When It's Time to Move On

Door 2 - Chapter 19 - Someplace Safe

The desolate road never seemed longer. They had hijacked one of the army cars and set off deeper into the city. Jake kept his eyes deadlocked onto the road while Harris watched him worriedly. Sergio's last words had been directed toward him and Jake was taking them into stride, the trouble was Harris didn't know what he had meant.

The army convoys had probably headed toward the base camp so their path remained clear for a while. However, they caught sight of someone walking by the side of the street, who jumped up to signal them to stop. Jake accelerated, leaving the man behind wailing frantically.

"You should've stopped for him!" said Harris angrily. "He needed help."

"You don't know this place. He could've been an imposter."

"You don't know that."

"That's right, I don't. So we go on, we don't take anyone." Jake said with finality in his tone.

They remained silent for the rest of the way before reaching the heart of the city. Jake had agreed on a location with Adra and Salem to go to in case they had separated and was driving the car there. But with the city wrecked, the roads were blocked.

They left the car behind and headed into one of the buildings. It was a school. The hallway was decorated in art, strings stretching from wall to wall that were painted to reflect the school team colors.

They stood on a basketball court. It was left untouched, the basketballs were stacked in the corner while the crowd seats stood empty but relatively clean; this place had seen life not long ago. They moved forward into the next departmental building, the kindergarten.

The place was even brighter than the previous one. A giant wall of colors, drawings by children, mainly scribbles but clearly done with innocence. A picture was perched in the middle – the staff and students that once occupied the building – all smiles. He wondered where those children were at that moment, whether the teachers had done anything to protect them or had perished before. Seeing it all put his own situation in perspective.

Back when the cancer had reached its final stages Harris had seen one of the patients – a child – make a full recovery and had dearly wished then, to swap his ailment with him. It hadn't mattered whether he hoped to transfer his pain to the child. Now, an ugly sort of guilt overcame him. Had his wish been fulfilled, he would have made the child suffer like numerous children were surely suffering here. The first time around in Invio, Harris had simply evacuated, not caring for the fate of others...

Jake flipped one of the tables in frustration and punched the wall.

"They're not here!" He yelled despondently.

"They could still be on their way; we should wait it out."

"And what about food and water?"

"I don't know..." replied Harris, it struck him that they hadn't had anything to eat or drink for a day. Now with that realization, he couldn't help feeling thirsty. He was also certain Jake's anger was for the same reason.

"Let's search for whatever we can find and meet back here."

He had no inclination to stay around and entered the teachers' room. Numerous notes were scattered on the table, drawers had been emptied frantically, and stationery items spilled on the floor. He noticed a note and picked it up in curiosity.

'Ire ad central boulevard, non tutus hic'

Harris could make no sense of those words but suspected that was exactly the reason why it hadn't been written in English. Whoever the note was for had failed to get the memo. He hurried back over to Jake in one of the nursery classrooms. Jake was crouched with his back turned away from the door.