I woke feeling better. There was still panic when I came out of a deep sleep in unfamiliar surroundings, but after crawling out from under the bed and surveying the room, everything was as it had been. The dresser was against the door, the window was braced from the inside, and my bag was still on the mattress 

Good. Nobody had gotten in while I was asleep.

I went to the window and looked out. The roof sloped down on the other side and from the edge, was probably a twelve foot drop to the ground. It wasn't so high that I couldn't get down. Getting back up would be difficult, but ideally I'd never have to think about that.

Sounds out in the hall pulled me away from the window and I tiptoed back to the bed, listening.

A knock gently tapped on the door.

“Taylor?” the woman from earlier called out. “Are you awake?”

I walked to the door, and pulled the dresser aside.

“Y-yes,” I answered.

“Would you like some dinner?”

I hesitated. My stomach had been digesting itself for a bit now and the pain had gone from sharp and jabbing to a dull ache. I needed to secure food but I didn't like the idea of eating with these people I didn't know.

“Are you feeling okay?” The woman asked 

“Uh, I'm fine.”

“How about I bring you some food and you can eat up here?” She offered. “I know this might be a bit overwhelming for you.”

That sounded like a better option than trying to sit calmly with these people. “Yes,” I agreed. “Thank you.”

With that I stepped away from the door. I got a change of clothes from my bag and neatly folded my dirty ones back into it. It felt better to be a bit cleaner, even if my skin was oily. But so far I hadn't had a secure place to shower or bathe. There was a tiny bathroom attached to this room, but there was no way to know if the mirrors were normal or one-way or if there’d been a camera installed or any number of other things.

The woman returned to my door and knocked again.

I winced and went over, cracked the door open to be sure it was just her.

She gave me a smile and handed over a plate of food and a few small packages. “In case you're hungry later,” she explained. “I'll let you be but feel free to come down or call if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” I told her and gently closed the door.

Then I sat at the desk, turning the chair to a more comfortable angle to see the door from and looked down at the food.

The plate had some chicken on it, cut up but otherwise looking plain, mashed potatoes and a generous pile of green beans. The two packages she had handed me were protein bars.

I sniffed at the hot food. It smelled clean, so I took a small bite of everything and then sat in the bed to watch for symptoms. I desperately needed the food but couldn't bring myself to just eat.

Still the flavor and warmth in my mouth made the rush of saliva come and I found myself swallowing it back while my stomach angrily gnawed on itself, looking for the promised meal.

Instead I ate one of the protein bars after a thorough investigation of the packaging. There were no signs of tampering so I settled to eat that for now.

After an hour I felt the same, my stomach somewhat less angry, and I finally ate the now-cold dinner.

It was delicious and I abandoned trying to use the knife and fork, settling to pick up chicken slices and ripping large chunks off to shove in my mouth. 

It was by far one of the best meals I ever had. The woman came around to pick up my dirty dishes a couple hours later and blinked at the clean plate.

“Would you like more?” She asked.

I shook my head through the half open door  “Thank you.”

“Okay, let me know if you need anything at all.”

“Thank you,” I repeated, softer this time.

She left me alone and I gently shut the door.

My stomach was full, almost painfully so now. It wouldn't hurt to take the night to sleep some more before I set off to find my way back to the camp. I put the remaining protein bar in my bag and quietly moved the dresser back in front of the door, and checked to be sure the window was still braced shut. Then I crawled under the bed again and got some more sleep.

AN: It's been a crazy week but we're just about a full week of updates in. So naturally it's time for me to implore everybody to feel free to leave any feedback, questions or concerns in the comments below. I try to respond to people but its been hectic so... anyway, hope you enjoy the story.