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And there it was.
“It could go a lot smoother if you trade with me."
Saff opened her eyes, tilting the flashlight slightly to look at her.
"I'll give you half of the headache medicine I have and half of the water. And we travel out of the city together."
Saff stared at her for a moment, blinking. "Did you remember how to get back here on your own?"
Maddie paused, her head tilting slightly. "What do you mean?"
"You knew how to get us back here. You didn't need my help."
"Uh—yeah, I guess,” Maddie mumbled. “I memorized it when I left, just in case."
Saff stared at her. "Then why did you wait?"
Maddie paused again, confusion clear on her face. "What?"
Saff let out a frustrated breath. "Why did you wait for me to get up and walk with you if you could have gone on your own?"
"I—I don’t know—"
"That was stupid."
Maddie shook her head. "I don't understand. Are you—are you mad that Ihelpedyou?"
Saff gritted her teeth. "That’s not how things work now. I won't do that for you. I'll leave you there to die and I won't think twice when I do it."
Silence.
Finally, the girl—Maddie—had nothing to say back to that. Saff felt a small sense of relief and satisfaction that the message had finally gotten across.
After a few more moments, Saff spoke again. "We’ll go in the morning."
Maddie sat there unmoving for a moment, before she finally gave one small nod.
Then Saff shifted her body to the side until her head rested more comfortably against the wall. And with that, she closed her eyes to sleep.
***
As the sleep slowly morphed into a dull alertness, she couldn't tell if it had been five minutes, five hours, or five days.
She swallowed down the thick dryness in her throat and rolled her shoulders. Aches and pains sprinted through her body, letting her know that whatever her state, at least she hadn't died in her sleep.
She reached beside her for where she’d left the flashlight, picking it up and illuminating the small bathroom.
When she panned to the left, Maddie stared back, eyes fixed on the flashlight in her hand. And even just from that split-second look, Saff could see the clear exhaustion on her face.
"How are you feeling?" Maddie asked, her voice raspier than before.
Saff shined the light down onto her stomach to check the bleeding. "Fine. Did you sleep?"
Maddie shook her head slightly.
Saff frowned. "You should have."
She peeled the cloth back from the wound. The bleeding was so light now that most of the blood had crusted and dried around it, but she knew it would reopen once they started moving. It would definitely need to be wrapped with something before they left.
