The Five Rooms

Chapter 10

When I finally opened up my eyes again, tears stained my face but they had stopped flowing. My eyes stung. I rub them quickly and then close them again. I knew what would happen if I looked around again. I would still be in that stupid place with Alec who has yet to explain how the heck he knows me. I didn't want to face that. Not yet. Not ever.

But as much as I wanted to just hide from my problems. Pretend they didn't exist. I knew that would get me nowhere but killed, and from the looks of it, Alec killed as well in the process. I know I need to face my problems. Hear Alec's side of the story, but I was scared. The thought of whatever he was going to tell me, scared me.

But when I finally open my eyes, dread rushes through me. Alec was nowhere in sight. Confused, I stand up and do a full circle, looking around for any signs of Alec. There weren't any. He had his key. He had what he needed. And when it got rough, he left me. Just like anyone else would. I risked my life for him. Tried to put him first. Made sure he would be able to get through to the next room before me, so that he could be safe. And he leaves me here to die. Like anyone else here would. Why was I so stupid as to trust him? This is why I normally work alone.

I take a moment to collect my bearings, taking in, once again where exactly I was and what way we had been heading towards my key. My brain tells me to keep walking left. That must have been the way we was heading. The basement. I had a feeling my key was in the basement. Hopefully, I was right because that's where I was headed.

Taking a moment to stand there, I mentally say goodbye to my lost teammates and start walking down the hallway to the left. Time to put them behind me and go solo.

~||~

I still walk on my toes. Only the silent patter of my feet echoes through the eerily silent hallways. I hadn't seen anyone since Alec left me, but I was relieved. I was alone now. No one to watch my back. No one to help me fight. All I hoped was that I wouldn't run into anyone till after I got out of the gun filled house.

The walk was unnervingly slow since I was trying to take extra precautions, like checking before passing each room. I knew I was finally close to the basement when the stairs at the end of the hallway came into view. I released a breath u hadn't known I was holding.

I finally make it to the stairs just as I hear something from down them. A loud, muffled noise. I couldn't make out quite what it was. I freeze. My hopes of not seeing anyone were crushed, which meant this encounter could go in two ways. Well, I guess more than two, but two basic ways. We both run in the opposite direction or I'm forced to fight for my life.

The stairs creek as I step on the first stair and my entire body tenses. I take a deep breath but know I must keep going. This continues for each step I take until I get about five steps from the bottom. When I step on the fifth one I freeze again. On the other side of the wall below me, I could hear shuffling. Like boxes, or something moving against the wall.

I know I had to keep going, to take the next five steps and face what is coming to me. I can do it. But putting those thoughts into action was the real problem. I bite my lip a little and take a deep breath. And with that, I stepped down to the next stair. And I kept going and going until the last step was standing on the ground.