Chapter 17
The single, terrified eye gleamed in the gloom from the crack in the janitor's closet door. Elias froze, every muscle locking tight. The stale air of the abandoned store suddenly felt thick and cold.
Slowly, silently, he shifted his grip on the cold, heavy crowbar in his hands, the worn metal biting into his palms.
He took one cautious step forward, then another.
Each movement felt agonizingly slow.
He reached the grimy door, the peeling paint rough under his fingertips. He hesitated for a bit.
Then, steeling himself, he curled his fingers around the cool metal knob. With a slow, grating creak, he pulled the door open.
Inside, crammed into the narrow, dark space that smelled of old mop water and mildew, was a child. A little girl, no older than seven, huddled in the far corner.
She wore a faded pink hoodie smudged with dirt and white pants now grey with grime. Her blonde hair was tangled, framing a face streaked with dried tears and fresh fear.
She trembled violently, pressing herself back against the cold cinderblock wall as if trying to vanish. Her wide, blue eyes, huge in her pale face, stared at Elias with pure, animal terror.
Elias stared back, stunned. The crowbar lowered slightly in his grip. A wave of conflicting emotions crashed over him – shock, pity, and a crushing sense of responsibility.
"Hey, kid," he said softly, his voice rough from disuse. He crouched down slowly, trying to make himself less imposing. "Are you okay?"
The girl flinched at him but didn't look away. She gave the tiniest, weakest nod, her small chin trembling. She studied him, the fear slowly mixing with a desperate, fragile curiosity.
"A-are you going to hurt me, mister?" Her voice was a thin, trembling whisper, barely audible. She hugged her knees tighter to her chest.
"No, kid," Elias said, meeting her gaze directly, trying to project calm he didn't feel. "I won't hurt you."
He glanced past her into the cramped closet, then back out into the empty, shadowed store. "Where are your parents?"
"Why are you here, mister?" she countered, her voice gaining a sliver of strength, though she remained pressed into the corner. Her small fingers twisted the fabric of her hoodie.
"I'm just trying to find some food," Elias explained, keeping his tone gentle. The smell of spoiled goods from the store seemed stronger now. "That's why I came into this place. What about you?"
He leaned forward slightly. "Where are your parents?"
Her face crumpled. She looked down at her scuffed sneakers. "They're... gone," she whispered, the words thick with a grief that filled the small space.
A single tear traced a clean line on her cheek.
The simple, devastating words hit Elias like being punched. He fell silent, the weight of the empty world pressing down harder. Leaving her here was unthinkable.
The hoarders showed no mercy, didn't distinguish between adult and child. She'd be ripped apart or dragged screaming into the darkness before nightfall.
His conscience didn't let him abandon the child.
He looked at the small, terrified figure. The dilemma was crushing, but the path was clear.
"Hey, kid," he said, his voice raspy with emotion. "Wanna come with me?"
She looked up sharply, her blue eyes widening, searching his face with intense suspicion. Yet, beneath it, a flicker of desperate hope warred with the fear of being utterly alone in this nightmare.
She knew she couldn't survive by herself.
"You won't hurt me if I come, right?" she asked again, needing the reassurance.
"No," Elias promised.
"You won't... eat me?" The question, innocent yet chilling in this new world.
A choked sound, almost a laugh, escaped Elias. "No, kid. I won't eat you."
She stared at him for another long moment, then gave a small, decisive nod. A tiny spark of something like relief, maybe even excitement at not being alone, lit her eyes.
"Okay," she whispered. "I'll come with you."
"Good," Elias said, standing up slowly, his joints protesting. He offered his hand, not forcing it. "Now let's get going. We need to be somewhere safer before it's nighttime."
"Okay!" Her voice was clearer now. She scrambled to her feet, brushing dust from her pants, and cautiously placed her small hand in his.
Together, they stepped out of the dark closet and the ruined store.