******
Kaylee had been uncertain to the means by which they would get to the Institute, but Malcolm's determination seemed to grow by the minute. He held his silence and moved swiftly, heedless of Kaylee's occasional statement or question.
The journey through the streets below Haven went easily enough; most everyone had been moved to one location or another for extraction to the surface. They encountered no one through their trek.
They reached the location which Kaylee identified as one of the entry spots for the soldiers to reach the surface. She glanced at her watch as she and Malcolm ascended the stairway; she hoped that it wouldn't be too late for them to be in and around the city streets. From what she knew, it was supposed to be pure chaos above, and it wouldn't do any good to get caught in the middle of it.
When she explained it repeatedly to Malcolm, he either didn't say anything or gave no more than an affirmation grunt. She was starting to get more and more irritated at his aloof behavior but didn't call him on it. He said he remembered something, and she admitted to herself that she was more than a little curious to find out about his origins.
"Good thing I followed Rick here," she muttered to no one in particular.
"Goood thhing," Malcolm hissed in agreement, surprising her with a response, especially in such a pointless, throwaway statement.
She was referring to the day he had snubbed and ordered her to accompany the civilian population. In her defiance, she decided to tail him and see where the other exit was, just in case. Neither he nor anyone else had seen her. She later decided to behave and not use it, but Malcolm's situation prompted her to action.
Kaylee didn't articulate any other random thoughts, and soon after they arrived in the exit, sliding through the side panel and crawling through a low ceiling. They ended up in a small storage room with a few garment racks. Clothes of various shapes and sizes hung on hangers.
Ignoring the scattered items in the room, the pair passed up a staircase then through another hidden break. Sliding the wooden panel closed once more, they found themselves in a hallway. Not long after, they were in the doorway, looking out into the street.
"Oh God," Kaylee said. The smell of smoke wafted about and an orange glow suffused the evening. She heard sounds of random gunfire and shouting closer than she would have preferred. She turned to Malcolm. "Okay, so. I have no idea where we are. Maybe we should go back." She grabbed the fabric of his overcoat
He looked at her. "No," he rasped. "Follow."
Kaylee bit her lip, passing a forlorn look back into the building behind her. She reluctantly followed behind Malcolm. He seemed to know where he was going; he led her along in silence, and her nervousness was tempered only by the comfort the night sky presented.
After a while, she could see the white building of the Institute, something she recognized from her childhood. With the sounds of combat behind and the uncertain ahead, she now wondered if disobeying and leaving her assignment had been the best idea after all.
Uprising Page 87