Chapter 31: Shared Room
They walked through the silent streets. In a short time they arrived back at the narrow alley next to Sophia’s house. Throughout the entire journey Sophia wanted to ask Adam questions. She wanted to know what happened on the hill. She wanted to know why he was being hunted. But she could see from the rigid set of his shoulders and the cold silence he maintained that he wouldn’t answer her. He walked a few paces ahead a solitary figure lost in his own dark world.
Sophia slipped the key into the lock of the side gate. She turned it as slowly and quietly as she could. The gate opened with a low groan. She slipped inside first her heart pounding.
She paused listening for any sign that the sound had woken someone in the house. The house remained silent. She turned and looked at Adam. She gave him a small nod and gestured for him to come inside.
Adam followed her moving with a silent grace that surprised her. He stepped into the narrow corridor that ran alongside the shop on the ground floor. He had seen the small shop before. It was the business that Sophia’s mother ran to support their family. On the opposite side of the shop a set of stairs led up to the living quarters. Sophia was already at the bottom of the stairs motioning for him to follow.
He moved silently behind her up the creaking wooden steps. He thought to himself if this had been the old me my heart would be pounding out of my chest right now. I would be a nervous wreck. But in the last few days I’ve experienced things that have changed me. I’m not the same person I was before. The thought was a cold hard fact in his mind. He was no longer the boy who was afraid of getting caught. He was the man who had faced death again and again.
They reached the second floor. Sophia quietly opened the door to her room. Adam slipped inside. Sophia followed closing the door gently behind them. She turned to face him a nervous blush creeping up her cheeks. "You can sleep on the bed," she whispered her voice barely audible. "I’ll sleep on the floor."
Adam looked at her. Then his gaze shifted to the small simple bed against the wall. He let out a long slow sigh. He was too tired to argue. "As you wish," he said his voice low and toneless. He didn’t say another word. He walked over to the bed and lay down pulling the blanket over himself.
Sophia had wanted to talk to him more. She had a thousand questions burning in her mind. But as she watched him lie down she saw the deep exhaustion in his posture. He was asleep almost instantly. She lost her courage. She couldn’t bring herself to wake him. She took a spare blanket from her closet laid it out on the floor and lay down herself. It took her a long time to fall asleep her mind still racing with the events of the night. But eventually after hours of staring at the ceiling she finally drifted off.
Sometime later just as the first light of dawn was beginning to break Adam’s eyes snapped open. For a disorienting moment he was confused. He didn’t recognize the room. Then the memories of the previous night came flooding back. Sophia his house the confrontation in the park. It all came back in a rush. He understood where he was. He looked down and saw Sophia asleep on the floor her face peaceful in the dim light.
He sat up slowly swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He looked out the window. He could see the sun beginning to rise over the city skyline. It was time for him to leave. He didn’t want to wake her. He had decided last night that he would not follow her home. But her sheer determination her refusal to leave him alone had worn him down.
He had finally given in. He realized now that it had been a fortunate turn of events. It had given him a safe place to spend the night a place that wasn’t rigged to explode. He still had no idea where the bombs in his own house were located. Coming here had saved his life. He let out another deep sigh.