Alexander

Protect

We land back home, the place that I watched deteriorate my whole childhood. One by one it slowly slipped through the cracks and when I took over, it crumbled.

"Alex......what is this place?" Dakota gets out the car in complete astonishment. Looking at what she's looking at, our views are different. She sees a tragedy, I see home.

Blood still stains the bricks on the house and the pavement. They've turned from red to black. Broken glass from windows and booze bottles lay scattered on the ground. Parts of the bricks have soot on them from fires and bits and pieces of them are missing. Trash lays everywhere and you have to watch your step careful to not get a splinter. Some grass is black and burnt out from when our enemies try to exterminate us. History lies here.

"It's home." I try to smile, but can't. Dakota notices a rope from the roof of my house that at the end has a hook and behind it is blood that had once dripped down the wall. She stares at in and grimaces, I just look away, as if I didn't see it. "Come on."

I lead the way into the building, in the inside it is an old abandoned apartment. Holding onto the rail, I climb the stairs and don't look back, but I know Dakota's behind me because I hear her footsteps. She steps on a loose board, where I keep the money and nearly falls. "Watch your step." I continue until I reach the top.

"No offense, but this place should really be tore down." She looks around to see many different doors to rooms. "Why are there so many rooms, if it doesn't seem like anyone lives here, but you?"

I look at each door and then stare at the floor. "This place didn't always look the way it did. It use to be beautiful, everyone wanted to live here and people always ran in and out of here. My family located here for years, but then......" My voice trails off. "They found us and did everything in their power to get rid of us for good."

"W-who tried to get rid of you?" I look at her and then at the door to my place.

"Right, this way." I open the door and step inside and immediately, Dakota's jaw drops.

"If you never stepped outside this door, you'd never know how awful the building was." She runs her fingers across the pure white walls.

I watch Dakota as she goes through my apartment like a kid in a candy store. She takes her shoes off before stepping on the white carpet and stares up at the large hanging chandelier. Walking over to the large window, she stares out of it getting the perfect view of just about every house in this state. "Dakota."

"I can't believe it. It's like the center of a blow pop, you have to bite through the hard shell, in order to get the gum." A smile spreads across my face. "I don't get it. Why does the building look terrible, but this room looks amazing? Do all the rooms look like this?"

"A few of them. Unfortunately, past events have caused what was so beautiful to deteriorate." Dakota stares into my eyes from across the room.

"Tell me, Alexander. What happened?" I shake my head and walk towards the bathroom, but she follows me. "Tell me." She sticks her foot between the door before I can close it. I try to look away from her, but my eyes eventually meet hers.

"All you need to know is that someone died in every room, except this one." I try to close the door and this time she moves her foot and allows me to do so.

Staring at myself in the mirror I hang my head in pain and slash water on my face. "That rope outside......what happened?" My body freezes and slowly I walk over to the door and press my back against it.

"What?" I say soft enough for her to hear me.

"I noticed that when I was staring at it, you glanced at it and then looked away like you were in pain. What happened?" Hesitating, I prepare myself to say what I want to say, but then don't. "I know you try to forget about it because of what you said about not letting your fear go, but I saw your face.....you're scared of it."