They passed by a few guards that didn't look at them twice, despite how ridiculous she must look. She tried her best to walk in William's shadow. Doris did notice how many more guards were around than there had been before. It almost looked as if they had doubled in just a few short days.
They found the green door and casually walked inside as if it was where they were meant to be. He closed the door after Doris and they both glanced around the empty hallway. Somewhere, two voices echoed off the wall in a discussion and Doris dreaded the thought of running into a guard that might recognize her. Would they kill her this time?
William must have saw the look on her face because he motioned for her to stay as he took the keys out of her pocket. Doris tried to ask why with her eyes, but he was already around the corner before she could. Doris swallowed her nerves and leaned back against the wall and allowed herself to breathe for the first time since they put on these uniforms.
The voices faded even when Doris strained to hear more. She started to count in her mind but quickly lost count when her mind wandered to where William could be. What if he went ahead and left her here? What if he had gotten caught somewhere else and she didn't know it? What if someone saw her here and knew exactly who she was-
"Come on." William whispered. Doris almost jumped out of her skin-she hadn't even heard him when he returned. William gripped her arm to steady her and placed a new set of keys in her grasp.
"Are these-" Doris started to ask before William silenced her with a look. She hated how good he was at that. Doris narrowed her eyes at him and his mouth lifted just a little before he turned and went down the hall again. Doris quickened her step to catch up with his annoyingly long strides. She could only bet he took pleasure in her annoyance-well, so did she. His annoyance was beginning to feel like the highlight of her day.
They turned right and headed down towards the dark door at the end of the hallway. Everything about it screamed to stay away, and that was when Doris realized they were exactly in the right place. Now she could see with clear eyes, it was all so much worse than she first thought.
A young guard sat in a chair near the door with a book in his grasp. He didn't look too concerned with anything that might go wrong and she was only glad she didn't recognize him. She could only hope he had seen her when she was held as a prisoner in those very cells. There was never a guarantee, but she hoped he didn't.
"Shift change." William said loud enough to make the boy jump. She didn't blame him, she had almost done so herself.
He looked a bit confused. "I'm due here til dinner."
"I didn't ask, did I? I was sent to relieve you and do a walk through." William kept his head tilted just enough to hide his telling features. Doris did the same as she stood behind his large form.
"I should go talk to Mr. Hugh. I don't want this to be a knock on my pay." The boy grumbled as he stood. Doris felt a bit of panic bloom in her chest and she knew it was there to stay.
William gripped the boy's arm. "He sent me himself. Don't go bothering the boss because you're wanting to sit back all day."
He released him and shoved him a little down the hall. The boy glared at William's back and Doris turned her head quickly before he could get a glimpse of her face. Once he was gone, William unlocked the door.
"Where did you get those keys?" Doris whispered.
William snorted. "There were two guards on duty down here other than that kid. I caught one alone and left him in a closet."
"Dead?" Doris gasped a little. William gave her an annoyed look as he pushed open the large doors.
"Of course not. I'm not a complete monster."
"I didn't mean it like that-"
"We don't have time for this." William grumbled and took the lead. It was even darker than she remembered, it was almost hard to see a foot in front of herself. The cells closest to the door were clearly empty. She knew they must have placed him in the far back just as they did to her.
It was like a new version of hell for her-she wondered if it was just as bad for Enzo.
Doris made sure the door was closed before she spoke.
"Enzo..." She whispered. William walked ahead as he peered into each cell. "Enzo?" Doris said a little louder. Something shifted back in the darkness and her heart skipped a beat. Could it be?
"What took you so long?"