It was an hour after sunset when Elvadine Reynolds finally reached the storage room window after creeping up the iron-wrought fire escape at Davis Gucolz's apartment building. She knelt by the window and slowly eased the blade of her knife between the seel and the window until it hit the metal lock on the other side and pushed it open. She did the same with the other lock on it. After sheathing her knife in the pouch on her pocket, she opened the window.<br/><br/>"You there yet?" shouted a voice from below. Rolling her eyes, Elvadine let out an irritated sigh and raised herself. Leaning over the edge, she looked down to her POC (partner in crime) Luc, or Lucky, and said in a loud whisper, "Shut the fuck up, asshole! You wanna get shot?" The shabbily-dressed boy scoffed and said, "We will if you don't hurry the fuck up." Elvadine gave him a quick flip off before returning to the window and peering through it with a flashlight. Boxes and containers were stacked nearly ceiling-high throuhout most of the room. She turned around and placed her feet on two of the boxes right under the window while slowly climbing in. Still holding onto the seel, she let her right leg lower to another box and heard a small object clatter to the floor.<span style="font-style: italic">Shit</span>, thought Elvadine as she closed her eyes and stilled herself, opening her ears up to any noise beyond the room's door. After a full minute of silence, she continued descending down the tower of supplies. Once she reached the floor, she picked up the object that had fallen, which had turned out to be a manual pencil sharpener.<span style="font-style: italic">Useless shit</span>, she thought and put it out of the way.<br/><br/>After looking through a few of the boxes and containers, Elvadine chose the ones that had the most valuable things while still being light enough to carry. She pushed two boxes through the window and climbed up it again. After stacking both in her arms, she stepped down the fire escape as quickly as she could. Once she got to the end, Lucky was there to meet her several feet below.<br/><br/>"You better not drop this, boy," she warned as she knelt and held out one box. She released it and Lucky caught it after its five foot drop. Putting it in his shopping cart, he smiled and said, "Bane needs to have more faith in Lucky." Elvadine's eyes dulled and she said, "Don't start with that third-person shit." He snickered as she dropped the second box to him. He caught that as well, but all of the objects fell through the bottom. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Lucky sneered at her and began picking up the fallen items while she ascended the fire escape again.<br/><br/>Once she entered the room for the second time, she continued to look through the storage. Her flashlight found something shiny and she looked up to see a box full of guns right below the ceiling. With eyes burning from desire, she propped herself up on one of the stacks and carefully climbed toward the box of beautiful weaponry.<span style="font-style: italic">Come to me, baby</span>, she thought, biting her lip. She grasped onto the edge of the box and slowly pulled it toward her. Once the box landed in her arms, the container's lid below her foot gave out and she fell hard onto the floor.<br/><br/>"Fuck!" she murmured, scrambling to her feet. As she quickly swiped a pistol from the ground, she could already hear shouts and heavy footsteps pounding toward the door. The adrenaline of fear pumped through her veins, making her heart thump against her chest. In a rush of panic, Elvadine threw herself at the tower of boxes leading to the window before formulating a path of escape. Doing so, the stacks tumbled out from under her as she clung desperately to the window seel while still holding onto the pistol. As she pulled herself up, a key went through the door's lock and it was opened. By the time Gucolz stormed through the rubble, she managed to climb out of the room. However, the man grasped her ankle and began pulling her in. Crying out, she grabbed onto the fire escape ledge and pointed her pistol at Gucolz's and pulled the trigger, only to find out it wasn't loaded. Curses rang through her head as she dropped the pistol and grabbed onto the ledge with both hands.<br/><br/>"You aren't getting away from me, you fucking cunt!" roared Gucolz, continuing to tug at her writhing leg. As her grip from the ledge weakened, she bent her free leg and thrusted it into his face. Falling back, he released her leg and she scrambled out of the room.<br/><br/>"<span style="font-style: italic">Gucolz</span>!" she yelled as she leaped above the stairs to every landing. This was the signal for Lucky to retreat, and he did just that. She jumped down from the end ten feet to the ground and began sprinting away from where Lucky headed to. Elvadine ran, but felt as if she was flying. She laughed as her elation burst from her mind to her body, like a the explosion of a bomb within the house breaking through the outside as well.<br/><br/>This feeling was the reason Elvadine did what she did. This feeling of excitement, dread, and fear all in one was why she stole things. It wasn't only to get what was needed. There were plenty of other ways to do that, like working with people or scavenging. However, the only way for her to get this feeling was to put herself in danger. And so she did, because she lived in a world with no mercy, compassion, or love. Struggling and suffering was all that surrounded her. And so she stole things. And when she ran away from the danger she provoked, it was the only time she ever felt<span style="font-style: italic">alive</span>.