The Lives of Liji & Oni
From under the floorboards, I could hear the click that meant the latch was unlocked. The mania in the city had finally made it to the slums, in desperation. A riot, looters.
Alright, so the lock had been pointless. A good thief would be able to pick the lock, it would be an easy thing. But surely the looter was just going to take a good look around, maybe turn up the mattress, and leave. I had nothing worth stealing. Truly, nothing. It was a common known fact that no one in this part of town did.
I heard the door open and close again, and the thief dared to huff. Like it was a chore to go through my things. One set of boots thumped on the wood above me. The thief took a straight-cut path from the door to stand above my hole in the ground.
A thud sounded above me. I trembled. The trapdoor in the floor flew open, with no hesitation. Great. I was dead. Of course, any thief worth their salt would pull up floorboards before they left. Right? And any thief willing to pull up floorboards is willing to leave a young woman's body to rot in one.
