𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐑𝐄, e.williams¹

iv - the rise and fall

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"I bet you the last piece of jerky you won't jump in," Chris challenged, his mouth pulled into the start of a grin. He stood over the ledge of the dirty pool, motioning to the half-filled hole in the ground with a jut of his chin.

Lip curling in disgust, Blake scoffed at her younger brother, waving him off and walking in the opposite direction. "We're not making any bets, okay? Plus, I'm pretty sure that if someone jumped in there, they'd come out with some type of infection...and not the kind that turns you into a clicker."

Chris' smile stretched from ear to ear as he made to catch up with his sister. "So I get the jerky then?"

"Sure," Blake said, a grin of her own starting to form. She shoved his arm with a shoulder as she added, "But, until then, let's go find Dad. He told us not to wander too far away from him and Mom."

Chris nodded in acknowledgment, his hands brushing against Blake's as he swung them carelessly.

The stairs up to the hotel's main floor croaked with each step, the old wood threatening to give out at any second. The quiet, but surely distinguishable sounds floated down the opening hallway, and Blake felt her breath hitch as she and her brother entered the building.

"Why're you being so quiet?" Chris asked, looking down at Blake with a frown. "We cleared this place a while ago."

She chewed the inside of her cheek, observing the frayed cream walls and stilled environment. "This place gives me the creeps. Not to mention that Dad always told us infected—or even people—can still roam into cleared buildings at any moment."

"And how likely is that?" Chris remarked doubtingly, his face drawn blank. "That's only ever happened to us once. Well, not even us, just to Mom and Dad before you were even born."

Exhaling heavily, Blake continued walking. She was slowly growing irritated at her brother's ignorance. "I'm not going to argue with you right now. Let's just get back to the lobby, we've already picked over this half of the hotel."

Fortunately, Chris followed his sister without another word, lingering a few paces behind.

As she led the way toward the lobby, where her parents were supposedly waiting, Blake didn't let herself get lost in thought. Instead, she stood a little straighter and fisted her hands, letting her black, poorly painted nails bite into her palms. The sting kept her aware. Alert.

With each step further into the vine-infested, mildew-accented hotel, the two siblings stayed quiet, their eyes roaming the empty corridors they passed. It wasn't until the sound of glass shattering did they finally speak to one another.

"What was that?" Chris asked, going still as he stared past his sister and into the first of many hotel rooms in the hallway across from him.

Blake rested a hand on the gun her dad forced her to carry. "I don't know." She might've never used the weapon on any conscious, living person before, but she would if needed. If it meant that she and Chris could walk away with their lives. "Stay here."

"No-" Chris tried, making to grab her arm.

"Stay here," Blake repeated sharply, already moving closer to where the crash had occurred. She swallowed down the rising lump in her throat as she pulled out her pistol and gave Chris one last glare to remain put.

Stalking closer to the bedroom, she could hear shuffling coming from inside. The door to the room was slightly ajar, cracked open just enough so that Blake—if she was careful enough—could look through without being spotted from the other side.