Dale awoke slowly, like being pulled gently back to the world. The first thing he noticed was the lack of pain. No headache, no sore muscles. This was probably the best he'd felt in months.
He forced his eyes to open and found himself staring into near pitch black.
"Finally awake I see," a voice called from the darkness.
Suddenly lights overhead flicked on, causing Dale to close his eyes again. Tears still formed as the brightness leaked through his eyelids.
"Welcome," a young voice said from nearby.
He turned to look at Jazia. She looked different. Kinder. Less child-serial-killer-y. Maybe the drugs they had given him hadn't quite worn off yet.
"Where am I?" he mumbled, his body still waking up.
The girl smiled at him. It seemed genuine. Maybe she was taking pity on him after all the crap they'd put him through.
"Home. At least your temporary home," she replied, stepping back and gesturing to the room behind her.
It was significantly nicer than his two previous accommodations since betraying the Shadows. The walls were painted and a rug covered the majority of the concrete floor. He was on an actual bed with pillows and everything. A desk with a chair was tucked in the corner across from the bed while a bookshelf sat next to it. A dresser stood at the foot of the bed. A small nightstand and armchair completed the furniture ensemble.
Dale took it all in with his mouth slightly agape. This couldn't be real.
"What's the catch?" he said, his eyes flickering back to Jazia.
Her smile faltered for a split second, but she quickly composed herself. "There isn't one. We just want to make you comfortable."
He eyed her suspiciously. Something was definitely up. He just had no idea what the game was this time. He didn't have many options so playing along seemed like the best ploy.
"Well this just seems a little nice for someone who recently betrayed you," Dale said, trying to remove the accusatory tone from his voice.
She placed hand on his shoulder. "Try to relax. We're just trying to figure things out right now and feel that keeping you someplace a little more homey would help ease some tensions."
"Ease tensions…" Dale continued to stare at her, still unable to see the true purpose behind another room shift.
"You hungry?" Jazia said, either pretending to not notice his suspicious look or just not care.
"Not if it means getting drugged again."
The girl smiled. "No. That was just to help alleviate some of the symptoms from your last interview with the boss."
Dale rolled his eyes at how casual everyone seemed about his recent torture experience. "Right. Remind me to not sign up for that again." If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Jazia helped him sit up and move to the desk. Just as he was getting seated, Kelly walked in carrying a tray similar to the one before.
"Hey Dale. How are you feeling?" she said coming towards the pair.
Dale forced himself to smile, finding it easier than expected. "All things considered, not too bad. How long was I out?"
"Only a day this time," Kelly replied, sliding the tray onto the desk in front of him.
"This time?" He looked at her, concerned at the amount of time he'd lost since the failed escape attempt.
"Don't stress too much about it, kid," Jazia said. She gestured for him to eat.
Dale wanted to press for more information, but the aroma of the food on the tray stole his attention.
"We'll leave you to it." Jazia stepped towards the door, but Kelly lingered.
"I think I might stay, Aunt Jaz. That is-" she turned to Dale. "If Dale doesn't mind some company."
An awkward pause ensued as both women waited for him to finish chewing the large bite he had just taken. He sighed internally, wishing he had just a little more self control.
Finally able to swallow and clear his throat, Dale expressed his appreciation at having a friend remain. A friend… He wondered if that was the right word to describe Kelly given her involvement in the evil secret organization which tortured people and kept slaves.
Kelly took a seat on the bed as Jazia exited. Silence ensued as Dale ate. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kelly absent mindedly tracing the blanket on the bed with her finger.
Unable to bear the quiet any longer, he spoke up. "So, did you have a chance to go see a movie while I was unconscious and… stuff?"
She swung her gaze up to meet his, a genuine smile appearing on her face. "Would you believe I still didn't get to a theater within the past week?"
A week. Had it actually been a week since the botched kidnapping and failed escape? Dale smiled and took another bite to prevent himself from thinking too much about it. At least he was alive and not a slave.
"You know, that was a gutsy move you did with messing up the mission and trying to cut free." Kelly's tone turned more serious.
Dale was at a loss for words for several seconds. She was watching him, but not in an angry way, rather, she appeared to be more curious. Maybe she could be a way out.
"I guess that's one way to describe it," he replied. "Haven't you ever been desperate enough to try something like that?"
His companion took some time to collect her own thoughts.
She began quietly, barely more than a whisper. "When I decided to escape, I knew that there wasn't a place on this planet I could go that the Shadows wouldn't find me, so I sought my freedom a bit differently…" She paused, lowering her head. "But in trying to end my life, I only made things worse for everyone else."
Well, that took an unexpected turn. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Dale said, unsure of what else he could add.
She raised her hand to wipe some tears from her eyes. "Yeah, it was definitely a dark time. Not something I want to talk about, but I just thought…"
Dale waited for her to continue, still struggling to find the right words to help her.
Kelly took a deep breath. "I just thought that if I shared some of my experience, you wouldn't feel so alone. Maybe I can help you since I've been where you are."
He was touched. She clearly wanted to make things easier for him. Dale was starting to realize that Kelly might be the one person he could trust in this bunker of death.
Standing up, he walked over to the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. Their eyes met, tears still welling up in hers.
"Thank you," Dale said. "Thank you for sharing and for being my friend and most of all, thank you for still being here so we could meet. I wouldn't have survived my first few days here without you."
She grabbed his hand and then pulled him into a hug. Stooping awkwardly, Dale placed his arms around her. This was the beginning of something. Dale didn't know what it was, but he knew that it would be something that could last.