Arcadium by Sarah Gray

brother and the chair. Maybe I should offer
to carry the chair but it seems like the opportunity has passed, so
I just pad along behind with Liss and marvel at his strength.
    At the first
floor landing Trouble pauses, glancing up the stairwell. Kean
unfolds the wheelchair and dumps Henry back into it. Liss grabs my
hand as Trouble pushes through the door. We all follow, one by
one.
    The corridor is
long and plain, just white walls and glossy grey doors. It’s dim
and shadowy and the air is stale. The only source of light is a
window at the far end.
    I’m standing
just past the elevator, between room one and two; the doors we
don’t have keys to. That either means there are infected inside or
just dead bodies. My bet is on dead bodies.
    “I can check
the rooms,” I say. “If you guys want to check the stairwell.”
    Kean narrows
his eyes. “You don’t have a weapon.”
    “I’ll just
close the door again. I’ll be fine.”
    Kean blinks a
few times. “Ok.” He hands me all the keys and nods to Trouble. They
move out into the stairwell and I shuffle through the room key
tags. I pace down, pressing my ear to each door. At number eight, I
listen for twice as long. Liss and Henry are watching me from the
other end of the hallway.
    I hear nothing
from within so I slip the key in and open it a crack.
    Still
quiet.
    I push the door
open just enough so I can see in. The walls that I can see are deep
purple and the carpet is cream. The room banks away to the left and
blocks my view.
    I tighten my
grip on the handle and clear my throat.
    Nothing.
    I do it again,
louder.
    Nothing.
    “Hello,” I
call.
    I wait a few
seconds before stepping in. The curtains are open, the king sized
bed is made. The room is spotless and free of infected people.
    I knock on the
bathroom door, wait a few seconds and open it. This room is dark
because there’s no natural light. Granite black tiles cover the
floor and climb up the walls. It’s pretty standard: bath, shower,
toilet, sink. Folded white towels sit on a shelf next to the bath
and on the sink are little toiletry bottles: shampoo and
conditioner and all the other stuff that seems completely
irrelevant now.
    “Hey guys,” I
call out holding the door open. “Come and look at this.”
    Liss and Henry
appear in the hallway and their faces light up. Liss walks straight
in. Henry rolls in behind her.
    “There’s a
bed!”
     
    I leave Liss
and Henry in the safety of room eight and continue checking the
other rooms. They’re all empty, all made up and ready for guests
they’ll never receive... well, except for us. I’m standing with my
ear pressed against the door of room one when Kean and Trouble
emerge from the stairwell.
    “You survived,”
Kean says.
    “So did
you.”
    Kean smiles and
looks over at Trouble. “Well the stairs and other corridors are
clear so you can walk around safely if needed. We jammed a couch
behind the lobby door too, so nothing can get in.”
    I nod. “You
guys want your rooms?” I hold up the keys to room six and
seven.
    I take Trouble
to his room and try to explain in some kind of crazy sign language
that it’s his. He looks ecstatic, I swear, like his face is the sun
shining on a freaking perfect day.
    When I go back
out into the hallway Kean has his ear against the door to room
one.
    “Anything?” I
ask wandering over.
    Kean shakes his
head. “Just another mystery to remain unsolved. Though I suppose
they’re dead.”
    “I supposed
that too.”
    “So ah…” Kean
straightens. “Where are we heading after this stop?”
    I pull a
plastic smile. “Nice try.”
    “Look I get
it,” Kean says, lolling his eyes toward the door. “There’s only one
thing worth trekking across an infected cesspool of death and
destruction for. I know where you’re going… more or less”
    I look at him
for a while. “Don’t you trust me?”
    “I only met you
today but even when I didn’t trust you, you saved my life. Twice.”
He sighs at the door.