CRONUS

Part 13: Yí Zhàng

Jesse leads the way down an empty street, turning the corner into a narrow alley. The ground is wet with last night's rain, leaving splotches of dark stains across the sidewalk. With every step, the thumping of my heart beats with the rhythm of our feet.

Thick, unforgiving humidity kisses my skin through every layer of fabric. It's suffocating and unbearable. Sweat drips down my temple and back, pooling under my pits and leaving a light layer of moisture on every part of my body. It feels like I've spent the last few hours in Diego's fighting ring back in the Sectors. Puddles of water splash under my boots and inside of them.

A few paces in the alley, a staircase appears, leading down.

I trail behind Alba and Jesse.

The pounding of feet against metal echoes in the deserted alley as we make our way deep into the earth. We turn a corner and keep descending, until the staircase takes us at least three stories into the ground.

At the bottom, we reach a tall, thick metal door. In the corner above the door frame, a circular silver lens points down at us.

A camera.

Jesse reaches out to the pad on the door and begins typing a long code.

For a moment, my eyes follow his fingers, trying to memorize each digit.

PS8W12C5R...

Very quickly, I lose track. The code turns out to be at least 20 numbers and letters, a strange and wild security measure for a simple refugee camp.

The moment he finishes, a loud beep signals from his communicator. He pulls on the door and we follow behind him.

Cool air kisses every part of my body sending an eruption of goosebumps up and down my skin.

Darkness stretches ahead. With the slam of the door behind us, all light from the outside world vanishes. The hallway is dim with streaks of light framing the path. At the very end, light pours into the hallway through a doorless frame.

As we step into the light, we emerge into a vast area that goes up several stories. On the left and right, doors lead into hallways extending deeper into the building. The space is open all the way to a third story connected by metal stairs and bridges.

Jesse keeps his pace, stopping only briefly to nod at a man sitting behind a desk.

"Sung-min."

"Yo Jesse." He nods back. Projected holographic screens glow against his face as he rests his chin onto his hand, the look of boredom weighing down his features.

A dozen people linger in the open area, chatting with each other. This place is a refugee camp?

My observations are cut short when a broad, middle-aged man approaches us. Gray hairs prickle out of his chin matching the color of his hair, which is pulled back in a low ponytail. Wrinkles carve deep into his tanned skin. Standing taller than both me and Jesse, he appears at least 195 centimeters. As he approaches us, his mouth curves into a bright smile revealing straight white teeth.

"Yí zhàng," Jesse greets him. Alba runs up to the man and throws her arms around his waist in a warm embrace. He wraps his bear-like arms around her and squeezes, sending her into a burst of giggles. Jesse chuckles and watches them with just the hint of a smile on his lips.

As the man released her, she grabs his arm and pulls him towards us. "Yí zhàng, this is Ray."

"Hello Ray, my name is Oktai." He pats Alba's head, making her face scrunch up. She swats his hand away.