Orbs

Chapter Nine

     Cement walls stretched on before them. It was wide enough for three people to walk comfortably next to each other, but that didn't stop the two from being glued to each other's side. Water dripped from cracks in the ceiling. Every sound seemed to echo. Even with the respirators, the air was rotten. Relia wondered if anything happened in the tunnels beyond travel.  It was secluded, and even with lights, parts would be drenched in shadows.  

Emeric grabbed Relia's wrist, stopping her from continuing. The tunnel branched off in several directions. Cautiously, the older student stepped forward and scanned the passages with his flashlight. He grunted, annoyed. 

"I believe the tunnels have labels but hell, They're so faded I can't read them."

"Hang on.." Relia swung her bag to the ground. "Light please."

"What are you doing?" Emeric asked. He aimed his beam down at the younger girl. Relia dug through her bag and found what she needed. The blueprint and a red marker.

" So...We entered through here..." She started, crossing red lines over the previous ink marks. " The distance from the Assembly building to Limerick is  about a mile and a half, meaning the walk would be ..roughly 20-25 minutes at a steady 3 miles per hour." 

Emeric knelt down, watching the redhead work. Numbers were haphazardly written then crossed out. Lines intersected until a large red circle was drawn to connect everything. Relia capped the marker and grabbed the chalk. With her light in one hand and chalk in the other, she sprinted over to one of the tunnels, drawing the symbol they've been using to mark their way.

"How the hell..." Emeric picked up the paper in front of him, studying it. Somehow, in the midst of all the numbers and lines, Relia was able to determine which path led the way.  He stifled a chuckle, impressed. 

" Oh, once I figured out the distance we traveled and how long it's been, I remembered how long the tunnels are and how long it would have taken the students" Emeric stepped around her, leading the way down the dark corridor.

"So you were able to get a rough estimate of which hallway. Are you positive this is the right one?"

" About 87 percent, yeah." 

" Good enough for me."

The duo continued to walk in silence. Relia scanned the tunnel with her flashlight. Broken gurneys laid on their sides, crossing their path. Emeric studied the mess before handing his light over. He grunted as he moved the rusted metal, careful not to cut himself. He stretched out a hand. Relia, instinctively, placed the light in it.

"Here."

"Not that, gimme your hand."

"...Oh." Relia retracted the light, shifting it into her opposite hand along with hers. She then locked her hand into Emeric's. The older student carefully guided Relia past the rusted beams, making sure nothing would cut or stab her. The grip on her hand had the girl's cheeks as bright as her hair. The clutter continued as the duo closed in on the stairs. Unlike the first cellar, the one under the hospital wasn't closed off. The gate stood wide open, rusted into place. As if it knew the pair would be arriving. A putrid smell crept its way through the masks.

At first, Relia didn't notice the ground starting to grow uneven. She stumbled, glancing down at her feet. The mask over her face muffled her disgusted groan. Scattered all around were the bodies of rats in various stages of decomposition. Bones snapped under the weight of Relia's feet. Emeric noticed and looked down as well. 

" What the hell...." 

" Eww..." 

" Come on." Emeric ordered. He wrapped one of his arms around Relia's waist, carefully moving her around the dead rodents. He kept his grip firm but not harming. They shuffled across the cement, falling into step with each other. 

" Grrr..." Emeric let out a low growl as he strained against the heavy door. It resisted before giving way. The young man wiped his hands against his jeans before helping his friend up the last step. Now in the basement, Relia squinted. Rusted bed frames were stacked along the closest wall. Tattered mattresses laid in piles, springs inside exposed like bone from rotted flesh. Old laundry carts sat abandoned with sheets still inside, yellowed with age and stained by who knows what. 

" Anything worth stealing has been long gone...." Relia walked around one of the laundry bins, staring at a large dark spot. Emeric stood close by, eyes roaming the floor and walls. He tested his hand on one of the bars.

" Makes sense...there are absolutely no pillows down here." 

" Priorities." 

" Pfft..." 

Relia's light snapped onto him. Her voice sounded amused.

"Did you laugh?"

"Wh-what? Me? No. You're hearing things." Emeric cleared his throat, turning his head from the brightness. " Come on, we can get up to the next floor over here." Relia smiled under her mask, chuckling to herself over her friend's reaction.

The two turned the corner, coming out of a narrow doorway. The paint was practically gone, with what remained being an almost chalky grey. Relia was tempted to touch it, but she tightened her hand into a fist. Emeric shifted his gaze to a window. The glass was incredibly still intact, though it had grown foggy. 

"Morgue..."

" Oh joy..." 

" Do you want to take a look?" 

" Not particularly....there's probably bodies still there...or skeletons." Relia paused as she passed by the morgue door. She felt an icy chill run up her spine. Even though there was nothing to fear, the sensation still yelled at her to flee. Emeric looped his arm through hers and pulled away from the room. 

" Do you know where her room was?"

" Um...." Relia thought back to the notes and information she gathered. With an uncomfortable groan, she finally replied. " Third floor...309." she looked at her friend, noticing all she could see in the hazy darkness were his blue eyes. "...Will we be able to get up there?"

" Most likely...unlike modern houses, the stairs in this place were made of concrete. Not as susceptible to the elements." Emeric rolled his shoulders back, arm still locked around Relia's. " I know where the stairwell leading up is" 

After entering the first floor, a faint light illuminated the hall. With their flashlights now off, Relia took her time to study the old rooms. Each had a similar let up. There would be one bed centered on the back wall with a table on both sides. The floor was covered in cracked tiles that exposed more concrete. No wonder the buildings still stood, they were almost entirely made of stone and rebar. 

Emeric still stood behind the red haired girl. He watched her eyes shift from each object she found mildly curious. He could tell she'd have a lot of questions, but they'd have to work for the answers. Each room number once displayed in heavy black numbers, now sat faded on the doors. Emeric touched it lightly, hoping the subtle raises would be enough to tell him what room they were currently in. 

" I think this is room...107..."

" It's like we jumped back in time...I'm in aw....but also saddened." Relia whispered through her mask. Emeric nodded in agreement, despite not being looked at.  Relia took out her phone and snapped a few pictures of the decaying room before turning back to Emeric. 

" Ready to head up more?"

" Yeah, Let's do it."