Don’t forget about me

"W-what?"

Don smirked, though the edge of danger never left his eyes. "You've got guts, kid. That's something. But if you ever try something like that again, I won't be so forgiving. Understood?"

Kia nodded rapidly, his heart still racing but a small part of him feeling a strange sense of relief. "Understood."

"Good," Don said firmly. "Now let's get out of here before the creatures come back. I wonder how the rest are doing."

Kia lifted a brow and bit down on his bottom lip. "I kinda borrowed your radio while you were knocked out, and I heard a voice. It sounded like they were being attacked. It seemed like an emergency."

Don's eyes widened with sudden panic. "My radio?" he thought he had lost it. "Where is it?" he asked.

Kia looked around frantically. The whole hallway was dark, making it hard to see anything clearly. "I think I dropped it when I was running. I don't know for sure."

"Damn it," Don swore under his breath. That radio was the only link to the others.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

More gunshots echoed through the building, followed by distant, frantic voices. Don's heart skipped a beat as he wondered if those shots belonged to their group. Maybe, just maybe, they were still alive and fighting.

"Let's go," Don said firmly, grabbing Kia by the arm and pulling him forward. "If we follow the sound of the gunshots, we might be able to regroup with the rest."

Kia stumbled as Don yanked him along. "Wait," he protested against his will, pulling back and causing Don to look at him with a flash of anger in his eyes.

"What?" Don questioned through his seething teeth.

One thing Kia had come to realize was how quickly Don lost his temper. Although he thankfully seemed to have a soft side, it didn't change the fact that little things could set him off. Kia took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves.

"We can't leave her all alone," Kia said with a slightly trembling voice.

Don's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"Sofie," he replied. "You had her locked up, remember?"

It instantly dawned on Don. "Oh, damn it!" he exclaimed, his expression turning from anger to concern. "I totally forgot about her!"

Right, Kia could almost roll his eyes. You had a six-year-old child forcefully locked up alone in a small room despite her heavy breathing and cries for help, and what's this? You forgot! He fucking forgot! Kia thought to himself and scoffed. Now he was starting to doubt the kind of person Don really was. Perhaps this was all an act.

Kia narrowed his eyes, looking at Don suspiciously.

Don sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright," he said.

Kia's eyes immediately lit up. "Alright," what? he thought to himself. Was he going to do the mature thing?

Don sighed again. "Fine," he added. "We can't leave her behind. But we have to be quick about it. The others won't last long without us."

Without who? Who is 'us'? Kia panicked a little. If this guy thought he was going to risk his life, and Sofie's, fighting a horde of zombies just to help people who wanted them dead to begin with, he was mistaken. As soon as he manages to get Sofie out, he's going to escape this place with just her. That's if he figures out how. But until then, he'll comply with Don's plans, pretending to go along with the rescue mission.

"Let's move," Don said.

They made their way through the dark hallway, squinting their eyes to discern their surroundings until they stood in front of the door.

Don stretched his right hand in front of Kia, who looked at him confused. "What?" he whispered with a furrowed brow.

"The keys," Don replied impatiently.

Kia's eyes widened. "Oh yeah," he muttered, pretending to remember. He slowly reached into his back pocket and pulled out the key, trying to act nonchalant. But before he could even hold it out, Don snatched it from his hand with a frustrated sigh.

He inserted the key into the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open.

The small room was beyond dark, and Kia could barely make out Sofie's small form huddled in a corner.

"Sofie," he called softly, stepping forward as Don pushed the door open wider. The little girl looked up, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "Sofie…" he repeated, his voice filled with sadness and relief.

"Mister," Sofie's face lit up with a small smile as soon as she saw Kia. She scrambled to her feet and raced to him, throwing her arms around his waist. Kia lifted her up, holding her tight as she buried her face in his shoulder.

Her small frame trembled against him, causing Kia to feel a pang in his chest. He brushed away her tears and patted her back. "It's okay, I am here now. We are going to get out of here," he whispered.

"I was so scared," she said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. "Please don't leave me alone again, mister."

"I won't," Kia said with a clenched fist while shooting a sideways glance at Don, who stood quietly, observing the scene while shamefully brushing his hand against his neck.

Yeah, you should feel ashamed, Kia thought, his eyes narrowing at Don. You're the one who put her in this situation in the first place.

"Promise?" she asked, her voice still trembling.

"I promise," Kia said. "I am not going to leave you alone again." Until he reunites her safely with her mother, but before then, she would remain under his care.

Don cleared his throat, trying to break the tension. "Alright, we need to move now."

Kia adjusted Sofie in his arms, her small hands gripping his shirt tightly. "Let's go," he said.

They made their way back down the dark hallway, the sounds of gunfire and distant screams growing louder.

"There are more firearms stored in the storage room. We are going to need them if we are going to fight off those creatures," Don said.

"Alright," Kia nodded in response.