Chapter 51 - Hunting 5

When they arrived in front of the two-story plant that had once been the Lee Family's Muffin Factory, they saw a small removal truck parked in front of the open gate. But there was no one in sight outside.

Eun Ha immediately used her new trick to activate the blue monocle while the Hunter checked near the vehicle. When he returned from the quick inspection, she was already using it and staring at the exterior of the building in horror.

To the young fairy, it was a hyper realistic version of a place only seen in horror movies, with dark and disgusting spots and a scary atmosphere.

But this time, Eun Ha also realized that this feeling was not at all foreign to her. She had already been close to places with this same heavy, oppressive and repellent atmosphere. Places where she normally would rather not stay longer, and if she could, not go at all. Coincidentally or not, these places had bad or dubious memories for her. She shook her head in denial. "Professor, can I keep guard out here?"

"No." It was his dry reply. "Mr. Kim brought someone else with him. And they're inside the building right now."

"An industrial dough mixer can be very heavy. There was one in my foster mom's pastry shop. He probably needs extra help."

He nodded, and commented,

"Since you look worried, you're probably seeing spots or dark mist around the building."

"Yes. I've spotted such things at the Cafe too, but it wasn't so strong."

"Give it to me", the Hunter reached out imperatively, and Eun Ha felt usurped, but handed over the object. He immediately used it, seeming to scrutinize the outer building faster and in a more useful manner than her.

He returned the item, and also passed the bag he carried to her. Eunha instinctively picked up the bag the older fairy handed her, understanding that she should carry it, as a good hoobae would.

"These humans are really in danger. There's something serious going in there. Come on."

'If there's something serious in there, why should I come in ?! Aigoo, why does he care more about these humans_ and exactly this mean thieving man and his minion,_ than about me, that I'm his student?'

But she didn't voice her complains and followed the Professor, wand in one hand, Professor's bag of stuff in the other.

"Jung."

They went to the open gate of the loading dock. She approached the Hunter, and quietly asked, "Yes, Professor?"

Without looking back, he said, "Stay close. And if I say run out, you run. Get the bike and go. Don't even look back."

Her chest filled with choking apprehension. But even though she agreed that this was a responsible strategy and kind of the older fairy, Eun Ha couldn't really imagine herself doing it; as much as she wished she wasn't there. "I can't just…"

"Jung. In places like this, often your wand won't be enough. "

"OK. I'm going to run a lot," she replied as she scanned the place up and down with her eye behind the blue lens. She could see the corrupted touch here and there, like a slight vapor that was visible only to the eye with the monocle. She was two paces from the Hunter, who was using a regular flashlight.

The smell of the place was not good, in fact it was quite stomach-turning for Eun Ha. The vanilla scent predominated, i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.ed on everything, but there was another indistinct smell that, combined with the spice, smelled sweet yet acrid, and nauseating. This, coupled with the crackling of insects and random and unexpected sounds that Eunha couldn't really identify, made her anxious and alert.

The fairy couple heard a heavy sound upstairs, and the Hunter turned briefly to signal silence to his apprentice. They had barely advanced five more steps toward the stairs when the freight elevator pulleys groaned and the platform began to slowly rise.

The fairies could spot exactly where the two humans were upstairs with that. Now that they were closer to the stairs, the noises upstairs were clearer; and at least for Eun Ha, who could identify their source, less scary. They were probably already removing the dough mixer.

Shin said very quietly to the girl: "Let's go up now, and we'll be cops. Let's get them out of here, so I'm the one speaking."

The girl nodded. Even if Mr. Kim recognized her from their early meeting, he would probably only imagine that his profits as a blackmailer were over, as undercover cops were on Confectioner Lee's heels.

As agreed, they began cautiously going upstairs as what sounded to Eun Ha a roar, echoed through the building. Sounds of heavy, hurried footsteps, and a male voice asking nervously, "What was that? What you…? Omo…!"

Eun Ha would have liked to be braver, but grabbed the back of the Hunter's overcoat in despair: "What was that ?!"

Hunter Shin jerked away from her hold, looking annoyed, and in one swift motion he went up the remaining steps, disappearing into the darkness of the second floor.

After being abandoned so hastily, and hearing strange sounds of fast footsteps, clangs of heavy cookware and other muffled sounds coming from upstairs, Eun Ha was torn between getting to the second floor or running back to the motorcycle. But curiosity was greater than common sense.

She reached for Ye Rim's cell phone in her own bag, and used the mobile's flashlight to light her way up the stairs. She didn't intend to run into peril and act rashly as she had in the cafe_even if against her will_ nor did she want to lose her monocle again.

On the first flight of stairs, she realized that someone was going downstairs in a rush, and instinctively knew it wasn't Professor Shin. She looked up, even in the semi-darkness, trying to catching the shape with the magic lens before anything else. The monocle revealed it was a human who, upon seeing her, also stopped in the mid of his hurried flight, as paralysed in fear.

Eun Ha filled her lungs, threw the intense light of the cell phone flashlight on the man's face, and went into her improvised crazy mode, in which she had an extensive background on:

"Freeze! Police!" she shouted.

She was static when she realized it had worked. The man raised his arms, cautiously descending the steps that separated them:

"Officer, something is happening! There's something bad going on over there! "He practically whispered agitatedly. "Dead person… And now… Omo, I need to get out of here!"

The fairy was a little confused because she wasn't sure how to act now. 'Should I take him out? Was this the plan? Was the plan still on?' Whatever it was, she had to take action now.

She made room for him to pass her because she didn't want to turn her back on him. 'Was Shin getting his things up there?'

"Someone dead, you said? What did you see?" she asked, intoning her voice as best she could to sound authoritative as a cop would be, following the young man back into the doorway.

They walked fast, and the man seemed to want to reach the street as fast as he could, even leaving his partner behind.

Eun Ha is not aware, however, of the sneaky shadow that followed them at close range.