Hello! I hope you like this chapter!
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Chapter 8 -Keys
Kanan led the way to the school, avoiding any Stromtroopers wandering the streets of Lothal. They sneaked around the building towards the back, where they could slip in undetected.
Sabine, Zeb and Kanan entered through the window into the dark school. Once inside, Sabine took the lead, walking down the moonlit hallways of the school. Kanan glanced around, thinking about Ezra. The kid could get himself into a lot of trouble, and he was worried. After all, Ezra was still a kid, and he had been forced to grow up too fast. They approached the basement door, and Sabine turned the knob.
But it was locked.
"What? It was open when we came earlier. Something's wrong." Sabine looked up at Kanan, but he could not read the look on her face; but he could tell from the sound of her voice that she was worried.
"I'll take care of this," Zeb said, walking up to the door as he pulled out his Bo-Rifle.
"No, Zeb," Kanan said, and Zeb stopped. "We don't want to cause any damage, or else it will draw unwanted attention to the basement. We need the key." Zeb put away his weapon, understanding Kanan's point, but disappointed that he did not get to blow up the lock.
"I think I know a way to find the key, and find a clue to Ezra's whereabouts." Sabine pointed upwards behind Kanan, who turned around to see what she pointed at. In the corner of the hallway, a security camera turned back and forth, a red blinking light on the top.
"Sabine," Kanan said, turning back to face the crew. "Lead the way."
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Fortunately for the rebel crew, the door to the office was unlocked. Sabine, Zeb and Kanan walked in, looking for keys and possibly a video feed. Kanan walked into the principal's office, and began rooting through the drawers. He opened the bottom one and found a metal ring with numerous keys attached. Kanan closed the drawer, hoping that somewhere on the ring was the key they needed.
"Kanan, you might want to see this." Kanan walked out of the office and saw Sabine and Zeb standing at the secretary's desk, a holoscreen turned on. He came closer and saw that it was the video camera that they saw earlier. Sabine clicked play.
On the screen, Kanan saw the basement door open, and Ezra emerged. He quickly glanced around, looking if the coast was clear. He opened the door all the way and relaxed. But it only lasted for a brief moment. Kanan saw Ezra tense. He stiffened his back and stood up straight. Something was wrong. Ezra whipped his head around, and looked back into the basement, when abruptly he fell onto the ground, and he desperately tried to stop some force from pulling him back into the basement.
Ezra's face full of fear would forever be implanted into Kanan's memories.
Ezra was easily overpowered by whatever was pulling him down, despite his attempts to stop it. Ezra, having nothing to grab on to, clawed at the tiled floor; which was no use. Ezra disappeared from view. Moments later, the door closed by itself.
Sabine stopped the video feed, and the crew was silent. Unexpectedly, it was Zeb who broke the silence.
"What…what happened?" Two heads turned to look at Kanan.
"I…I don't know."
They made their way back to the basement door in silence, still concerned for their youngest member of their crew. Kanan walked up to the door and slid the first key on the ring into the door lock. He heard Sabine sigh behind him.
"What?" He asked, looking up at her in confusion.
"That's not going to fit."
"And how do you know?" Kanan asked.
"That's the complete opposite model of the one the lock needs." Sabine said in a tone as if it was common knowledge. "Here, I'll show you." Kanan gave the keys to Sabine, who crouched down in front of the door and searched through the keys efficiently, until stopping at one. "See this one? And all these different ridges? That's the type it needs." Sabine placed the key into the lock, and turned it.
The click echoed through the dark hallway.
Sabine stood up and opened the door, and a gust of wind blew at the crew members. But Kanan knew it was more than that; it was the presence of the dark side.
"Stay close," He said, not wanting to tell them about the feeling. Kanan went first down the basement stairs, and the creaking noise seemed louder in the silence.
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Zeb entered last, closing the door behind them, locking them in the basement. He walked down the stairs, carefully hoping the creaking was not too much noise. He looked down at his bare feet. He had felt something rough on the stair he was standing on. Shifting his foot to the side, he was surprised that his feeing had been right.
"Kanan," he whispered, and the Jedi looked back, as did Sabine. He pointed to his feet, and Sabine crouched down to get a better look.
"There's carving in the stairs, as if-" Sabine said, but stopped herself. She stood back up and faced Kanan. "As if someone was clawing at it."
Zeb took this information in, and watched as Kanan did the same. They reached the bottom of the stairs and spread out. Zeb went to the back wall, where he saw a discolored part of the wall. Zeb walked over, and the rancid stench hit his nose. He immediately recognized it.
"Kanan?" Zeb whispered as loud as he dared, and he walked over. Zeb pointed to the stain on the wall, and Kanan walked up to it, running his finger through it. He looked up at Zeb, who's grim face confirmed Kanan's suspicions.
They needed to find Ezra.
"It's not here." Sabine showed up behind Zeb, her helmet masking her face. "The data card is gone."
"So the kid musta' taken it."
"Yeah, but where is he now?" Kanan turned to Sabine. "Where did you first find the data card?" Without another word, Sabine turned back into the rows of files, the red light giving off an uncanny glow.
Sabine led them to a room in the back, and she slowly pushed open the door. Inside a desk sat in the middle, and filing cabinets were scattered all around. Zeb, Sabine and Kanan spread out, in hopes of finding the youngest member of their crew. And hopefully soon.
Zeb walked around the perimeter, not really sure of what he was looking for. He walked by a cabinet with the letter 'X' marked on it, and stiffened. Something was not right. He turned to face the cabinet, and saw that it was slightly pushed to the side. Listening, Zeb could hear a whisper of wind coming from this section of the wall.
"There's something wrong here." Sabine and Kanan came over to where Zeb stood, and he continued speaking. "I can hear the wind. There's another room."
"Ezra was checking this out earlier," Sabine said, excited that they may have found a clue. "He said he noticed a gap in the wall or something." Zeb and Sabine looked up at Kanan, who had already closed his eyes and outstretched his hand. Kanan opened his eyes and flicked his wrist, and the wall resisted, before sliding down into the floor, exposing a hidden room.
The crew members looked in, and their youngest member looked back at them, with a face filled with fear.
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R & R
~ Kavella ~