The Dying Generation

Chapter Twenty-One

Holding a huge pencil in my hands, I started to doodle on a loose leaf piece of paper. Finding it a bit hard to control the pencil being the size it was but I took my time with each line I added onto the paper to create an image.

The sun was just coming up and attempting to shine around the dark colored curtains in Parker's room. I wondered to myself, was I just gonna stay here for the rest of my life? Live with Parker? What about Alton? Would he really be able to just move in or would Parker's parents say anything? I hated that I was the cause to this. I hated that I was the reason Alton is leaving home. Cedric isn't a bad man, he's just trying to support his family, and it seemed Alton was about all he had left and now he's about to lose him too.

I don't want to go back to the lab, but with me not being there, it caused something else. I wonder, how far will all of this go?

The loud noises of shooting brought me out of my thoughts as I turned my head to see Parker playing his games. Laid back onto his bed and eyes glued to the screen.

"Get to the bomb! Pacify it now!" A character in the game yelled.

"Pacify it? How the hell do I do that?" Parker said under his breathe, walking up to an object in the game.

"That means to defuse it." I said a bit low.

Parker laid still, not saying or doing anything while he thought about it.
"Shit.." He cursed when he finally caught on. Hearing what I had said.

I went back to my drawings, yawning and covering my mouth. But when I looked back down, I realized what I had actually been drawing when this was meant to be random. Seeing the familiar piercing eyes, longish brown hair and piercing through their nose. Alton.

I dropped my pencil by my side. I missed him already. Am I really gonna spend the rest of my life in hiding? I sighed, looking away then back up when I heard the door open.

"Hey, man." Parker casually greeted, sitting up in his bed.

"Hi." Alton walked in, dropping a book bag down onto the floor.
I looked down to my picture and flipped it over, face down and pushed it off to the side. Alton's eyes glanced in my direction then looked towards Parker's game.

"Is that the new one?" Alton asked, taking a seat down onto the bed next to where I was on the nightstand.

"Yeah, just got it about three days ago." Parker replied.

Alton returned his attention back to me.
"You alright?"
He brought his hand up near me, but not touching me or making a move to grab me.

I nodded my head, hesitantly placing my hand onto his finger.
I looked down to my hand, actually taking notice to the size of my hand was compared to just his pointer finger.
I could see his finger prints more clearly, they were more defined to me.
I was probably about as tall as his finger was long.

Slowly, he took his hand away from me but his eyes remained in the same spot, on me.
"So, they know you're gone." He started.

"And..?" I urged him to continue, a little afraid of the answer. Afraid what was going to happen but I knew I had to hear this.

"The police are getting involved."

I stared at him for a moment, thinking my words over.
"Do they have any clue it was you?"

"I mean, I'm sure they do now." He shifted in his spot.
"As soon as my dad got there, all the other workers pretty much cornered him then they all turned on me." He turned his head away, rubbing his hands together.

My eyes went wide, I was beginning to worry for him.
"Then how are you here? I'm sure they wouldn't have let you go that easily."

"Because they didn't, I lied to them. Made their minds go in another direction for a moment, then when it all turned back on me, I was gone. They know it wasn't just a random break in from there being no damages and the only way to get in was by keycard. So it had to be someone with access to a keycard. What I heard, they already interrogated everyone else there."

"Do you have your own keycard?" I asked.

"I used my dad's."

"So.. What happens now..?" I questioned with worry clearly hidden in my voice.

Alton sighed, sitting up.
"Well, the cops are after you now and will probably be after me next when they get their minds together. I can't go back home."

I looked at him with sympathy as he laid back onto Parker's bed.
"You really don't have to be doing this.." I said quietly, looking down.

No response, just started looking through his phone.

I huffed, standing up and heading over to the edge of the nightstand which sat very close to the bed. It was well within distance.

I leaped onto the bed, grabbing fistfuls of the covers, using all of my strength, I attempted to pull myself up. My arms growing tired, I forced myself onto the bed, breathing heavily from the small workout.

I walked over to Alton, at his side. I grabbed onto his dark grey hoodie and pulled myself up, climbing onto his stomach. He pretty much completely ignored me.

I could feel myself slowly and steadily going up and down due to his breathing. Pushing myself up, I walked towards his face. Stopping a few steps prior to his chest.

"Alton, what's your plan? Keep hiding from them for how long? And if you get caught, you'll go to jail." I stated, trying to get some sort of response out of him.

Nothing..

"I don't want that to happen.." I said a little quieter.

Within a few seconds, he finally at least had his eyes on me.
"It won't."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"Then what about me? They will not stop until they find me, the bare minimum they will do is at least put whoever they think was responsible in jail." I kept my eyes locked onto Alton's who already had his back onto his phone. Didn't really look like he was paying me much mind but then again I felt he was listening to every word.

"We just need time, we will figure out what to do with you."

I collapsed onto his chest, pulling my knees up to mine. There was a few moments of silence, other than Parker's video game.
I stared down at Alton's dark grey jacket, I took a breath.
"Alton..?"

"Hm?" He barely hummed. Eyes on his phone.

"I think the amnesia wore off.."

He froze, eyes went to me. Now it really felt I had all of his attention.
"What do you remember?"

I took a moment to answer him, trying to keep any tremble or signs of sadness out of my voice.
"I had friends, I had a family.. But then those monsters appeared and killed off two of my friends. My house collapsed and crushed my parents." I rubbed at my right eye, turning my head away from Alton.
"I ran away, trying to find safety but got stuck in a trap instead.."

Silence.

Then surprisingly, Alton suddenly and gently said these words.
"I'm sorry.."