Bill fell silent then, didn't say a word as we travelled the short hallway past a large pair of doors to what had to be communal bathrooms and out into the main corridor again. Had my own silence cut off his willingness to speak? I didn't know but hadn't the strength to put him first when my stomach churned about as fast as my mind.
Helped to look around and force myself to be curious, even a little. This whole area, while tidy and finished, didn't have the kind of polished perfection of the main lodge. Plain gray carpet and ordinary white walls with a few signs dotting the emptiness with directions to bathrooms and the main lobby were punctuated by someone's vain attempt at décor with a few stock photo posters in cheap frames. Clearly the builders hadn't thought esthetic appeal important when it came to staff. The corridor we walked turned to the right, set with multiple plain white doors with placards beside them bearing names in magic marker.