--. ..- ...
Gus
Dash gasped. Gus? It had to be another fever dream. They felt so real, it was hard to tell.
--. ..- ...
Gus
But itwasreal. He was here. Why? How? He had to be looking for her, didn’t he? Dizzy with disbelief, she set her hands against the wall and pushed, as if she might somehow break through to him. So close. So close. He knew she was here, so—no, wait. He was still tapping his name, looking for her. He needed her help.
She tapped with her knuckle:
-.. .- ... ....
Dash
An audible exhalation came through the wall, then the bookshelf slid, just a little, and she spotted something beneath: a scrap of paper, wiggling as it was forced through the crack. Dash grabbed it.
I will come for you tonight. Be ready. It will be loud.
G
“Gus!” she cried softly, but the woman’s agitated voice was approaching, joined by the inspector’s. Through the thin wall, she heard Gus walkaway.Gus, Gus, Gus, Gus! Come back! Please, Gus!She gulped back tears as the apartment door opened then closed. Alone once more, she lay on the floor, lacking the energy to cross the few feet between her and the cot. He would come for her tonight.
She had no idea if she could wait that long.
Hours later, an explosion shuddered through the walls, but Dash barely felt it. In the next room shards of broken glass tinkled like bells as they littered the floor. She dozed, then was woken again by a staccato burst of gunfire. She smelled smoke, heard panicked screams from the street below. Beyond Dash’s thin prison wall, the woman was shrieking.
Dash heard it all from far, far away. The floor beneath her felt like syrup, rising and falling in thick waves, beckoning. She drifted off to sleep again.
Someone pounded on the apartment door. “Fräulein Köhler!”
The woman cried out with relief. She yanked the door open and escaped.
I’m here, too,Dash thought vaguely.I need to leave, too.
But no one was coming. She closed her eyes again, and she let herself go.
Hands, warm and gentle. Strong. Touching her back. Her arm was grazed, then everything went black.
Arms under her, around her. That voice. “It’s all right now. I have you.” She knew that voice. Her body lifted off the floor, floating, drifting…
“Dash? Talk to me.”
“Gus,” she croaked, dragging herself to the surface. His cheek felt cool against hers.
“My God. You’re on fire.” His arms tightened around her. “I’ve got you, Dash. I’ll get you out.”
Gus.She wished, oh, she wished she could hold on to him, but her body was limp. Her arms felt pinned to her sides, her head heavy on her neck.
“You found me,” she whispered.
“Hide and seek. Just like old times.” He tilted a canteen against her lips. “Drink.”
She sipped, savouring every drop. When she opened her eyes, his gaze had wandered past her, toward the wall where she had written her name.
His lips brushed her brow. “I’m sorry it took me so long. Let’s go home.”
