Melanie feels a little surge of hope at that. If they can give this bunch the slip, they might be able to make it to her room without running into any more of them. Her room, the one place in this building that was modified to be hungry-proof.
"Okay," she breathes as she edges down the stairs. "Step out there nice and slow, and hold the door open for me." The hungries have ceased following her - most have remained on the landing, and the most venturesome only made it half a flight before halting for lack of obvious prey - and she doesn't want the sudden swing of the door shutting to reclaim their interest.
She moves a little faster than Daniel did, but she has the luxury of practice (not to mention the far greater luxury of not being the hungries' food of choice). He only has to hold the door for a few minutes before Melanie edges through it - carefully, carefully - and takes charge of the door, easing it shut with painstaking slowness. When it finally shuts, it barely makes a sound.
Melanie stills for a few tense moments, listening for any kind of movement back in the stairwell, hearing none. Letting out a little sigh of relief, she finally turns her attention to Daniel.
He's definitely looking rattled - like Gallagher, he wasn't ready for this. But unlike Gallagher, he's been brave, and smart, and Melanie is suddenly struck by the realization that she likes him, soldier or no. She's so glad he didn't get bitten. She's going to make sure things stay that way.
Melanie slips her little hand into his much larger one and offers him a faint, lopsided smile. "Okay?" she asks quietly.
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"Okay," she breathes as she edges down the stairs. "Step out there nice and slow, and hold the door open for me." The hungries have ceased following her - most have remained on the landing, and the most venturesome only made it half a flight before halting for lack of obvious prey - and she doesn't want the sudden swing of the door shutting to reclaim their interest.
She moves a little faster than Daniel did, but she has the luxury of practice (not to mention the far greater luxury of not being the hungries' food of choice). He only has to hold the door for a few minutes before Melanie edges through it - carefully, carefully - and takes charge of the door, easing it shut with painstaking slowness. When it finally shuts, it barely makes a sound.
Melanie stills for a few tense moments, listening for any kind of movement back in the stairwell, hearing none. Letting out a little sigh of relief, she finally turns her attention to Daniel.
He's definitely looking rattled - like Gallagher, he wasn't ready for this. But unlike Gallagher, he's been brave, and smart, and Melanie is suddenly struck by the realization that she likes him, soldier or no. She's so glad he didn't get bitten. She's going to make sure things stay that way.
Melanie slips her little hand into his much larger one and offers him a faint, lopsided smile. "Okay?" she asks quietly.