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Chapter 42

Jessie paused, then reluctantly took it. "Alright?" She repeated. "Yes, that's alright."

Quinn went to the door and opened it cautiously before sticking her head out. The corridor was silent.
Feigning confidence, she threw it open and saw Jessie flinch.

"It's okay." She said again, deciding to take on a softer tone.

Jessie shook her head and followed her, hanging back slightly. They travelled the next few corridors in silence. Even tiny distances seemed to take an eternity to cross when they had to stick to the shadows and stay alert for any sound.

Eventually, they found another small classroom that was dark enough to duck into. Quinn opened the door to let her in, and Jessie almost collapsed as soon as she was off of the corridor. "I hate it, I hate it, I hate it..." She muttered, leaning against the wall slightly in an attempt to keep her balance.

Quinn deliberated whether or not she should speak up, before eventually deciding on lamely saying, "I'm sorry you're here."

"I did not tell you before, but this place is bad. Almost every single room is bad. But this one is bad." She shuddered. "Can you feel how hot it is in this part of the building?"

"It's December, they're gonna have the heaters up high."

"It makes me dizzy. I'm not as strong as you are. Staying in rooms or corridors like this one is not a good idea."

Quinn paused. "What does that mean?"

"Just because the Chambers do not affect you doesn't mean they do not affect me. I know that they are here, I helped to build them. But they are strong in this part of the building. I think I need to get out, or else I won't be... I won't be here anymore."

"Ah..." Quinn noticed how pale she looked, and put a hand on her shoulder. "That's... A problem. Will you be okay?"

"For now yes. But I don't want to stay here any longer than necessary. It will be unpleasant - fainting, vomiting, deliriousness... Violence... I must keep moving. Please, I need you to promise me something."

"What?" She noticed another door which was slightly ajar and tried to see if there was anyone inside the room yet.

"If they get near me, I want you to kill me."

Quinn didn't reply, and opened the door, gesturing for her to follow

"I know you have a moral code against hurting people, but... The problem is that I do too. And I know too much. And I can't go back."

"I'm not going to do that, Jessie," she replied, closing the door.

Jessie looked at her feet, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small hand gun. She gave it to her, hands shaking.

Quinn snatched it away from her. "Where the hell did you get that?" she hissed.

"It was on the floor," she replied, still waiting for her to take it. "You have better aim than anyone I know. If you hit the peripheral nervous system, neither me or... Or her can survive. It's only a precaution, but... Promise me. I only ever wanted to get out of that place, and now I am, I'm not going back. I won't hurt anyone else."

Quinn took the gun reluctantly, and turned it over in her hands, not meeting her eye. Then she took a step back. She was still very aware of Jess watching her, waiting for her to react.

She unloaded it, opened the window, and dropped the bullets and the gun out of it. They heard them hit the ground.

"This isn't happening," she said. "Look, you shouldn't have come. That's my fault. I'm sorry. But I'm gonna find somewhere safe for you, okay? I... We can do the rest on our own."