text: When Billie next returned, neither of them spoke of the awkwardness of their last parting. Part of Madeline longed to apologise, to smooth things over so everything could go back to how it was. But she was too reticent to bring it up. What if Billie asked for an explanation? What if she made things worse? And so, she let things fester under the surface while pretending everything was fine. Their visit was brief, anyway, and soon they’d left for the next planning meeting. For the rest of the week, Madeline focussed on building up her strength, under Lena’s careful supervision. The work provided a much-needed distraction, and she’d come to find the doctor’s conversation comforting. “So how do you think I’m doing?” she asked as they strolled around the block. “Good,” Lena replied. “In fact... I think you might be ready to try a light job.” At Madeline’s excited expression, she held up a warning finger. “A *light* jog. No running. No sprinting. And you stop if you feel *any* discomfort! Okay?” “Okay,” Madeline replied with a nod. A cheeky smile tugged at her lips. “Race you back to the house!” “Mad--” “Kidding! Kidding!” She held up her hands in a placating gesture, before taking off at a *light* jog. Though her muscles felt stiff and weak, there was no flare of pain or stabbing sensation from her injury, only the dull ache that she was more than used to. After the first couple of strides, she heard the rhythmic footfall of Lena jogging along behind her. “Everything alright?” the medic asked. “Yep,” she called back over her shoulder. “Better than alright. It feels *good* to be moving again.” Despite her assurances to her friend, she found herself gradually picking up the pace, revelling in the sensation of the breeze on her face. When they arrived back at the house, she was out of breath, mousy locks plastered to her forehead by sweat. “I’m not sure I’d call that a *light* jog,” Lena panted. “But at least we can say your leg seems all better.” Madeline turned to face her, chest swelling with hope. “Does that mean--” The doctor nodded. “You can go along to the next meeting. And go back to looking after yourself without me bothering you all the time!” She chuckled. Despite the excitement surging through her, Madeline’s heart dropped slightly at those words. “Will you... I mean, does that mean you’re going to... you know... Will I still see you?” Lena grinned. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried!” Madeline breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously, the doctor would be useful to have around for their rescue mission. But beyond that, she wasn’t sure she could cope without her new friend’s company. Especially given Billie’s current coldness towards her. “Now,” Lena said, snapping her attention back to the moment, “how about we test out your leg a little more?” “Hmm?” “What do you say to some sparring?” Lena laughed at Madeline’s shocked expression. “I promise I won’t be as... enthusiastic about it as Billie. But it would probably be wise to make sure you’re combat-ready before heading back out into the world.” “In that case, how could I refuse?” Lena led her to one of the larger back gardens on the street and invited her to make the first blow. Although Madeline felt clumsy at first, she was relieved to find that her muscles held the memory of the movements well enough. She’d soon sunk into a familiar rhythm, dodging, blocking, and even getting a few good licks in herself, though she was certain the medic was going easy on her. She’d just slipped to the side and was bringing her now-healed leg up for a roundhouse kick when a humming sound reached her ears. She froze. Cold washed through her. Her eyes met Lena’s, and she saw her terror reflected there. But there wasn’t time to panic. It might have been a while since she’d had to deal with danger, but just like with the sparring, instinct kicked in. “We’ve got to separate,” she whispered. Indecision flicked across Lena’s face. Before she could protest, Madeline insisted, “I’ll be fine.” Finally, the doctor nodded. But before they could run in separate directions, she grabbed Madeline’s arm. “Meet me back in the village we stayed in. On the first night after we met.” Then, she turned and ran. After a second’s pause, Madeline did the same, taking off through the house to grab her stuff on the way. But the sight of her single walkie-talkie made her freeze once more. *What about Billie?* They would be back again soon, with no idea where she’d gone. She listened carefully. The humming was closer now. Too close. But perhaps without Lena here it wouldn’t be able to sense her. Perhaps it would just pass by. Or perhaps, it had already locked onto them. Perhaps more were coming. She knew she shouldn’t risk it. But she couldn’t risk losing Billie either. And not just because of how she felt about them. But because they were her link to the group. Her link to the rescue mission. Her link to saving Liam. She looked around frantically for a piece of paper or a pen -- anything to leave a note. Her eyes landed on a pencil. She grabbed it and started scrawling on the wall as quickly as she could. ‘*AT LAST STOP*’ When she was done, she peeked out the door to check the coast was clear before taking off down the street at a run, her pack jostling on her back and a copy of *Wuthering Heights* clasped firmly in one hand. Stiff muscles screamed at her as she picked up the pace, but she ignored them. After all, straining her injury getting away was definitely preferable to reopening it in a fight for her life. She didn’t slow down until she was certain the only sounds she could hear were her own footfall and rasping breaths. By the time she did, her lungs were burning and her heart felt like it might burst from her chest. She limped onward as best she could until she found somewhere that looked suitable to stop for the night -- an old cottage set back from the road, hidden by huge overgrown hedges. Once inside, she forced herself to remain upright long enough to sweep it for any other visitors. As soon as she was sure it was clear, she slumped down onto the bed, finally allowing her trembling legs to rest. As she lay there, birdsong drifted to her on the breeze. For the first time in a while, Madeline realised, there might be no other humans for miles. Given how used to isolation she’d once been, the thought shouldn’t have been as troubling as it was.