Zero Cell ✓

Chapter 12

The hallway was eerily quiet. Not even the wooden boards beneath their feet creaked as they hurried along. The rain outside had lessened; Alex couldn't hear it pinging against the windows anymore. Thankfully, Jesse's pitter-patter was enough to keep him sane. He needed to find a way back down somehow; on top of that, keep this precious kid safe from harm's way.

Piece of cake. Alex rolled his eyes at his own thoughts. With the seemingly endless monsters that lurked inside this place, Alex knew they'd find trouble eventually. He had bullets and could take one of them down, but without Lyra and Keaton, he'd have to be extra cautious. Jesse seemed content. He held onto Alex's jeans as they walked, though he had to move a bit faster from time to time.

They came across two doors, one down the hall and another to his right; Alex took the closest first. He slowly opened his as his heart thumped in his ears. But, before he went inside, he waited and listened. He grazed up against the ajar door and closed his eyes to focus. Aside from his breathing, he heard nothing. Not even Jesse, who also kept quiet.

It must be safe. Alex opened the door fully and found what looked to be a board meeting room. As the two crept in, Alex flicked his gun from side to side to ensure nothing was there. Thankfully, there was only a corpse in one of the corners, and it looked like it wouldn't get back up soon. Looking around, he'd found a few tan metal chairs and a large whiteboard plastered on the wall covering a good portion. What was on it wasn't that useful to his eyes.

Annual produce growth? Alex narrowed his gaze at one of the sentences. It is thickly bold, likely marked over three times. But other than the written messages, only the toppled chairs and an out-of-place blue tarp told Alex that someone was once here. Everything, though, was left abandoned.

It was sad yet relieving at the same time. Alex's shoulders loosened a bit, no longer stressed out. The faded orange light gleaming from the ceiling also put him at ease. He felt safe in this room like nothing could burst in and hurt them. But an unsettling chill ran down his spine. Goosebumps formed on his legs in a light layer. He knew that they couldn't stay. They had to venture out and find the others. Alex turned and then stopped when Jesse suddenly wasn't there.

"Jesse?" he whispered.

The small child stared at something out of view in the far corner of the room. Alex rushed over, ready to shoot, when—

"Mister Alex... that's my daddy."

Alex's face dropped; his heart sank, watching the boy lean down over his father. As he tried to speak, a thick knot formed in his throat. "Jesse, I'm..." But he didn't know what to say next.

The boy tugged at his father's red and black checkered flannel. But his father didn't budge. Finally, Jesse gave up and placed his hand over his father's. "Daddy's not gonna wake up, is he?"

Jesse glanced back, his face reddened. Teardrops formed in the corners of his eyes, and some had already rolled down his cheeks. Alex clenched his jaw, holding back his own fountain. He silently nodded, confirming what Jesse already knew.

The kid sniffled before planting a kiss on his father's cheek. "Goodbye, Daddy. I love you."

Alex's heart hurt. He didn't know the man, but he knew of sacrifice. He wiped away his tears and headed for the tarp. In the blink of an eye, Alex covered Jesse's father with it. He then whispered, "I'll look after him. I promise."

As he stood up, the boy rushed over, grabbed his leg, and cried. Alex didn't move as Jesse continued to bawl his eyes out. It's one thing to say your parents are dead and another actually to witness it. Alex ran his fingers through Jesse's hair. "Grieve as long as you want. We'll go when you're ready. But I want you to know your dad will always love you. He fought to keep you safe. And I'll do the same."