Free Web NovelChapter 32: The warehouse II
Cole is working. He is packaging some goods into a carton, but I can’t tell what they are.
After packaging them, he carries the goods and stores them in another section.
He is working hard; he hasn’t noticed me. I don’t like this. Why is he working here?
He looks different too—malnourished and exhausted. He is sweating heavily but refuses to take a break.
Others are working beside him; they are all working in silence.
As I continued watching him, Sandra drew closer to me.
"Do you want to leave?" She asked.
"No, I’ve found what I’m looking for; you can excuse me," I murmured.
"Oh really? Okay, I’ll wait at the door. Please be careful; there are explosives here. Be careful not to run into any machines. Watch your step carefully."
"I will."
She turned and began to walk away, but a thought occurred to me, and I called her back.
"Wait," I caught her wrist. "I have a question for you."
"Yes? What do you want to know?"
"That guy over there, the one in the red shirt," I pointed to Cole.
"Yes?"
"How long has he been working here?"
"Oh, he came in yesterday. He is new; I don’t know him that well," she responded.
"But he hasn’t taken a break since he came; he has been working since last night. Wait, he took a break, but he went to the toilet. After that, he returned and continued working."
"Can’t you take more breaks?"
"We can. Of course. In the morning between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., we’re required to have breakfast. We take another break at 12:30 p.m. for lunch. Then we take another break at 3:30 p.m. for a second lunch. We take a final break by 8:00 p.m."
"Do you go to bed afterward?"
"No, we return to work."
"Really?" I looked at her, surprised by the information.
"Yes. We work until 11:00 p.m.," she explained.
"Why is that?"
"Money. The workers earn differently; you earn according to the amount of work you perform. Some people earn between 300 and 500 dollars a day."
"Really?" I gasped.
"Yes. They earn that much here," she smiled. "That’s the good thing about working here; they’re not stingy with wages. I heard it’s the same in other warehouses. The harder you work, the higher the pay, but people who work in this section of the warehouse receive higher wages."
"They receive twice what we receive, and that’s because their work is more dangerous. They handle illicit drugs, counterfeit goods, smuggled items, ammunition, toxic chemicals, firearms, and so on. They’re more exposed to danger than the rest of us."
"Oh, I understand," I said, shaking my head in understanding. But why is Cole working here? What is he doing here?
"So after 11:00 p.m., everyone is required to go to bed?"
"Yes, the light goes out after 11:00 p.m., but some people still work even with the light out. They work using touch and other methods. The good thing about working here is that you can make quick money, but you can also lose your life here. We lift a lot of weight, and after lifting these heavy objects, you’ll be in pain for a long time. Many workers collapse and eventually die while on the job."
"Really? Have you seen it happen before?" freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"Yes, I have been working here for a year now, and it has happened about twenty-six times."
"Really?"
"Yeah," she chuckled. "I worked as a laborer at the start too, but when I applied as a clerk, I was surprisingly given the job. I’m a high school dropout, and I have siblings to fend for. I’m glad I was given such an opportunity," she smiled.
"So the light goes out at 11:00 p.m. and returns at 7:00 a.m.?" I asked.
"No. It returns at 5:00 a.m., but you can choose not to work. You can decide to resume duties after breakfast."
"Who makes the meals you eat?"
"There are cooks available; there’s a canteen over there. I was planning to take you there, but..." She sighed.
"Thank you for your time, Sandra; kindly wait outside. I’ll be with you soon."
"Alright." When she left, I returned my gaze to Cole.
Why did he choose to work here? What if he overworks himself and falls sick? Or did the brothers force this on him? It doesn’t seem like they did. He is working so well; I don’t think he was forced.
After observing him for a while, I began approaching him. I halted when I got close enough and started watching him from behind. When will he notice me?
How long will it take? I fixed my attention on him and continued to watch him; in the process, I failed to notice the guy behind me.
After loading goods into a carton, the guy bumped into me from behind, hitting me with the sealed goods. I fell—not only did I fall, but I fell forward. I struck my nose forcefully on the ground.
"Oh goodness!" When the guy noticed me, he raised an alarm, and all attention turned toward me.
Cole also shifted his attention to me, and once he realized who I was, he stopped what he was doing and rushed over.
Oh no... My nose... I’m having a nosebleed.
"Amera, what are you doing here?" Cole helped me to my feet. "Why are you here?" He asked, sounding very concerned.
"Oh, forgive me, do you know her? I didn’t see her," the guy who had bumped into me said.
"Yes, I do; I’ll take her," Cole answered.
"Is she okay?"
"Is she your girlfriend?" Another person asked, but Cole ignored him and instead led me to the resting area, where he made me sit on a bench.
Then he squatted before me.
"Oh no, you’re bleeding." He stood up and tried to leave, but I stopped him.
"I can handle it," I said, opening my bag. I brought out wipes and cleaned my nose with them.
"Let me," he took the wipes from me and carefully cleaned my face.
He cleaned my hair and proceeded to clean my body.
"You shouldn’t have come here; you should not be here," he kept saying as he cleaned me.
After the cleaning process, he disposed of all the wipes.
"Your forehead is a bit swollen," he let out a disappointed sigh. "You shouldn’t have come here."
"I didn’t come here for you," I lied.
Huh? He looked at me.
"I didn’t come here for you. I’m a regular at this warehouse, and I just happened to see you here. You are not supposed to be here, Cole. You’re the stranger here," I said.
"What... do you mean by that?"
"You were supposed to be in hiding; why are you here? Explain it to me. Why are you laboring here? What happened to the card I gave you? Was the money not enough for you?" I questioned, sounding very annoyed.
