Allen stared at the man as he approached, reaching through the bars towards him. He wasn’t sure what to do, was this man a new addition to the circus? Or an outsider who lost their way? It was not easy to access this area, so that meant likely this person had been sent here for some reason.
What if he was sent by the ringmaster…? Allen wouldn’t put it past the man to send someone to bait Allen into attempting to escape, just to mess with his head.
But Allen would rather fail a hundred times, than let an opportunity pass by because he was too scared.
Allen shook his head in response to the mans question, and reached up a hand to tentatively touch the hand on his shoulder.
“Please help me.” he begged in a low whisper.
A shake of the head told him everything. The hand that laid over his own was hesitant, as if still trying to gauge Lavi’s intentions. Holy shit, he found himself thinking, staring at the boy with both shock and pity present in one visible eye.
This boy, younger even than someone like him who was barely an adult, was begging him for help. His duty bid him to turn around and go home, pretend like none of this ever happened and move on with his life like a good Bookman. But something in the way the boy’s fingers slid across the back of his hand as he pulled it away from his shoulder told him that was impossible.
Don’t, a voice in his head said as he fished something out of his boot. Something long and skinny—a lock pick.
He inserted it into the lock, all while wondering what the hell he was doing—what he was going to do after with a perfect stranger who had nowhere to go and nothing but the clothes on his back. These things happen. Let it be, he tried to tell himself, but kept testing the waters, slowly hearing the tumblers inside click into place and when the lock finally unlatched, he knew it was too late.
Slowly, he pushed the door away, trying to avoid working the squeaky hinges as he offered a hand to the boy. “C’mon. We should pro’ly hurry.”
Allen watched with wide eyes as the man started fiddling with the lock, unable to stop the hope growing. Finally, he heard a click, and the door was opened carefully.
He hesitated only a moment before taking the hand offered, and crawling out of the filthy cage. He winced as he stood, he hadn’t been let out for a few days and felt really stiff. He kept his hand in the others, wondering if they would continue to help, or leave him to escape himself. Either way, he didn’t mind, this man had already helped him so much.
“Thank you.” he said in the same hoarse whisper, and smiled.
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