Chapter 4
She woke up in a room alone. This was the fourth day in a row that she had been here, and still no one was around. From the slit in the wall that was to be considered a window, Sydney could tell that, if the pattern repeated, soon someone would send stale bread and warm stew through the door, which would open only enough for the bowl and plate to enter. She would wait until she was sure that no one was around, and then, and only then would she eat.
She only remembered pieces of the accident… firing a gun, Francie, a fire, Will in the bathtub like Danny had been, someone carrying her out, and then waking up here. There was no odor, no slime or filth. There was nothing. She was alone, cold, and hungry. But she felt no pain, every night she knew that they tended her wounds, the burns, and gave her some pain medication.
In her head she replayed the night that she lost everything. Francie, Will, and Vaughn were gone; they thought she was dead. She knew that there was no way that she could have survived that fire, and every now and again she wondered if she were dead…if this was purgatory. She knew it wasn't because she didn't believe in purgatory, but still, what else could it be?
The door opened now, and two men walked into the room. Gently, they took Sydney from her corner of the room, and picked her up. She was carried through halls, made turn after turn, and suddenly, Sydney realized that she couldn't remember where her room was. The frantic feeling of being lost sank in and soon turned into panic.
They turned one final corner, and one of the men opened a door. Inside was a table. The walls were still uncovered stone, and still just as cold looking as her cell was, but equally as clean. The table was beautiful, and full of warm steaming food that smelled delightful. At the far end of the room was another door. Similar to the one they had entered through, only it seemed a little taller, and maybe a little wider, but still made of the same thick metal.
"Please sit and wait, Ms. Thorne."
Sydney was placed in a chair at one end of the table. She didn't know why they had called her 'Thorne' but she didn't care at this point. She was going to wait. Nothing had been done to her that would make her feel threatened; whoever these people were they had saved her life.