Read Netherstream - Episode 1: Jane Doe for Free Online

replacement. Barely two months later, I found myself flying through the same damn window again. This shit was getting old.
    Leon followed me into the gift shop, and cut is hand on a jagged tooth of glass. “Damn it!” He pulled out his handkerchief and wrapped it around his palm. He circled around, unlocked the doors, and let the two guards in. Soldiers were assembling outside the gift shop, laughing and drinking from bottles while keeping a healthy distance from the general.
    The stockpile of premium cigarettes and chewing tobacco tempered the general’s foul mood. There were at least a hundred different brands, each shelf filled to the brim. I hadn’t touched a single pack since taking up residence here, preferring to use up the employee stash first before delving into the good stuff.
    “Holy shit, Djarum Blacks. How did you manage that?” He plucked a black package off the shelf. Surprised that he had found his favorite pack of clove cigarettes, he forgot all about his throbbing hand and that he’d taken his eyes off me.
    Leon opened the pack, and put one in his mouth. He grabbed a book of matches from the counter, lit himself up, took one long, sinful drag, and exhaled. “Now that’s a fucking cigarette!”
    Suddenly the fire alarm went off. Before he knew it, ice cold water poured down from the sprinklers above. The guards accidentally fired into the ceiling, sending their comrades into hysterics.
    Leave it to the general to light up directly under a smoke detector and thumb his nose at the consequences. What a total fucking moron! Brute force defined these dickheads, just like the ones who visited me two months ago. If I had my way, they’d be lining my flowerpots by morning.
    Leon hugged the cigarette case as the sprinklers showered the entire store. Abruptly they cut off, leaving the three men in a shallow puddle of water. Although most of the merchandise was waterlogged, the cigarettes had been spared. “Thank heavens!” He peered down at the untainted stacks of Djarum Blacks.
    The general tried to laugh it off. He’d found his prize possession; today was a good day. “I have to hand it to you, you’ve kept this hotel in tiptop shape. The beds are made, the lobby is clean…hell, it even looks like a five-star hotel.” He wiped the water from his face. “We’ve been watching you for the past week, and finally slipped inside a few days ago. This is perfect for command and control, even better than we’d hoped for. You have all the amenities and none of the problems of the outside world.
    “I’ve seen your storerooms and they’re fully stocked. How do you resupply yourself? Either you’ve raided every hotel within a mile of here or someone else is helping you out. So which is it, Jane? Uh…Jane?” Leon finally took notice of my absence. “Jane!” He pulled out his gun and fired.

Chapter 4: Venture
    “Find her!” Leon barked at his men. “She’s still here, right under our nose.”
    Though the alcohol still flowed freely, the soldiers’ laughs and taunts came to an abrupt stop. The general was pissed, and if they didn’t locate me soon, there would be hell to pay.
    I could hear the men pass by, checking every inch of the gift shop. Although wet, the store was clean, and it wasn’t obvious where I’d wandered off to. Leon’s men double-checked the windows, but only one had been smashed through. It was as if I had disappeared.
    “Search again!” The old man yelled, but with all the drinks in them, the soldiers clearly weren’t up to the task.
    Never in a thousand years would his brutish men discover the secret exit out of the gift shop. I couldn’t take credit for it, though. If it weren’t for Twiggy, I wouldn’t have known it myself.
    Although it cost a fortune, I bought all of my cigarettes at the gift shop while on duty. As it turned out, it was a worthwhile investment.
    “Wanna see a neat trick?” he giggled one day, stoned out of his mind. He’d just sold me a pack of