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Saff waited for her to continue, and when she didn’t, she asked quietly, “What happened before that?”
Maddie’s throat bobbed as she swallowed, her chin dropping. Then she took her hand, wrapping both of her own around it securely, as if she was terrified to let go.
With her head turned slightly away, Saff could see one part of her hair matted with small flakes of blood crusted around the strands.
Saff reached her free hand up, gently brushing her fingers around it to reveal a small gash hidden beneath the blonde locks.
Maddie swallowed again, leaning back into her hand as she moved it away from the healing wound.
“After you—“ she started, her voice barely above a whisper as she sniffled softly. “After you passed out—“ Maddie squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head, as if to shake away the memory. “Some people came.”
Saff’s body tightened involuntarily, and she clenched her jaw at the flicker of pain that vibrated through her torso.
“I had to throw one of the grenades.” Maddie opened her eyes then, leaning her head back and taking a steadying breath. “Then I threw the second one when the infected came.”
Saff went completely still, watching the way Maddie’s lips moved with the words.
“The flare gun didn’t work,” Maddie whispered, new tears lining her eyes. “I thought..” She trailed off as a single tear overflowed, falling down her cheek.
Maddie blinked, wiping it away before taking another deep breath. Then she shook her head again.
“They found us—my mom and dad and Josh. When we didn’t meet them, they came looking, and I guess they heard the blasts from the grenades.”
Saff looked down then, nodding slightly as she pieced together the parts that Maddie had clearly avoided saying out loud.
Maddie fell quiet again, in a silence that was so unlike her.
“What happened..” Saff started, her fingers trailing back up Maddie’s neck and stopping before the wound on her head.
Maddie swallowed, wiping her face once more. “Something hit me,” she whispered. “After I threw the second grenade.”
Anger flared in Saff’s chest.
Not just anger at whatever had forced Maddie to throw the grenade in the first place, but anger at herself for not staying conscious long enough to protect her.
Maddie rubbed a soothing hand up her arm, as if somehow sensing and working to calm the new fury that brewed beneath her skin.
Saff opened her mouth to speak, then immediately stopped as two familiar figures emerged from the doorway.
Erin gave her a relieved, wide smile, stepping through on silver crutches. “They let us know you’d woken up,” she said,hobbling up to the bed beside Maddie, who didn’t so much as move a muscle.
“How are you feeling?” James asked with a smile, following closely behind her.
Saff cleared her throat, then nodded, relieved at the confirmation of their safety.“Better than the last time I was awake.”
Maddie stiffened slightly, and she threw her a glance. But her dark expression was unreadable.
Erin moved forward, giving Maddie’s arm a light, comforting squeeze.
“Is Josh..” Saff trailed off, and James seemed to understand the question.
“He’s fine,” he said, throwing a nod somewhere over his shoulder. “He’s out there helping sort through the supply drop that just came in.”
Saff nodded, still unable to picture the entirety of the seemingly well run safe zone they now inhabited.
“Its different here,” James said, again seeming to understand what she was thinking. “Different in a good way. They have a good setup, but it’s not like before. They expect attacks, and they have measures in place to handle those situations when they arise.”
Saff listened, nodding along, although she wasn’t convinced. She’d heard it all countless times before.