The boy remained in the hole, peeking through the slightly raised wood. His fingers tightened around the edge of the wooden cover as his eyes moved cautiously from one face to another, lingering longer on the weapons before returning to Laurel.
While the woman behind him pulled him back slightly and leaned forward again, her sharp and guarded gaze drifted over one after the other as if trying to decide whether they were telling the truth or simply waiting for the right moment to attack.
"You said you're not infected," she said, her voice low and strained as though it had not been used properly in a long time. "Then what are you all doing here?"
Her eyes flickered briefly toward the soldiers before returning to Laurel, her grip tightening against the wooden edge as if ready to pull the cover shut at any second.
