Chapter V
The alley opened onto land behind the pier. A large blue tent stretched out in one corner, and Jack saw several empty bunks peeking out of the shadows—sleeping rooms for the men guarding the docks. Elsewhere there were pallets, carts, and a couple of blue chamberpots far beyond their prime.
"Find the door!" Came a voice approaching.
"We have to get out of here, now!" Tooth whistled.
"They locked her up!" Answered another irritated reply.
"If you want this deal," Marlene said as she turned a corner, "we have to move."
The two followed Marlene into a narrow space between a building and a tall brick wall. From his point of view, Jack thought the area was inescapable: a tall metal fence surrounded them. He saw stairs materialize to his right, climbing to the platform above them, which Marlene and Tooth climbed, and Jack ran to catch up.
Marlene seemed to know where they were going, so Jack allowed himself to follow her, but suddenly he found himself in front of a locked gate beside a large chain-link fence.
"This way." Marlene said, swerving left around a large wooden crate, revealing a route Jack hadn't noticed, "I know a way around this. Let's go."
Marlene jumped over a table covered in blue tarp, knocking over empty paint cans as she went. To her left were wooden crates stacked four or five heights, forming a rough set of steps. At the top of this makeshift ladder was a fire escape with a ladder almost within reach.
'She moves very well for someone injured' Jack thought as he followed her. He found his admiration for the woman arousing, but quickly dismissed it. He didn't need more friends. In the end, they would all go away.
With one hand on her injured side, Marlene jumped up and grabbed the ladder. She pulled it down and quickly climbed up.
Jack followed. He looked down to see Tooth climbing up right behind him. He climbed the fire escape walkway and quickened his pace, trying to keep up with the resistance leader ahead.
Another set of metal stairs appeared. Marlene then climbed up, agile as a cat. Jack began to get out of breath, using the teal banister for support, wondering where the injured woman found strength.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he saw barbed wire piled up on the guardrail blocking access to a nearby shingled roof. They were now standing on the high edge of a building with the cityscape spread out before them.
It was hard not to be impressed by the incredible sight: the landscape of a city in ruins. In the distance was a skyscraper, its ragged top leaning against another. The eastern sky was gray and menacing. It was as if a deathly pallor had settled over a dying metropolis. To Jack's right, the horizon ended as the city met an invisible ocean.
Marlene was on a corner of the ledge, next to another wire-covered fence, looking up at the rooftops, anxiously scanning the horizon. There was a certain hopelessness reflected in his slumped shoulders.
Jack approached, and then he jumped as an explosion in Marlene's gaze erupted a few blocks away. A huge red bubble of fire bloomed and he felt the tremors under her feet.
If Marlene had a reaction, she didn't show it.
As he watched, he saw glowing flames quickly engulfed by a pillar of black smoke rising into the sky.
"Holy crap!" Tooth exclaimed, stopping beside Jack, "Are these your people?"
"What's left of them." Marlene replied. He then added with a tone of hopelessness, "why do you think I need you?"
She ran down from the ledge and walked along the edge of the adjacent roof, showing no fear, "Like this."
"So why now?" Jack asked, stopping dangerously close to the edge, looking down at the street below him.
"We've been quiet. We plan to leave town, but they need a scapegoat. They're trying to piss us off." She led them down a path through the tiled roof that sloped down.
"Looks like they did." Jack said.
Something in her tone must have hit a nerve because she turned around and gave him a look, "We're trying to defend ourselves!" As if that needed an explanation.
It looked like she was walking along the edge of the roof with nowhere to go, but suddenly she turned left, rounding a corner. Jack saw the hidden passage that led through an open window surrounded by bricks.
She dropped several feet below, with Jack and Tooth following close behind.
They were now in a brick-walled warehouse filled with wooden crates and metal shelves. What was left of the sun streamed in through the two open windows above. Jack glimpsed a few miscellaneous nuts and bolts on a table and picked them up for later use.
He heard Marlene grunt before calling out to him.
"Jack, give me a hand with this."
Marlene was standing beside a heavy blue-painted galvanized door that slid along a rail affixed to the wall. She was bent over in pain, holding her side. He knew she was suffering a lot and admired her refusal to give in to the pain.
He went to the door and positioned himself beside her. Together they opened the door, smashing it along the tracks. There was no doubt about it; the door was heavy. He grunted as the door reluctantly gave way. As they pushed with effort, it scraped loudly on the concrete floor.
With the door now open, another hidden passageway was revealed, and beyond that entrance was darkness. Marlene ran, not taking a moment to catch her breath.
"Hey," Tooth asked worriedly, "How are you doing?"
"I will live." was the exhausted response.
They descended a series of steps into a wide hallway with a concrete floor and gray brick walls. The air had become noticeably cooler; Jack realized they were in an open passage and close to the sea. The place smelled of dead fish and rotting wood. Around them were several crates and piles of debris.
Marlene positioned herself behind a wooden crate and peered around the corner with her pistol in her hand, "Wait," she said, her voice low, "Soldiers."
As Jack and Tooth crept along beside her, he could see at least one of them: a uniformed guard strolling casually in front of a door on the other side. They were separated on the other side where he was by a concrete bench surrounded by water. The sign above the door near the guard read: "FULL TREATMENT PROHIBITED" in faded letters.
Jack quickly deduced that they were bent over under a bridge with a channel of water running between them and the exit.
"That's the way out," Marlene whispered. "The door under the bridge."
"I'm not a big fan of those odds." Jack said, hoping to find another way around.
"We can get past them," Marlene assured him, "even if it's not your style."
Tooth must have seen the apprehension in Jack's eyes. She quickly interjected, "We're going to be fine," She then gave Jack a bland look and sighed, "Trust me."
Jack didn't say anything but responded with a weak nod.
Marlene just watched their interaction in silence, "Let's go."
Moving in single file, Jack crouched behind Marlene and Tooth, following them along the open path, leaving the lid of the crates behind.
Marlene, taking the lead, hid behind a low wall of shipping containers, "We need to get to that door."
There were several long, waist-high crates scattered everywhere that offered hiding and they used them to advance to the edge of the canal. The sun was resting on the horizon, creating long shadows that helped them stay hidden.
Jack turned the corner to his left and saw Marlene waiting patiently beside a concrete staircase that led to the bridge platform above them. He quickly ran to join her and as soon as he caught up with her, she turned and took the lead, heading up the stairs.
They reached an open landing where another flight of stairs took them to the top. They were now outside, beside a white brick building with open doors and windows. Metal lamps hanging on the walls. Marlene sat hunched under a low wall of crates with Jack moving slowly toward her. Up ahead, an armed uniformed guard patrolled, his back to them.
Jack froze when he heard the voice of an invisible soldier standing some distance away. The words came out threatening.
"You picked the wrong day to fuck with us."
Another man's voice answered, weak with defiance.
"Fuck you."
"Damn it." Came another voice, much closer, from the open door to Jack's left, "We've lost all action."
"Justice waits for no one, soldier." Another soldier in the same neighborhood replied.
Marlene hissed an order to Jack: "I'll get this one. Go around and get the other one."
Jack could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he picked up a fallen brick. He ducked through the empty doorway and down a narrow hallway, staying crouched the entire time.
"Oh, whatever." replied the invisible soldier.
In a narrow hallway, a table stood between him and the open door that led to the room with the soldiers, and he silently jumped on it. Then he saw the unsuspecting guard standing aimlessly with his back to the hallway.
In the blink of an eye, Jack had his arm around the man's throat in such a way that it stifled his ability to speak. He caught a glimpse of Marlene stabbing a knife into the guard's neck on the other side. Their timing couldn't have been better.
Jack held it with both hands, one crushing the brick against his windpipe while the other bent his head forward. A death sigh followed, and within seconds, Jack was dropping the lifeless body at his feet.
"Good." Marlene said approvingly, "Keep quiet."
Jack stayed in a crouch and walked past more metal tables across the empty room to another room visible just ahead. He was careful not to let the paper litter that covered the floor rustle and reveal his position.
"Okay," sighed Marlene, "Watch them."
He heard Tooth comment quietly behind him, "They're in great numbers today."
He entered the room, staying low. Two windows to his right looked out. Standing outside the farthest window was an unsuspecting guard wearing a cap; a broad-shouldered man with fingerless gloves and a pistol in his right hand.
Jack slipped silently through the open window where tall weeds were sprouting on the broken sidewalk. The shadows of the tall buildings on his left helped keep him hidden, and there was a large olive-green shelter on his right.
Unseen, he crept up to the soldier who was standing in front of him.
Grabbing his pistol, Jack fought the guard, jabbing the barrel into the man's temple, leading him toward some nearby cover: a pile of crates wrapped in tarp and tied with ropes.
"Calm down friend." Said the man on impulse, "We can work it out." But Jack was in no mood to negotiate. He dropped to his knees, pulling his prey with him, and used his grip to end his enemy's life. Then, using the covered tarp as a cover, he moved to the edge and peered around the corner.
Another unsuspecting guard patrolled the perimeter.
'Christ!' thought Jack. How many of these bastards were there?
His arms were starting to tire and he wasn't sure how many death grips he had left, but when it came to his friends in uniform, he always seemed to find the extra strength he needed.
At that moment he spotted another armed guard moving across the bridge. Jack got up to get a better look: the armed soldier was in front of three captives who were bound and on their knees. Each bore the familiar Fireflies emblem: a yellow sash with the logo emblazoned on one arm of a green jacket.
Jack watched with smoldering rage as the man executed his prisoners, each with a single click of his pistol to the head.
"Good trip." said the man, turning casually to join the others, the barrel of his gun burning beside him.
Jack recorded the number and position of his enemy: two of them, evenly spread out. He glimpsed a third coming down the steps on the other side. With their attention diverted, he knew it was time to move. He quickly reached out and grabbed the first man, choking him with life—easy—rage burning inside him. He then crawled and ran to the next man and dispatched him in the same brutal manner.
As the third man's head appeared up the steps, Jack drew his gun, took aim, and fired, ripping the soldier's cap off his head, along with half of its contents.
Tooth was behind him and couldn't help but praise his accuracy.
"Looks like you're good for something." She laughed.
Standing near the bridge, he saw Marlene run past them, toward her fallen companions. She stopped when she registered their faces.
"Curse!" She said, shocked by what she saw, "They've got Warren." She took a step back and shook her head in dismay, "Goodbye old friend."
Jack's impatient eyes scanned the area. The three were out in the open, vulnerable, "We must go, Marlene. There must be more soldiers on the way."
The emotionless woman quickly recovered, "You're right. Let's get moving." She led the way up the wooden steps. "Not long now."
They were now standing in front of the door that had been their objective since entering the hall. A red "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" sign hangs on the wall next to the gray door.
"Go ahead," said Marlene, pointing to the door, "Come in."
They entered the room in a hurry, and turning to look over her shoulder, Marlene saw a pair of heavy metal lockers beside the entrance. Tooth instinctively sensed it, and together the two women pushed the lockers, leaving them like pocketknives in front of the door, blocking the entrance.
Marlene doubled over in pain from the effort as Tooth watched. There was frustration in her voice as she asked, "Where are we going, Marlene?"
Grimacing, Marlene straightened up, "This way." Tell her. "It's not far now."
They were in some sort of warehouse, with pallets and crates and machines stacked along the walls. At the far end of the room was an empty door with a sign above it marked "EXIT".
Jack and Tooth followed Marlene outside and Tooth, looking guilty for being insensitive, asked, "How are you?"
"I'm running out of breath," she gasped, "but I'll survive."
They entered another small room with another doorless exit.
"The place is right up front."
As they passed the second exit, that familiar, nonchalant, female-voice-recording voice sounded overhead: "Attention. The curfew is in effect. Anyone caught outside without proper authorization will be arrested and prosecuted. "
Tooth said what Jack was thinking: "Shit. We need to hurry."
They passed an alley whose open end was blocked off by a chain-link fence. Marlene led them through yet another doorless entrance into the side of a redbrick building covered in graffiti. This room was much smaller and cramped, dark and cold. Jack felt his survival senses begin to tingle.
"What are we smuggling in?" he asked with agitation.
"I'll show you," Marlene replied, and there was something in her voice that filled him with apprehension.
They skirted a wide wooden staircase with a rusty water heater at the bottom. They appeared to be in some sort of unfinished garage with metal basins stacked on a distant table, paint cans lining the wall nearby. A cylindrical metal pole stood in the center.
At the top of the stairs was an open door. Jack turned on the flashlight and saw that they were entering a commercial kitchen with white tile walls covered in dirt. Except for a few bakery shelves, metal shelves with empty glass jars, and a kitchen sink, the room was empty. To the right was a gray metal door. Marlene went straight to her.
Marlene stopped to take a key from her pocket and then tried to open the door, pressing her weight against it, but it wouldn't budge. She looked at Jack as if he'd finally lost his breath.
"Jack," She sighed, "Give me a hand with that."
Jack went to the door and together, the two pushed...
The door opened easier than expected and he saw Marlene groan and fall to the floor.
"Hey Hey hey!" He said, surprised at her collapse, "Come on, get up."
He was about to help her to her feet when the flash of a knife caught his eye.
"Stay away from her!" Came an invisible voice charging him from behind.
Before he could react, Tooth was among them in an instant. She grabbed the wrist holding the knife and glared at her attacker with a fierce grimace, "Hey, hey, hey!" Tooth whistled; she was in no mood for jokes.
To Jack's surprise, it was a young woman wielding the knife.
The girl struggled under Tooth's iron grip, but it was no use and then Marlene's plaintive voice came from behind Jack.
"Let her go!"
Annoyed, Tooth complied, pulling the girl's arm away, her smoldering gaze revealing how close to physical harm the girl had come. Few people pointed a knife at Tooth and her partner and lived to tell the tale.
They were in an old restaurant, with tables and counters, napkin holders and condiments. An old chalk menu hanging on the wall. Jack shared Tooth's anger when he bent down to Marlene and whispered, "You're recruiting kind of young people, aren't you?"
With a grunt of effort, Marlene struggled to her feet, "She's none of my business."
Jack got a good look at the girl as she moved to Marlene's side.
She was a teenager, with blonde hair in a braid. She had small freckles and crystal blue eyes and a small stature. She wore a faded cyan T-shirt over long-sleeved gray and dark blue jeans, a small backpack, and sneakers.
"Shit!" she exclaimed, seeing Marlene injured, going to her. Jack noted how easily she, all by herself, folded the knife and slipped it into her back pocket, a feat honed with practice.
"What happened?" the young woman asked, seeing the wound and helping Marlene to a seat at a nearby table.
"Don't worry. This can be fixed. I got us some help," she said, resting on the edge of the table.
The girl turned to register the help Marlene had gotten and from her reaction, she looked less than thrilled.
'It was healthy not to trust strangers.' thought Jack, especially these strangers. Marlene had taught the girl well.
She turned to Marlene, who propped herself up on one elbow, "But I can't go with you."
There was silence in the room as the implication slowly deepened... in the girl... in Jack and Tooth.
The young woman recorded the news and then sighed and shook her head, "Well then, I'll stay."
"Elsa, we won't get another chance at this."
Jack wasn't the most perceptive, but he quickly understood what was going on, "Hey," he said, approaching, pointing at the teenager, "Are we smuggling her in?"
Marlene immediately sought to alleviate the alarm: "There's a team of Fireflies that will meet you at the Capitol building."
Tooth, who had been listening to the entire conversation silently, remarked dryly, "That's not exactly close."
The sun streaming through the window above framed Marlene's face in the light, "You can do it," Marlene hissed.
'Is this serious?' Jack thought in disbelief. Was this the package Marlene wanted to deliver? You Must be kidding...
"You hand it over, come back, and the weapons will be yours." Marlene stated, and before Tooth could object, she quickly added, "Twice what Rick sold me."
Jack turned his back on them, trying to reconcile the mountain of accumulating doubts. There were many negatives - with few positives. He heard Tooth ask, "Speaking of which... where are they?"
"Back to our camp."
Tooth grunted in disbelief, turning to his partner. Jack just shook his head and crossed his arms. No way. As always, they were on the same page. She turned to her opponent.
"We're not smuggling anything until I see them."
Marlene's shoulders slumped, she sighed, "You will follow me. You can check the weapons. And I can take care of that." She pointed to the wound, pausing, for emphasis, pointed to the young woman and added, "But she's not crossing into that part of town alone."
A moment of silence passed before she dropped the bomb.
"I want Jack to take care of her."
The two immediately voiced their objections, with Jack saying, "Hey, hey! I don't think it's the best idea." And the girl, Elsa, announcing, "No way! I'm not going with him!"
"Elsa!" Marlene said forcefully, causing the girl, and even Jack, to be silent.
Elsa's shoulders slumped in resignation, so she approached the injured woman and asked in a low voice, desperate for reassurance, "How do you know them?"
These two had a history, Jack deduced from their exchange. He could feel the bond between them, and now the young woman was confused because it looked like her protector was handing her over to two strangers…
"I was close to his best friend, Hiccup. He told me that if I was in trouble, I could count on him."
The mention of his Hiccup's name made the hairs on the back of Jack's neck stand on end, "Was that before or after he left his little group of doctors?"
"He left you too," she reminded him, which brought a dark frown across Jack's face, "He was a good man."
Tooth, sensing his partner's growing unease, approached him, "Look Jack. Just take her to the north tunnel and wait for me there. Okay?"
"Jesus Christ!" He said, turning to her, "Even you Tooth?!"
"She's just cargo, Jack."
Elsa took a deep breath, "Marlene..."
"Enough talking," Marlene said softly. "You'll be fine." She then looked at her in a way that conveyed that she would never let anything bad happen to the girl. She then stood up, "Now go with him."
Jack, watching the exchange, cursed his bad luck. He looked Tooth in the eye, "Don't delay." Then he turned to the girl, "And you," He faced her, his voice cold, "Stay close."
He turned and walked towards the far exit, "Let's go!" He ordered, holding the door open, not giving Elsa time for long goodbyes. The girl took one last look at Marlene before she sighed and turned to follow him.
Elsa
"Stay close."
Elsa scoffed at this. Who does this guy think he is to boss her around?
She looked at the white haired man's back and sighed. She was only doing this for Marlene, just for her.
She then continued following him in silence.
Jack
He was now back outside, with the girl standing beside him. Jack took a moment to get his bearings. They were on a brick-paved street strewn with weeds and dead bodies.
The girl looked impatient but resigned. Not wanting to face her, Jack walked to her right down the street, but today he was having bad luck, "My God..." She muttered, "I heard the gunshots, but..."
Jack stopped to stand beside one of the fallen Fireflies, whose brains had been knocked out of its head.
"What happened?" Elsa asked beside him.
He looked at the carnage around the brutal onslaught of the military, "The Fireflies," he sighed. "The same thing will happen to us if we don't get off the street."
"You're the pro. I'm just following you." Elsa said, causing Jack to huff at her sarcastic tone.
His eyes caught sight of some concrete steps leading down to the street below, he headed for them. Up ahead was a checkpoint entrance that was no longer in use. When he got there, as if just in time, the PA system issued a routine pre-recorded warning: "Warning. Housing or aiding wanted criminals is a death penalty. Do not put yourself at risk. Report any suspicious activity immediately."
"Fuck you." He muttered to himself.
The wire fence surrounding the checkpoint was open. He ran past it, finding himself in an empty parking lot with orange cones and weeds. On the other side was the road. He then saw two military vehicles pass by.
Instead of heading to the opposite side of the fence, he turned left, toward a narrow opening created by a wrought-iron gate and the building next to it. This revealed a long staircase leading down, which he quickly descended. He glanced over his shoulder at the young woman, Elsa, following close behind.
"This way." He said. They were heading towards a short concrete tunnel under the road. Jack turned on his flashlight.
He walked through the tunnel in silence and came to another right turn, steps that led to the street on the other side. Jack paused impatiently to let his load arrive,
"Come on," he warned her, "Quickly."
"I'm on my way!" Came the typical teenage response.
Now they were running along the walkway adjacent to the main street, with a low concrete wall and wrought-iron fence beside them, partially blocking their view. As the AP repeated its warning, more military trucks drove by. Jack kept low to avoid being seen.
They came to a corner where the walkway turned right between the buildings. At the end of this one was another fence, its double doors wide open. Jack headed for the gate, keeping up, and found himself emerging into a courtyard surrounded by long-abandoned apartment buildings.
"Where are we going?" Elsa asked.
"Upstairs. That will take us to the north tunnel." Jack replied, pointing to the top floor of a building on his left, where a metal staircase zigzags up. The only problem was that the ladder didn't zigzag down to the ground, only to a steel platform high above their heads.
"How are we going to get up there?" Elsa crossed her arms.
Jack sighed as he assessed the situation, "Just give me a break."
He looked around, looking for a way up, something to climb. Unfortunately, the small courtyard they were in was empty, but Jack was determined to find something, so he ran around the building and found a storage area hidden from view. He felt a sense of relief when his eyes landed on something they could use: a battered dumpster on wheels.
He grabbed the yellow knob and pulled. It was heavy, and with effort he dragged it out and then pushed it across the moss-covered brick patio while Elsa waited patiently nearby, never taking her eyes off him the entire time. Grunting with effort, he managed to push the thing off the side of the iron platform with a bang, providing them with a way up.
He climbed on top of it, then jumped to the lower landing and struggled to the top. He stood on the corrugated steps and watched the girl calmly retrace her actions. She looked agile, which was good; he didn't want to take this teenager into the tunnel.
Once she was safe, he resumed his progress. He quickly climbed the steps to the next landing, where a metal door was open.
"This tunnel," he heard the girl's voice behind him, "you use to smuggle things in?"
Excellent... A conversation, "Yes." He answered concisely. He entered the hallway of the building which was dark and barren.
"Illegal stuff?" She insisted.
"Sometimes."
He walked down the hall towards the entrances to his inner rooms. The floor was wooden and was full of debris.
"Have you ever smuggled a person before?"
Even he found the situation absurd, "No" Jack replied, "This is the first time."
Elsa
As they walked down the hall, Elsa allowed herself a better look at the man.
He was old. Probably in his forties. The creases on his forehead and the small bags drooping under his cold eyes told him he'd been through a lot.
His steps were firm but cautious. His back was as stiff as a board, it was as if he was ready to face any danger around the corner, never letting his guard down.
His navy blue button-down shirt clung to his body with fresh sweat, marking his lean frame but strong with toned muscles.
But what intrigued her the most were the white hairs on his head and his stubble. They appeared to be natural, not artificially colored. It could be age.
'Until an old guy, he's not bad.' Elsa blushed slightly at the thought. What kind of thought was that?
Jack
He rounded the hall and turned on his flashlight. The path ahead was long and dark. Most of the doors to her right were sealed with the familiar locking device used by the government in the months following the outbreak. Its metal bars extended vertically, securing the door to its latch in such a way that entry was nearly impossible.
He glanced at the girl behind him, watching her look at her shoes, finding them far more interesting than the surroundings. His curiosity got the better of him and against his better judgment, he heard himself asking as they walked, "So what's the matter with you and Marlene anyway?"
The sound of Jack's thick voice made Elsa jump a little, "Uh, I don't know." Elsa sighed, "She's my friend, I think."
"Your friend, huh?" Jack chuckled, which made Elsa give him an ugly but somewhat surprised look at the sound of her chuckling. She was nice to hear...
Jack continued, "You are friends with the leader of the Fireflies." His words were full of sarcasm, "How old are you really? 14?"
Elsa gave him her best 'Excuse me?' look. "She knew my mother and is taking care of me." Then she corrected him, "And I'm 19, not that it has anything to do with anything."
Jack's eyes widened a little at that. 19 years old? In Jack's opinion, for a 19-year-old woman, she was quite short, reaching her shoulders. In this 'New World', she was still very young at that age.
Trying to change the subject, Jack asked, "So where are your parents?"
The question seemed to affect Elsa deeply, causing her to wither like a flower, "Where are everyone's parents?" She sighed, "They've been gone a long, long time."
"Hmm…" Jack muttered, weighing his answer, there was something she wasn't saying, but he didn't care. "So instead of staying at school, you decided to run away and join the Fireflies, is that it?"
He was starting to sound like an older brother, traits of a nature he'd buried long ago. He felt annoyed with himself as they reached the end of the long hallway, up a flight of stairs to the top floor. Forget it Jack! Why do you care?
"Look," Elsa began, remembering the directive Marlene had given her, "I shouldn't tell you why you're smuggling me in, if that's what you're asking."
Jack reached the top of the stairs, "You want to know the best part of my job? I don't need to know. To tell you the truth, I don't give a shit about you." He said coldly looking straight ahead.
Elsa didn't seem affected by his harsh words, "That's great." She joked.
Jack was agitated. Why had he talked to this girl? Load it. It was beyond her comprehension. He needed to get rid of any worries he had and focus on the task at hand.
"Nice." Jack said simple.
They walked the rest of the hallway in silence, passing more government-sealed doors, until they finally stopped at the last door in the hallway, a door where the seal had been broken.
Jack opened the door and walked in, "We're here." He said closing the door behind him as she entered.
The room was empty except for some furniture. A stained sofa sat in the middle, haven for a weary traveller. Jack saw him and immediately sat up after clearing some debris. He adjusted the pillow and then stretched out, getting comfortable. It could be hours before Tooth returned.
Though his eyes were closed, he could feel a questioning gaze on him.
"What are you doing?" Elsa asked.
"Killing time." He sighed.
"Well, what am I supposed to do?" He heard her voice again causing him to mentally roll his eyes.
"I'm sure you'll find something." Jack gladly said his words in a crooked smile.
He heard her sigh in exasperation and step lightly past him, "Your watch is broken." She commented sarcastically.
Don't say a word about my watch! It was a sharp pain that shot through him, the threat of an old memory he'd spent his life avoiding. He shook his head to get rid of the anger. She didn't mean it—she was just a teenager—but this turn of events was the last thing he needed in his life. He took a deep breath to calm his conflicted mind. Soon, with any luck, this nightmare would be over.