Ansley pushed all thoughts of a relationship and dating from her mind and shuffled back into the hall where Link stood watch. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about relationships.
“We should probably move on.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that. We should move on. I want to check and see if things have calmed down up there.”
“After we eat?” Ansley asked as her stomach rumbled.
Link nodded. “Yeah. After we eat.”
They headed back into the small room where they’d slept and chowed down on the fresh food he’d picked up. The fruit was good, but the dates and nuts gave them some needed calories. She felt more alert than she had before.
“Good meal,” Ansley said after finishing an orange.
“It is. Want more?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”
“Okay, let’s head out.”
Ansley was having a hard time climbing the stairs. The pain in her leg kept her slow and made lifting her leg difficult. The last few days when she’d been held hostage, she hadn’t been moving much. Now that she was moving, the pain was creeping up and taking over.
She wanted to ask Link if he saw infection lines moving from the injury site. It would be a bad sign if the infection was moving up her leg. He’d given her one dose of antibiotics which should help her fight off an infection. At least she thought it would help her fight the infection, unless it was really bad. She could only imagine what kind of bacteria had entered the wound when they’d been held captive.
She saw the door above and knew they were close. Hopefully, they’d be able to head out and find Link’s friends.
Link pausedat the top of the stairs, drawing in a deep breath. “You ready?”
“Yeah. I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”
“I’m going to open the door slowly and check if anyone is in that room.”
“Sounds good.”
Link pulled open the door very slowly, hoping no one was on the other side. He paused before looking out the small sliver between the door and the wall into the well-lit room. It took a moment for his vision to adjust. He pushed the door open a little wider.
“It’s empty.”
“Good. Let’s see how the world above is doing now.”
Link chuckled, liking Ansley's spirit. They moved out slowly, listening for any indication that there were other people nearby.
“Seems very empty,” Ansley said.
Link moved closer to the window that only had a sheer sheet covering it. He could see outside, but the sheer was hiding a few things, so he moved it aside, looking out into the harsh sunlight. They’d been down there longer than he’d thought.
“It looks like morning. No explosions, no more gunfire. We should be able to get out.”
“Maybe we can find your friends.”
He nodded. “We’re going to have to find a wrap for your head.”
He glanced around, seeing a few chairs and a microwave. Someone lived here.
"We should find some clothes here somewhere. Maybe we can change so we don't stand out so much."
Ansley turned and took a step. He watched as her leg gave out and she dropped to the floor, her arms barely catching herself. In the bright light, he could see that her face was pale, and her skin looked clammy. Something was really wrong with her. She needed medical attention now.
Chapter 7
