The cell door opened with a heavy metal scrape.
Iyisha lifted her head slowly.
A man stood outside the bars with a ring of keys hanging from his belt. Sunlight spilled through the doorway behind him, bright enough that it made her squint.
"Quarantine done," he said in accented English. "You two can walk."
Malcolm was already standing.
He didn't look at the guard. His eyes were on Iyisha.
She pushed herself upright carefully. Her legs still felt hollow, like the bones inside them had been replaced with something weak and unreliable.
Malcolm stepped closer automatically.
For a moment she thought he would help her stand.
But he stopped himself.
His hand hovered briefly in the air before falling back to his side.
Iyisha noticed.
She stood on her own.
The guard unlocked the cell and stepped back.
"Follow me," he said. "Marybeth has gotten out earlier than you."
