When It's Time to Move On

Door 2 - Chapter 18 - Sergio

When Harris woke up, the fire was extinguished while Jake was nowhere to be seen. Instinctively, he picked up one of the jagged planks and looked around cautiously.

There was a door left ajar at the end of the room that hadn't been visible the previous night. Sounds of footsteps approached nearer. The person entered the room just as Harris swung the plank, who was much quicker and ducked underneath it, it was Jake.

"What's the big idea?" He asked angrily.

"I thought it was one of those soldiers." Harris clarified. "So, what's in there, then?" he asked attempting to switch the topic. Jake watched him closely before replying.

"It's really dark in there, seems to be cut off from the outside but there's no way we can go back through that hole, the place is swimming with troops."

"Then we'll have to find a way out through the dark."

"I found a torch and a cigarette lighter."

"How about I take the torch?" He suggested. "You're better at combat so I can guide you if there's any need to fight."

"Sure," Jake said after a long pause, it was clear he understood Harris's lack of trust in him.

They ventured into the dark corridor, Jake walked a little space ahead of him, his stance alert. He bent down to pick something up -- a pack of cigarettes.

"I don't want to dishonor the man who this belonged to by letting it go to waste."

"Are you sure you should be having that down here, you don't even know how old those are."

"Feel pretty fresh to me. Why, scared of the possibility of cancer? Don't worry. Not many people get it."

"You'd be surprised," Harris said quietly, he felt a particular annoyance at Jake for his offhandedness at with the matter of death. With each life he'd taken, a part of his empathy seemed to have left with it.

"What?" Jake asked as Harris stared at something that caught his eye.

"That smoke's escaping somewhere, there must be an opening here."

There was a discernible crack in the wall. Harris pushed on it to reveal an opening that had been obscured by a boulder. Fresh air greeted them along with the blast of the morning sunlight. However, their gladness didn't last long as the sight of an army convoy immediately met them. Jake pulled Harris in quickly.

"We've stumbled straight into their base!"

"What now, then?"

"We have to find another way around," said Jake, "Going through there's suicide. We'll have to get some ammo."

"Where do you suggest we'll find it?" Harris asked, just then noting a gun strapped in on Jake's belt, "Where did you get that?"

Jake didn't answer immediately, looking coy.

"I didn't think it was that important," said Jake defensively. "Look, there's bound to be more in there, we'll scavenge what we can and figure out our move here."

Harris nodded but eyed him suspiciously. They turned back into the corridor and went further deep in. A horrible sight greeted them. Several bodies lay on the floor, all of them shot to death. The blood flowed into the room at the end.

A man leaped from the shadows and threw himself onto Jake, pinning him down and kicking him to lay him out. Harris found himself staring at the gun pointed at him by the assailant. A maddening look in his eye, face covered in blood.