Karrie approached the door slowly. With ample apprehension, she turned the knob and opened the door to a hallway. The hallway was filled with a thick, potent smoke and the smell of something large burning. There was only one way to go. She began to traverse her way through the narrow and long corridor. She turned a corner, another hallway. It was the second of what proved to be a labyrinth of many. Each path was lit only by the dim sunlight straining to reveal itself through the cold stucco surrounding each tiny hole in the wall—sad excuses for windows. She rounded the final corner and there he was.

He was stretched out casually on a black leather couch.

“John … It’s me …” Karrie said quietly to avoid startling him. He raised his head slightly.

“Come in, take a seat,” John said.

She placed herself in the one free chair. It was a safe distance away at about 7 feet.

“So then … did everything go as planned?” Karrie asked anxiously.

“Asking about business so quickly?” John replied as he readjusted himself into an upright position. Karrie rolled her eyes.

“John, I don’t have the time or patience to beat around the bush.”

John’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“Yes Karrie, it’s done …. But there were some complications …” Karrie stood up immediately and the urgency was clear in her voice.

“Complications? Care to explain?” she said.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle … nothing to concern yourself with, Karrie.”

John replied with such little care, aggravating Karrie further.

“John this is not a game! Of course this concerns me. This happened to both of us and I need to know you’ve done your part and it’s complete.”

John stood up and walked directly to her

“Karrie, calm down. I know you’re scared. I’m not sure how to feel about this myself. But don’t worry about the complications. I just ran into a few issues trying to find a place for it, but I figured it all out. You’re safer not knowing about it but trust me, it’s complete.”

He put his hand on her shoulder and she raised her head slightly and sighed.

“OK I just … I don’t know how to handle all of this. I mean our situation is pretty unique,” Karrie said.

“Well, did you handle your part? You can start with that,” John replied, suddenly cold again. She felt a distinctive sting of guilt.

“Yea h… uh, it’s done.” John noticed the hesitation in her voice.

“Yeah? How’d it go?” he asked quickly. Karrie shot him a stare that sliced through his suspicion.

“Without a hitch,” she replied.

His detachment always brought out her tough side. She figured she had to learn how to defend herself or leave herself vulnerable to harm.

“Well then, I guess it’s all taken care of,” John said. The sense of unsettled tension was palpable, and only exacerbated by the silence.

Then, the silence was broken.

The sound of a large crash and various items breaking made both of them stop and stand stiff. They both noticed the smell from the other room invade their space, becoming unbearable. Karrie instinctively clutched John’s arm as they turned nervously to peer down the bend of the dim hallway. They knew they had to speak as quietly as possible. With sweat dripping down her face, Karrie strained to hear John’s words. He grabbed her hand tightly. All he was able to whisper was, “run.”