Double swinging doors stood at the end of the hallway. She approached them with slow, quiet steps. Was this the kitchen area? She believed so but wasn’t sure. It’d been years since she’d been in this part of the resort.
Squatting, she held the rifle ready as she pushed one side open. Satisfied no one was around, she stood and entered the room. Keeping close to the wall, she surveyed the area. Yes, it was the kitchen. It appeared that the infected had hit this place, too. Probably because of the raw meat they stored.
She kept her back to the wall while she moved deeper into the darkened space. She rounded a corner and stopped again to check the area.
Off in a far corner, a low voice spoke, “Hey. You alone?”
Her knees threatened to buckle. That voice sent a thrill of relief through her.
From the darkness in the far corner, Jordan’s tall figure appeared. His uniform shirt was undone and hanging in shreds over his chest. He held his rifle barrel and helmet strap in his hand. He’d belted his robotic arm across his back, the fingers sticking up over his right shoulder. Several cuts striped his left cheek.
She stifled a sob and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. For all her talk of being tough, independent, the sight and feel of him comforted her. Sure, she could survive on her own, but having him with her helped calm her.
He chuckled, the deep sound vibrating in his chest. “Missed me?”
“I thought you were dead.”
“Did you see any of the others?”
She shook her head. “Only Rolen. He didn’t make it. Not sure what happened to Piket. Jaz and Solfa went through the window. No telling where they are.”
“Probably back at the shuttle. My comlink is smashed on my helmet. Where’s yours?”
“I don’t know.” She raised and tilted her head one way and then the other. “Do I still have ears?”
“They’re covered in dried blood, but they’re still there.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side.
“Let’s find a cleaner place so I can sit for a bit. They cracked some ribs and sliced the back of my leg.”
She kept one arm around his waist as she surveyed the area.. Even the layout of the building had changed with the hallway and doors. The kitchen had remained the same as it had been during her time here. The resort had added a different entry from behind the front desk. If she remembered correctly, there was a cutlery adjacent to the kitchen. Hopefully, they hadn’t moved it. “Come on, there’s a spot over there that should be clear. Nothing edible in it.”
Together, they moved to the other side of the kitchen. The door stood open, and shelves lined one wall and windows on the opposite wall. The light from the planet coated the cutlery in a comforting glow. This would be a great lookout for a little while. She just hoped reinforcements would arrive so Jordan could get some medical attention.
“Here, sit and let me look at your leg.”
“It’s fine. I sealed it. Maybe bandage it just to hold it shut.” He set his helmet on the floor and leaned the rifle against the window then turned so that she could see the back of his leg.
She bit her lip at the sight of wide gouges from the inside back of his knee to mid-thigh. The flesh appeared as though it’d been ripped opened by the claws of a wild animal. How he remained on his feet amazed her. The wounds were not bleeding anymore. That was a good sign. After cleaning the deep grooves, she pulled a roll of stretch bandages from her first aid pouch and wrapped the leg.
“That’s good.” He eased down to sit opposite the windows.
She sat next to him. Without thinking, she laced her fingers with his.
His gaze met hers. “We need to clean you up, too.”
Staring into his eyes brought a sense of need to tell him how she felt about him. But how? A surge of fear unlike any she’d experienced in battle bubbled up in her chest. Unsure of what to do, she whispered, “In a bit. I’ll take care of you, and then you can do the same for me.”
“We could do each other.” He smiled, the first real smile he’d given her in years.
Her heart skipped a beat. Why did he do this to her? The man had a way of throwing her off, but she didn’t mind at all. “Be still,” she murmured. She took out the sanitary wipes, faced him, and started cleaning the cuts on his cheeks and jaw. He stared at her, unnerving her even more.
Tweaking his nose, she laughed. “Quit.”
The laughter helped alleviate some of her nervousness.