A shadow among men

Looking around

     Jax glared at Jordan for a short while longer before walking away. "Well, I suppose if you ki- guys want to look around you can. But we recommend avoiding the top floor." Izic said as he looked to me and Celeste. We both shivered. "We will be in the security office if you need us" Izic said and headed up the stairs. Jason and Dane followed. "Let's not split up." Jay said watching them leave. "Celeste, would you lead? Or would you rather not" His voice was gentle. "Summer knows the place better. If she is okay with it. I never went past the cell block really." Celeste looked down. I could tell she hated having me lead. "Sum, are you okay to lead? I want to see the entrances mostly, and important things." Jay gently put a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay if you two want to stay here." I shook my head. I might hate this place but I am not afraid. Okay, that's a lie, but I won't shy away. "Okay." He said quietly, "Lead on." I walked up the stairs with Celeste by my side and Jay close on our heels. Jordan and Danielle followed a bit farther behind talking quietly. 

     I took them around the first, second, and the third floor. When we got to the elevator and I shut the doors Jay was looking at the ground. "Summer? Why is there blood here" His voice quavered slightly. I looked at the blood stain in question. It looked fresh actually. I shook my head. There shouldn't be fresh blood, I looked to Celeste and the other girls, Celeste was gluing herself to the corner and shivering, Danielle was staring in shock and Jordan's eyes were wide yet her expression was blank. I pushed the button for the first floor. The elevator clicked and rattled as it descended. I heard whispers behind me, "What's on the fourth floor?" Jay. "Nothing you would want to see" Celeste replied. The elevator shuttered to a stop. I hesitated opening the door, maybe we could go to the fourth floor. When I opened the gate it's bolts and wheels squealed. My hands shook at the thought, Doc's room was the last thing I wanted to see again. I led everyone to the security office where Izic and the others waited. 

     "Ah, all done looking around?" Izic's voice cracked slightly. I tilted my head as everyone gathered around a computer. Izic was watching the news, Jason was looking at the cameras and Dane was relaxing in a chair nearby. Izic looked at me with a look of worry on his face. "What do we feel like eating. Assuming you all want to eat." His face drooped a bit realizing how hard it must be. Jay cleared his throat, "I think food would be good for everyone to eat. I mean as long as the room we eat in is clean" Danielle cringed a bit, maybe she was thinking about the elevator floor. I thought about it too, there shouldn't be any fresh blood. A clap interrupted my thoughts. "Well, if you girls are okay with it, some fresh steaks were left. How do steaks and green beans sound?"Celeste and I nodded our approval and Jay agreed as well. "Dane, could you start the food?" Dane mumbled something quietly, it didn't sound like complaining though. "Now for the rooms, you can either stay in the-" Izic cleared his throat "Cell block. Or maybe you would all like to share a spare office" Izic finished. I looked at Celeste and the others. "Office probably" Celeste chimed in. 

     Izic took us to the spare office, avoiding the elevator we took the stairs I never noticed we next to the elevator doors. "Here we are." He opened the door, inside were five mattress, obviously the better of the rest. "Dane and I will bring some food in a bit. You are free to move around the building, I recommend pairs at least." Izic looked at me. "Jax will be patrolling the courtyard and some other entrances on the first floor." He turned and began down the hall. A shiver ran down my spine. "Me and Danielle are going to look back on the third floor." Jordan said, she held onto Danielle's hand as she walked out the door and down the hall. "I'll stick here with you girls" Jay said sitting on a mattress near a bunch of computer monitors. The monitors showed the cameras on this floor and one on the courtyard, where I saw Jax walking around. I sat on a mattress near his, Celeste sat next to me. I rubbed my left ring finger. I remember when Mitchell tried to get me to marry him. He kidnapped me and my best friend, black mailed me, tortured me and still thought I could love him. 

     "They sure are taking a while huh." Jay said. It had been about and hour since Danielle and Jordan went to the third floor. "Maybe they are just talking up there." Celeste suggested. "Should we go get them?" He asked. "Izic did say to stick together so I kind of need you two to come with." Jay leaned back on his mattress. I nodded quietly. "Fine. Let's hurry up then." Celeste said standing up. Jay hopped up and held his hands out to help me. I took his hands and he pulled me off the mattress. We walked to the elevator and took the stairs again since the elevator wasn't on this floor. I looked at the stairs as we walked, each one was stained with a dark color. Most likely blood. Our office/room was on the second floor so we only had about one flight to go up. The stairs creaked as we stepped onto the platform, I opened the gate that led to the opening on this floor. It moaned as it swung towards the wall. The third floor isn't very long, it was one long hallway with only three rooms, each room had rows of beds and medical things. One room was directly in front of the elevator, so we could see they weren't there. Jay started walking down the hall, when he reached the door he checked inside. "They aren't in this room" He called back. "This one either" Celeste had gone to check the other door, I hadn't noticed. "If they aren't on this floor they must be on the top floor" Jay said as him and Celeste gathered back around me. A shiver ran down my spine as I looked up the elevator shaft, the elevator was indeed on the top floor.

     I took a deep breath and tried to open the gate to the stairs. It was locked. "Locked? There might be a spare key in one of the rooms." Jay said. I nodded, there was always a spare key on the floor itself. Celeste's feet were already moving away. She must be going to the left. Jay headed to the room to the right. That leaves me with the the middle room. The floor groaned and creaked as I crept into the room, It was shadowed in some places but the three large barred windows let in some light. There were lots of floorboards missing, and below this floor was the spare offices. I looked down through the missing floorboards to see Izic, Jason, and Dane in a spare office looking between camera. "We can't tell them. It would freak them out more than they already are." Dane was speaking. "We don't know how they would react" Izic replied. "Look here." Jason sat at the desk now pointing at a camera. I couldn't see the screen because it was too far away and too small but it must not have been good. "That's the second one so far" Jason said standing. I moved back on the floor slowly to keep my head out of sight. "I'm going to clean that up." Jason left the room. Dane sighed, "He can't be here yet, unless he stole a car." He took Jason's seat at the computer desk. "If not him, who? Who else would be using blood to write something like that" Izic pounded a fist on the table by the wall. "We can't just sit here." He continued. "What do you suppose we do then? Tell the kids that Mitchell might be here? An accomplice maybe? Summer is a target and if she gets caught she will probably die!" Dane yelled. I have never heard him louder than a normal voice, or talk this much. "She can't know. If Mitchell is out here right now she needs to be somewhere where we can see she's safe." I stood up, making the floor creak loudly. "Who's up there?" Dane called.