The Pestilention

Chapter 5

My legs started to grow heavy as I followed Marcus up the stairs. I stared at the steps, not even trying to catch up to him.

Haven't they ever heard of elevators? Marcus turned to me and stopped so I could catch up. I could see the sweat sliding down his temples and the light making his forehead shine. I didn't realize that he took off his black jacket until then. His white shirt was sticking to his back. Though sweaty, he didn't look tired. He must've gone up these stairs quite a few times.

We passed by a couple of sealed doors. I could catch a couple of their names: MINNESOTA...MISSOURI...MONTANA. The golden letters were polished so that the light reflected off them. My stomach knotted at the thought of seeing my state's name on the door, especially when I knew that it was mine.

A guard slid past me, sending a small nod Marcus's way. Marcus responded the same. It was as if they only communicated with body movements. A nod meant 'hello,' a straight face meant 'how are you,' and a punch meant 'don't steal my muffin again.' Maybe I could join in on it; I was getting the hang of it.

"'Scuse me," a small voice whispered. I spun on my heel, trying to detect the owner of the voice. I jumped as a figure nudged me, trying to wiggle its way past me. A slim girl widened her huge eyes. Her thin lips made an 'o' as she stared at me, her dark lashes brushing her cheeks as she blinked. Something about her reminded me of a doll with her porcelain skin and a small and perfect sloped nose. She only reached my shoulder.

I clutched onto her delicate shoulders, but the fear of breaking her caused me to loosen my grip. I bent to the floor to meet at eye level. Her eyes locked with mine. They were overwhelmed with fear and confusion. She dropped her glance and admired the floor. From her small figure to the roundness of her face, I could tell that she was barely thirteen.

"You're just a kid," I whispered. She cocked her head like a bird. I looked at Marcus, my fingernails digging into her white skin.

Marcus took a step towards us. I didn't realize that I was shaking. "Kat, don't."

"She's just a kid!" I shrieked. A lump formed in my throat. I didn't try to swallow it. Tears streamed down my face, not hesitating to fall down my cheeks and onto my lips. "What is she doing here?!"

"Kat," Marcus's voice was soft, almost gentle. "Let go of her."

I shook my head, my hand itching to wipe my tears away and to dry my cheeks. I continued to clamp onto the terrified girl's shoulders. I turned my back on him and faced the now trembling girl.

"Go, run," I said shakily. I tried to force a smile. The corners of my mouth dropped in defeat. "Run and get out of here. Don't look back."

"That's enough, Katherine."

Before I could think, I turned and swung a fist, which Marcus caught in his hand. The corners of his lips twitched. "You got me that one time, but you won't get me again."

I didn't realize that I let go of the girl until I heard her footsteps behind me. Good, run. My knuckles began to feel sweaty under his.

"Let go." My voice was as icy as his eyes.

"Do you promise to be good?" When I didn't reply, he sighed and released my hand. I dried my face and slid my hair—which was sticking to my face from the tears—behind my ears. "Let's continue."

The hallway was now empty, and I was somewhat grateful for it. I looked like a mess. My cheeks were flushed from crying and my hair was frizzing and tangled. I didn't know what went loose. Just seeing the girl's innocent face made me want to jump in front of a bullet for her.

Once we hit the door with NEW YORK written on it, Marcus, almost gratefully, motioned for me to open the door. Each room had a face-recognition system so that only the owner could open it. The doors used to not have this feature until one year when a group in Africa snuck into a kid's room. They killed him the day before the Pestilention started. Those kids died immediately in the actual course. Once they stepped out of their plots, they blew up into nothing.

The door flung open. Marcus turned to walk away, sliding his hand over his shaved head. I swerved in front of him, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"That was a little girl," I said, trying to control my breathing. Don't cry again—not now. "Probably thirteen, maybe fourteen. That's against the rules, and you're going tolet her run?"

"Look." His voice was growing tired and impatient. His forehead wrinkled as he furrowed his eyebrows. "It wasn't my place to stop her."

"You're a guard," I said. "Of course it's your place to stop her!"

"No, it's not, Katherine."

God, I wished he would stop calling me that.

I turned around and walked away. Marcus shouted after me, but I didn't turn. All I wanted was to get back downstairs and to calm down. The stairs were only an arm's reach away when I felt a hand snatch my wrist. I spun on my heel quickly. I shot daggers at Marcus, but he didn't seem to care. Instead, he started to drag me to my room.

I twisted and pulled my arm in an attempt to loosen his grip on me, but it was rock solid. I was about to give up and shout at him before he spun around, grabbed my other wrist, and pushed me into a wall. I stared at Marcus, eyes rounded. He was looking at me in a new way. It was no longer annoyance. Just anger.

"How old do you think I am?" His breath was hot against my face. Chills shot up my spine. When I didn't reply, he asked again, this time more demanding. "How old do you think I am?"

It seemed impossible to breathe under his gaze. I coughed before replying, "I-I don't know."

"I'm twenty-six," he muttered. "I've done a lot of things I regret, but one day I did something bad. I mean, really bad." His voice began to shake, and all I wanted to do right then was to crawl away from him and weep myself to sleep. "I went to court, and they proposed to me a deal I couldn't deny. It was either I would pay up my years in prison, or I would work for the government."

"Marcus, I—"

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking, Katherine." I clenched my teeth and sealed my eyelids closed. He paused. For a second I swore that he was crying, but then his voice rang once more. "When you come back, you have to help me get out of here."

"If," I corrected.

"No," Marcus's voice was sharp, "will. You will come back, even if it means you dragging your body all the way to the end. Do you understand me?"

I nodded. Marcus released my wrists and stepped back. He continued walking. I stayed put with my arms crossed. When he turned around, there was a sad smile plastered on Marcus's face as he dropped his hand to his side.

"What?" I snapped. I had every reason to be mad at him. After all, he had just rammed me into a wall.

"That's the thing that will keep you alive." He chuckled as he curled his fingers into a fist and rested it on his chest. "You're strong hearted."

And I knew that that signal meant that he was proud.

Hello, everyone! I hope that everybody enjoyed this chapter. I can't wait until the actual obstacle course starts! If you liked this chapter, please comment or leave a vote. Just for Marcus, wrestle your device for the vote button. It can happen, trust me. I lost once. It was two to one.

Stay amazing and keep reading on! I appreciate everyone's support. :)

This song is Let Me Help You by Mario. To represent Marcus, and how much help he needs.