Of course, Iris started protesting his decision to stop traveling immediately. As she tried to convince him that she was fine he just shook his head, unconvinced. He was learning that there was no point in arguing with her about it. For some reason, she was determined to get him back to the capital today come hell or high water, even though she was clearly running a high fever. He had no idea why she was trying so hard, but he did know that the strain couldn’t be good for whatever sickness had crept over her last night. He wasn’t going to be the reason why she became seriously ill as long as he had a say in it.

[color=#b97703]“It’s my other arm that’s injured,”[/color] he reminded her as she mentioned the wounded limb. [color=#b97703]“And besides, I know you’re just trying to come up with another excuse, Iris. It’s not going to work, so you should save your energy for walking instead of fighting me on this, okay?”[/color] As he spoke, he led her toward the buildings he’d seen. Like the rest of Bel Bicis, they were in pretty bad shape, but they were the only potential safe havens he could see nearby. Worried about Iris’s condition, he wasn’t about to wander around the district in a blind search for something better either. For her sake, this was the best they could do until she was well enough to move on.

[color=#b97703]“Why?”[/color] he asked when she continued to press that she needed to bring him back to the capital that day. [color=#b97703]“I want to get there even more than you do, but even I can tell that giving you a break is more important right now. You can barely even stand up without help.”[/color] Her stubbornness baffled him. He wondered why she was so insistent on making sure he got home that evening. It was dangerous for him to stay outside the capital when the rebels were looking for him, but aside from that, he couldn’t think of a reason why she would be so determined to keep moving.

Deciding not to get too hung up on it, he led her to the front of the closest building and pulled the door open with his left hand. The motion burned his arm, but he kept his discomfort to himself, so she wouldn’t have another reason to protest. [color=#b97703]“We’ll keep moving when you don’t look like you’re about to keel over at the slightest gust of wind,”[/color] he posed, implying that he wasn’t going to agree to her offer of stopping for only an hour unless it made sense to do so.

Making his way through the ground floor hallway, he felt her stumble against his side and tightened his grip on her waist to make sure she didn’t fall. Idly, he was glad that he’d had a couple full meals recently, so he had enough strength to half-carry her without collapsing any time she threw off his balance. Staying at Maisie’s place had been just what they’d needed, and now, he had to find another apartment—preferably an empty one—where they could hide out until her fever broke.

As they passed by each door, he tested the knobs. Quite a few were unlocked, but when he peeked inside, he found that most of them were decorated with more corpses. The sight of families killed inside their own homes made him want to lose his breakfast, and he turned away quickly from each brutal scene he came across until he finally found a room that was open, but no one was inside.

Carefully, he brought Iris into the living room and set her down on an old sofa. [color=#b97703]“Don’t move. I’m going to make sure no one else is here,”[/color] he informed her softly. He doubted there was anyone inside the apartment, but one could never be too careful. As quietly as he could, he left the living room to open each of the bedroom doors, checking inside closets and under beds until he felt sure they were alone. Whoever had owned this place was probably among the piles of corpses in the plaza.

He shivered at the thought and headed back out to where he’d left Iris. [color=#b97703]“All clear,”[/color] he sighed, sitting down heavily on the other side of the couch. The room was dark aside from the light that came in through one window across from them, but he didn’t dare turn on any lights, so they wouldn’t draw the attention of any passerbys outside.

[color=#b97703]“Did Maisie pack any medicine in your backpack?”[/color] he asked, turning to her with a frown. [color=#b97703]“It would probably be a good idea to try to get your fever down a little, so you don’t get too dehydrated.”[/color] He didn’t know much about flesh wounds, but because of his father’s poor health, he was sufficiently educated in dealing with illnesses.