The man flipped back, his head jarring forward over the wide metal band around his neck. He sat down heavily, and Holly heard bones crack. The man made no other sound.
Shadows filled the doorway, instructions were shouted, and the zombie was dragged out of the room. They had it restrained on a long collar and stick. Once in the hallway outside, one of the shadows kicked the wasted man over and brought something heavy down onto his head. The crunch was sickening, but in the silence that followed everything felt different.
What the fuck?
Holly slid down the wall to the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest. The tall man who had welcomed her stood at the cell door and provided an answer.
‘I apologise for that,’ he said. ‘We had to check, but you can come out now. The furies never sing to their own.’
‘You bastard! You could have just asked.’
‘You came from somewhere else,’ he said. He’d told her his name was Drake Slater, and Holly thought she knew him from somewhere. Stupid, but the idea persisted. He shrugged. ‘I couldn’t take the risk. We know how the furies work in this world, but in yours . . .’ He held out his hands and shrugged.
‘How long have I been asleep?’
‘Almost a full day.’
‘You drugged me.’
He held out his hands again, half answer, half apology. It seemed as though he couldn’t stop staring at her.
Holly closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. The food spread before them on the small plastic table in the room that Drake had led her to looked simple and smelled mouth-watering, but Holly had yet to eat. Her thoughts were in turmoil – the reality of her situation threatened to overcome her. And this Earth, this alien place: their food, their water, anything here could kill her.
‘We call them zombies,’ she said, looking at Drake again. He was dressed in simple clothing, his hair was long and unkempt, yet his eyes sparkled with intelligence. His caution during their conversation was proof of that.
‘We used to as well,’ he said, ‘before they became real.’
‘Before?’
He blinked and looked away, unwilling to divulge anything.
‘I’m not here to cause harm,’ Holly said.
‘I know that,’ Drake said. ‘Now, will you eat with me? You must be hungry.’
‘I am,’ Holly said. ‘What is it?’
‘Rabbit, sauté potatoes, mushrooms, spring carrots. Basic but good. In your honour.’
‘My honour?’ she asked. But she could not smile. She looked at the food. ‘Nothing I don’t know, I hope.’
Drake put some food on a plate for her and smiled at her hesitation. ‘Excuse me,’ he said, picking a shred of meat from the plate and eating it.
‘So you’re not trying to poison me. Thanks. But I have so many questions,’ Holly said.
‘Us too. Now eat. You need your energy, and you’ve come—’
‘A long way,’ she said. And then Holly realised why she thought she recognised this man. He could have been Jonah thirty years ago, thirty pounds lighter, and with a life of struggle already behind him.
Her mind was in a spin.
Holly ate, and the food was wonderful. There was a freshness to it that was usually found only in the best restaurants, or in home-grown food. But after the fifth mouthful she thought of Melinda and had to concentrate so she could swallow without vomiting.
‘You’ve been through something horrific,’ Drake said. ‘I’ll do whatever I can to help.’
‘Thank you,’ she said. She took a drink of water, then sat back.
‘You didn’t bring any equipment through with you,’ he said.
‘I came through in a rush,’ Holly said, realising that he knew all this anyway. They must have been watching her from the moment she stepped through the breach.