After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 144: More Ominous Than Auspicious

Alice York was certain the people pounding on the door weren’t her two kidnappers.

If it were them, they would have just unlocked the door and come in, not slammed against it again and again.

’I can’t be this unlucky, can I...’

Seeing the door show more and more signs of giving way, Alice York’s heart threatened to leap out of her throat.

She couldn’t get up, chair and all, so she could only squirm slowly toward a nearby pile of bricks. The heap of discarded bricks was about half her height. It wouldn’t hide her completely, but any cover was better than none.

’The rest is up to luck.’

Less than two minutes later, the door was violently smashed open.

In that same moment, Alice managed to drag herself behind the brick pile.

Sweat poured from her scalp, running down her part, over her face and neck, and soaking a large patch of her clothes. Her arms and calves were covered in grime from her recent struggle, leaving her a complete mess.

"Damn it!"

A furious roar echoed through the space, vibrating in Alice’s eardrums. She flinched, holding her breath and curling up on the ground, not daring to move a muscle.

"I leave for a bit, and I come back to a locked door! Damn it! Who was it? Who’s the inconsiderate asshole? Who?!"

"If I find out which little bastard locked this door, I’ll beat you to death!"

The rough voice cursed nonstop.

As the footsteps drew closer, Alice went on high alert.

Then, she heard a loud CLATTER.

It sounded like a bag of bottles and cans being dropped on the ground.

The footsteps resumed, pacing back and forth. Every step hammered on Alice’s frayed nerves.

"Huh? Where the hell did my chair go?"

The man searched all over but couldn’t find the chair he had just scavenged. He was about to explode, his tone furious. "Someone even swiped my chair! I just picked that up! It was practically new!"

His enraged shouts echoed throughout the entire brick factory.

Alice guessed that the chair she was currently tied to must be the one the man had just found. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

’Is he a scavenger?’

’She wasn’t sure.’

She was completely vulnerable right now and didn’t dare gamble on the kindness of a stranger. She could only pray that the man wouldn’t look over here and find her.

But of course, her worst fears were realized.

The footsteps seemed to be getting closer.

’No...’

"Hey, what’s my chair doing over here?" The man had finally spotted his chair.

But because the half-high pile of bricks was in the way, he didn’t see Alice tied up behind it.

One step, two steps, three...

Closer and closer.

Alice shut her eyes tightly, her mind racing. What should she do? Cry for help? But what if he got malicious ideas after finding out her situation? Or maybe she should test the waters, find the most reliable approach, and try not to seem too weak...

Just then, another round of pounding echoed from the door.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

It was deafening.

Not only did it startle Alice, but it also made the man walking toward her jump. He turned, and his face darkened.

Another man stood at the door, holding a can of beer. His face was filthy, and he grinned as he asked, "Old Archer, you’re back early today, huh?"

The man called Old Archer immediately roared back in fury, "What are you banging so loud for?! You scared the hell out of me!"

The other man’s grin vanished, replaced by an awkward expression.

Old Archer waved a hand, and the man trotted over eagerly. Old Archer decided not to retrieve his chair for now. He didn’t want anyone else sitting on his new chair, so he figured he’d leave it hidden.

Old Archer pointed to a large bag of plastic water bottles and a nearby pile of cardboard. "Today’s haul."

The man’s face lit up. "What a huge score."

Old Archer unscrewed the half-full water bottle in his hand, tilted his head back, and finished it in one go. GLUG GLUG GLUG.

Then, with a twist and a toss, the empty bottle landed precisely in the bag.

"Damn it, the docks suddenly stopped hiring this month. We’re scraping by on these scraps of paper and bottles. Who knows when the work over there will start up again."

After he finished, Old Archer let out a watery burp.

The other man sighed along with him. "It’s impossible for guys like us, who’ve been to prison twice, to find work. After that incident at the construction site a year ago, every site in Rhovan started checking for our photos when they hire. We finally managed to get that stevedore job at the docks, and now look—seems like the docks are about to go under too."

At that moment,

hidden behind the pile of bricks, Alice York felt her world collapsing.

She had been clinging to a tiny sliver of hope, but when she heard the words "been to prison twice," her expression instantly crumbled.

’What did that mean... It meant he’d been in prison twice!’

’This man had been incarcerated twice!’

’If they found her, her chances of survival were slim to none!’

"Why talk about such depressing shit."

Old Archer spat on the ground. "Tch. Things will work themselves out. So what if I’ve been to jail twice? I’ve changed my ways. I’m a good person now."

The other man chuckled, lit a cigarette for Old Archer, then leaned in and whispered a suggestion. "Old Archer, what if we try a different city? Let’s get out of Rhovan."

Old Archer thought about it for a few seconds, then shook his head. "No. In our situation, it’ll be even harder to get by somewhere else."

"Not necessarily!" the man said adamantly. "Let’s go to a bigger city. The bigger the city, the more opportunities."

"That’s true..." Old Archer took a deep drag from his cigarette.

The two of them went back and forth, smoking several cigarettes until the ground was littered with butts. Then came the sound of cans opening; they had started drinking again.

Alice’s nerves remained stretched taut. She was waiting, waiting for an opportunity...

「About ten minutes later.」

The other man got up to leave. Before he left, he said one more time, "Old Archer, think about my proposal. If not another city, let’s go to Arden. Just like twenty years ago, we might meet a benefactor. There are more opportunities there."

Old Archer was clearly giving it serious thought. "I’ll think about it."

"Alright, you take your time, Old Archer. I’m ready whenever you give the word. If you decide, we’ll head for Arden! Your brother here will help you make a name for yourself again... *Hic!*"

He finished with a drunken hiccup.

Old Archer looked annoyed. "Get lost, get lost. When I say I’ll think about it, it means I haven’t decided yet. Stop nagging me."

"Alright then, I’m leaving." The man turned and staggered away.

"Wait, I’ll go with you." With that, Old Archer also stood up.

He was a bit unsteady on his feet. He shook his head and followed after him.

Alice heard their footsteps fade into the distance and let out a small sigh of relief. But she didn’t dare relax completely. She waited another two minutes, making sure the two men weren’t coming back, before slowly inching her way out.

Perhaps because she had been lying down for so long, she had recovered enough energy that moving wasn’t as strenuous as before.

When she finally reached the spot where they had been talking, Alice saw a pull-tab from a can still on the ground. She quickly repositioned herself, picked it up, and began sawing at the ropes with all her might.

The pull-tab wasn’t sharp, but using it tore up her hand. Alice ignored the pain and kept sawing. Before long, her fingers felt wet. She must have cut them and started bleeding, but she couldn’t worry about the injury now. Cutting the ropes was the most important thing.

The relentless scraping quickly began to show results. As long as she didn’t stop, she should be able to sever the ropes soon.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Just as she saw she was halfway through the rope, Alice’s confidence surged. But before she could feel any joy, the distinct sound of footsteps came from outside...