Dawnpoint

Chapter 6

They hadn't worn suits. It was pointless, really; although, they kept them in the boot of the car as they ventured back to the mansion and trampled down the same path they had previously.

Micah tripped as he stepped over a pile of thick tree branches despite having found his way around them easily before. He was the only one in a radiation suit, helmet tucked firmly under his arm. As they grew closer to the ruins, he spotted a few rats scuttle away, weaving through the debris like an easy maze with a treat at the end. The moon was still rising, and the stars were slowly infiltrating the sky, somehow making the entire area feel like sacred grounds under their flashlights.

They passed through quite easily until they had reached the spot where Micah had taken the photo that had turned this simple investigation into something neither he nor Kato could have ever thought of. He inhaled sharply as they stepped closer to the basement.

"Is this really a good idea?" Levi whined, sticking close to his sister as another rat scurried past his feet, running over his shoe, and made him squeal.

"Not really," Micah said brazenly, pushing a few sticks out of the way with his boot so he wouldn't fall again.

Kato followed close behind him, hands clutching the medical bags as they approached the looming walls of the previously beautiful building. The place looked so much different in the night, calming yet unsettling, and disgusting yet intriguing.

Vines that slithered up the walls hung like a skeleton's hand instead of a welcoming lamppost decoration, circling the now softly illuminated bricks. A shiver ran down his back as he caught a slight breeze blowing in from the west and checked over at the forest, wondering if – just maybe – he could catch a glimpse of the greyed world they had come to know of.

Even for a second.

Micah stopped at the entrance to the room, causing Kato to nearly crash into him at the sudden halt in movement before stepping to the side and opening the bag. Levi fell beside her, routing through the contents for the bottles of water and tape they would need to fully ensure the seals were tight around Micah's suit.

He looked up at the sky before back at the dark opening in the wall, shuddering at the reminiscent crack of bones under his feet.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kato asked, standing at his side, and handed him a bottle of water.

Taking a sip, Micah handed it back to her and secured the helmet around his head, holding his hand out to Alex as Levi wrapped him in durable tape, covering every seal and crevice he could find.

"I'm sure."

Alex handed him the radiation detector after turning it on, the high-pitched beeping unsettling the previously calm atmosphere of the area. The disruption seemed to alter the nature's initial comforting aura and instead plunged the grounds into a tense waiting game.

"Don't break it," Alex threatened.

"I won't," he responded, fully aware of her dislike for him but had no idea how to fix it.

He attached the detector to his belt along with his phone and took the camera from Levi once he had finished taping and pulled another bag from his back. After messing with the settings as he was instructed, he wrapped the strap around his neck and cradled the camera in one hand, holding a thick flashlight in the other. Alex opened a laptop and connected the software to the smaller camera Levi was fixing onto his chest.

"Now, listen to me," Micah said as he walked toward the entrance, the laptop screen showing the image of the three staring at him with their faces staring ahead, concerned. "Do not follow me, okay?"