And then the scraping of wood on stone cut through the quiet air and Kaia jumped.

'Is...is someone...there?' came a weak, pain-filled male voice from behind the desk to her right.

Kaia froze, hardly daring to breath. She looked to the door before her and then to the door behind. She could just ignore him; sneak through the next door while pretending not to have heard.

'Please...is there someone who can help me?' the man said in between fluid-filled coughs.

The sweat dripped from her forehead. Could she afford to trust him? Who was he? Who was she, for that matter. Apart from her name, nothing else was familiar. This entire situation was beyond strange. For all she knew it could mean her death to help the stranger.

'Please, I beg you...if you can hear me...I need help. The prisoners have all escaped and...I can't feel my legs any more...I don't know if you can help...but my wife and children should know what happened...,' he said, trailing off in another fit of coughs.

The door invited her to her freedom, to answers, but she could just leave him.