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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷the wider city of boston
ONLY IN HER MOST DISTANT MEMORIES COULD CASSIE REMEMBER BEFORE — and, even then, time's corrosive touch had blurred the details, leaving but corrupted fragments of the past within the shadowy depths of her mind. Still, she, with near-certainty, could know that, before infection had wreaked havoc upon their world, she'd never stepped forth into any place as fancy as the hotel she was currently within. Her mother — a single parent drowning within the rapids of debt could never have afforded it. The only experience she had of hotels had come after the fall, when she, alongside the Miller brother's, had found refuge within the desolate remains of one.
And, as her tired eyes gaze around at the interior of the once pristine establishment, Cassie's interest isn't piqued in the slightest. It was but a shell of it's former glory — consumed by the ruin of the new word. Rotting boards are nailed against windows, small gaps between each that allows only dim slithers of sunlight to illuminate the lobby. A body of murky, green-tinted water had flooded the ground floor, drenching all it touches. Blooms of bacteria thrive within the make-shift pond, giving new life to a place long ago forgotten.
"You gotta be kidding me."
Vividly contrasting the apathy drowning Cassie's features, glimmers of a vibrant amazement are ablaze within Ellie's doe-like eyes — a blissful grin twirling upon the corners of her lips as she soaks in the hotel. The ever-growing curiosity blossoming within her mind consuming her focus, she casts her gaze upon the three tasked with transporting her, asking, "You ever stay in a place like this?"
"Uh, no," Tess answers on their behalf, "Little out of our league."
Barely sparing a side-glance toward the girl, Joel questions, "How do you even know what this is?"
"Have you heard of books?"
The sarcastic retort sparks a vague sense of amusement within Cassie. Despite her attempt to stomp out any signs of such, and remain void of expression, a poorly stifled chuckle manages to claw its way past her lips. Exasperated, Joel cast a glare within her direction, before wordlessly beginning to descend a set of stairs leading into the murky waters.
Alarm spreading across her young features like a wildfire, Ellie speaks up, "Wait, are we going in there?"
"Yeah," Tess nods, gesturing toward the doorway upon the other side of the pond, "We gotta get to the stairwell on the other side."
"Well, I–" Ellie stutters, "I don't know how to swim."
