I moved on down the corridor, checking doors, looking for anything that would keep the two of us alive if this building turned out to be where we stayed. The boards creaked under each step.
Morning light came in thin and uneven through the high windows, laying pale rectangles across the floor that didn't quite reach the corners. Dust hung in the beams. The air still carried the faint chemical edge of last night's charge.
My comms vibrated. Sherry's message.
I stopped in the narrow corridor, the sound of running water still coming through the wall behind me.
「Hey. Hope you're well. I'm safe. I'm in the stray town with Becky and Daph.」
Something let go in my chest that had been holding since Sinn's voice came through the speakers. The tightness that had lived under my ribs all night loosened by a fraction.
「Network was down. Becky had already told me Max was planning to spread the infection. I just couldn't reach you.」
I stopped on that line and read it twice.
