Not Surprised
1641 Words
Elijah was already unconscious and all tied up then that was a perfect time for them to open it up but why did they have to wait for him to wake up.
“Why didn’t you open it yourself?”
The moment he had asked it, both Alexa and Adam looked at him with indifferent eyes. Elijah put his other feet behind. All alert.
*Phew
Alexa pulled the trigger close to Elijah’s feet. A small smoke and dust flying was only left after Elijah briefly glanced down.
It was like that just that morning.
“I literally told you ‘No funny business’, right? That’s your last warning, kid.” Alexa is dead serious.
“You never learn, kid.” Adam sighed.
“How am I supposed to trust any of you? You keep threatening me with a gun?” Elijah said, looking over the room. There is a window in the farthest corner and a door.
‘If I can create a distraction—’
“Give it up, you won’t make it to either.” Alexa answered as if she heard his thoughts.
“…”
“...besides, you got this all wrong. I don’t need you to trust me. I need you to open the goddamn watch.”
Elijah clenched his molars. No matter how much he rakes his brains, there is no way around this. The two of them are standing at perfect distance just like earlier. He will be caught either way he chooses.
“Can’t you just tell me why you need this?” He surrendered and sighed.
He fastly decides it’s not worth the try. If he got injured in this kind of place, he is as good as dead.
“…”
Elijah opened his watch, he circled it and the top popped up and he pressed it down after that, a map was revealed with a red dot in the middle. Signifying his location.
He quickly looked at the surroundings. It was hard to know which is which since there are no names. Only pathways and blocks. In addition, he never tried understanding it before, it was always someone else’s job.
“Okay. You’ve seen enough.” Elijah closed it.
*Click
“You must be really itching to explode your brains.”
Elijah is trembling but he holds his ground this time because he might not be able to understand it but he knows the map will show Lucas’s location; there is no way he will sell them out, not to these suspicious people.
“You can shoot me for all I care. I won’t open it again until I trust you.” Elijah shut his eyes like a kid waiting to be s*****d.
“Ha! As you wish!”
“W,Wait a minute. Why are you so agitated? Let me.” Adam went between them, not afraid of Alexa’s pointing gun.
Elijah opened one of his eyes after Adam called him. Adam is covering Alexa which made Elijah breath a little.
‘She is really scary… but so beautiful.’ His mind flew somewhere else again.
“Hey, kid. Focus!” Adam clicked his fingers in front of him.
“Ah! Yes!”
“...Now that we know your map is GPS activated, then the reason you are hiding it is because of your friends right? It will reveal their location. Actually, not bad. You’ll be a decent soldier.” Adam casually talks.
“W,what?”
“No need to lie anymore. You guessed it right. We were soldiers and we are here at the request of other fellow soldiers. She was the one who discovered the building full of undead, following the tracks it led us here. She is determined to get to the bottom of it.”
“Adam!”
“Alexa, every second count, killing the kid here won’t make everything easier.”
“W,why sudden change? Why are you telling this now?” Elijah is confused about what to think. One second ago, they are against telling the reason now they are spilling it.
‘Was it even the truth?’
“Just like you said, We are earning your trust. That’s why we are telling you the reason.”
“H,how would I know if you are telling the truth?”
“Being honest. You can’t. We both don’t know each other. You’ll have to rely on my words I’ll say and judge it from there… Before we sneaked out of the Walls, we discovered that some citizens mysteriously disappeared. One of them were discovered as newly turned undead in the building we’ve mentioned---”
“W,wait! Wait.” Elijah stopped the military like the report of Adam. There is no way, he could tell it at first. He will need more time to process it but seeing Alexa is getting impatient, he can tell he doesn't have the entire night to dwell on his own thoughts.
“Just answer this first, why can’t you open my watch yourself?”
Adam looked at Alexa before answering. “Like I said, it was used as a military watch. We often use it one of the features is the map back in the day, but it becomes unreliable over time because it was designed in the pre-apocalypse world, and we can’t open it because it was modified. It turns out that it was embedded in your nerves. Stitched deep on your wrist and connected to your nerves. Just like when the brain gives a signal to your body to move, it does that same with the watch. In short, without your permission that thing cannot be opened.” Adam didn’t even blink an eye.
Elijah had to take a second to process it.
“Why do you need it?”
“The soldier who got separated from us. We are looking for her. If she has the tablet, I am guessing she would have access not only to our locations but for your team as well. It is possible that she is with your team that’s why we are reuniting you and your team.”
Elijah’s brain is overworking. At that moment he is just trying his best not to look stupid.
‘They don’t look bad… maybe. Then there was no choice here.’
Elijah gave up thinking. He might not be the smartest but he knows someone else.
He’ll be able to get back to his team safely if with these two.
“I’ll lead you to them.” He said and opened the map.
‘It’s Lucas’ job to think anyway.’
Few minutes before they depart from their hiding place, Alexa drags Adam in the corner.
“How did you know this will work?” She asked.
“What “The bad and good cop?'' Didn't you watch TV when you were young?” Adam teased.
“You are dumb.” She glared at him.
“Seriously, Alexa, I know the kid, he has the skills but something tells me he is not the type of person to think complicated things. Of course, you’ll know that if you actually talk to him. When can you fix that loner habit of yours.” He clicked his tongue on her.
“Ah. Is this about communication?” Alexa crossed her arms.
‘Oops. Here we go.’ Adam can see it.
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come out that way…It’s not that---”
“Who was the first one who stopped talking? You communicate with everyone else but me. Communication, my ass.” Alexa hissed with a glare and hit Adam’s shoulders with hers.
He stepped on a landmine.
“A,aw!” Adam rubbed his shoulder and mumbled. “She always finds a way to bring the past… also she should mind her strength. Ouch…”
“Wait! Alexa. I already said ‘sorry’.” He chased after her.
****
“Woah! You have a night vision! How cool.” Elijah was excited to use the single spectacle night vision.
“I know right. If you do it like this… It will expand but if you are newbie, you might get dizzy—”
Alexa was speechless. As if the last few minutes earlier didn’t even exist.
She broke their happy conversation and pushed on their exit. Checking one last time, Elijah’s team didn’t move from their spot.
“Let’s move.”
Unlike undeads, mutants are freely moving around even at night but it wasn’t a big deal with Alexa’s team. They moved stealthily and killed mutants like a skilled assassin.
It only took a few minutes after they reached the spot. It was a bear attraction house.
Coming inside. Elijah begins to whisper a little louder.
“Lucas! Aaron! Kiko!” He called one by one but no one answered.
“Hey, I’m back! Where are you?!”
Adam and Alexa move closer to Elijah but their guns are still up and ready to shoot.
“Check the map again.”
Checking it, they are spot on. They are in the same place as Lucas.
“Hey, something is wrong here.” Alexa commented.
Elijah is still wandering around as Alexa silently gives order to Adam to look after Elijah.
Alexa moved in a different location and it landed on the door they went in. She moves closer and looks at the swiped dust.
The things had been purposely pushed out. The door was originally barricaded.
‘They’re here.’ She quickly turns around but she sees Adam with his open hand lifted up in the air. A big built man is pointing a gun to Adam’s head.
*Click
“Bring down your weapon and hands in the Air.” A low voice man instructed Alexa.
While trying to look back the man spoke again.
“Don’t. Who are you?” A gun was pointed in her head.
- Writer
