Broken Promises

Chapter Three; Jason

Jason glared blankly at the dark, battered, and slightly shattered arcade game screen in front of him.

It would be a miracle if Jade got this thing working at all, because he knew, he couldn't, if he tried... at least by himself. He glanced down at Jade behind the corner of the large metal box, waiting for her to voice what she had found. Knowing she'd found the main cord to connect it, he was waiting for her to see if it actually worked. Most of the electronics here seemed fried, or at least a bust, since there was no access to electricity out here in the forest. The blonde went along with this to humor Jade, but he knew it wouldn't work. He'd tried before.

He adjusted his backpack and resisted a glance behind him. He'd heard slight footsteps, assumed it had been Hope slipping off, but no matter how much he wanted to act like he cared, he had to dismiss it. As much as he hated it, he had to pretend his attention was solely on getting the machine going. In truth, he didn't in the slightest, care about what lay here in the mall. He knew it was a lost cause and wandering around here would just lead them all to their inevitable demise. Although, he couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt at letting the redhead wander. He knew they were in danger whether they were separated or not, he just felt more anxious when alone.

"I think I..." Jason's thoughts about turning to check on Hope were miraculously interrupted by the brunette sitting up and rubbing her face. "I don't think it's going to work; the cord might be fried."

Jade groaned, turning her head to glance up at Jason. "And even if it wasn't, I have no clue how we'd even get any electricity down here. It's been ages since we even had that."

"My exact thoughts." Jason murmured, deciding to also kneel down and set his pack down. 

He had to admit, there might not have been much in the bag, but considering the running around that he'd been doing in the past few days, he was exhausted. His legs burned with soreness, even if he couldn't admit the reason to these new friends of his. As Jade glared up at the cracked game in frustration, Jason took that as an opportunity to glance behind where Hope had wandered.

He knew she had gone off by herself, he just hadn't chosen to acknowledge it until now. He had to remain discreet about revealing anything he knew. If he even had a say in any of this, he would've bolted for the exit ages ago. He wanted to agree with Hope's irritated suspicion and paranoia. He actually admired her for it; it was smart.

He'd turned his head just in time to see a door behind the counter shut. Hope had gone on without him... and even though he was impressed by her cautious demeanor earlier, he found that decision pretty stupid. If both Jade as well as Hope had been here as long as they'd claimed, surely they'd be smarter than that? Going off alone, was definitely worse than sticking together in hopes to collaborate and not get killed. He knew more than they both probably figured, because of his persistence to find a certain thing; a thing he'd managed to find determination in ever since he was forced to move here with his mom. It'd only been a few weeks and he knew how to approach most of the monsters; even if he hadn't seen them all. He'd-

"Jason, where's Hope?" The blonde's thoughts were interrupted when Jade noticed him staring across the arcade hall.

"I... I don't know." Jason answered, careful to keep his voice soft even though he already knew what was probably coming. 

He did not want to lead Jade after her, because he did not want her to be hurt. Any small, dark room with no windows was not good in situations like these. Even though he wanted to help the redhead, he knew it was out of his control at this point. 

"That's what I was looking for. She disappeared."

The worry on the slightly older teenager's face worsened at Jason's words. The two made eye contact, until Jade broke the silence by standing up, her flashlight back in her hand.