All That Remains

05. Jaelynn

Elias was a fool.

Saving that man would have gotten them both killed. And yet, she found something endearing in the way he wanted to try, at the risk of his own life. It seemed that this world had not turned him into a monster the same way it had done to her.

"See, that wasn't so hard was it?" He tried to joke with a soft grin. His attempt to lighten the situation was admirable, but considering what they had just witnessed, it fell flat. His small smile fell and he withered under the stony glare that Jae shot him.

"Names have meaning Elias. And I don't plan on seeing you ever again." She glanced at the world outside. The sun had set and the moon had taken its place, a small crescent hanging in the inky black sky. "I'm not sure about you, but I'm not going anywhere tonight. It's too dangerous."

"We should check out the apartments," he suggested. "We could find supplies as well as a safe place to stay."

"We shouldn't do anything," Jae snapped. "I don't know you and I certainly don't trust you."

He surveyed her for a moment, shrugging his shoulders before responding. "Even so, you're stuck with me for the night. You might as well get used to it."

The boy had a point, and it infuriated her. She weighed her options. It might not be a bad thing to have the defence that a gun could provide. Although there was always the possibility that he would use it on her, she didn't think it was very likely. Maybe she could even steal it at some point during the night. A weapon like that would come in handy in the future. She nodded once, making sure to keep her hand close to her dagger, just in case.

"Fine," she said curtly, before turning away from him and heading once more to the stairwell. "Just try to keep up."

He hurried along behind her as she started to ascend the stairs. They trudged on in silence. The only sound was their breathing which became heavier as they climbed higher, and their footsteps that echoed loudly in the confined space. By the time they reached the top floor, Elias was panting. He leaned over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"You're unfit." Jaelynn meant it more as an observation instead of the insult it sounded like, but she couldn't completely hide the disdain in her voice. "You should really try to exercise more. What happens if you have to run from them?"

In high school, Jaelynn had been on the cross country team. Of course, when everything went to hell, she continued to run every chance she could get, determined that if it came to it, she could escape death.

It looked like Elias hadn't thought that far ahead.

In fact, she would hazard a guess that he came from a privileged family. He still seemed to carry around an air of grace and the cluelessness that came from being wealthy and never having to do anything yourself. The Rise had clearly stripped him of some of it, but nothing could take it away completely.

She was surprised he had lasted so long in this dystopian world. But then again, she was cynical and oftentimes, too harsh. It was entirely possible that she was playing into stereotypes and allowing her preconceived notions to taint her opinion, something her parents had always warned her against.

But they weren't here to scold her now.

And if Elias did come from money, it was also possible, if not extremely likely, that he had the chip in his brain. If that were true, then if he died, he would turn into one of The Risen unless his body was incinerated.

Which essentially meant that he was a ticking time bomb.

She wanted to ask, but she was sure he would lie and say that he didn't. Elias may have been naïve and sheltered, but she didn't think he was that dense. Even someone like him should know how dangerous that kind of information could be in the wrong hands.