The man was at least six inches taller than her and much heavier, so Samantha had no hope of carrying him. After assessing the situation, she hooked him around the armpits and then dragged him back through the door. Sweat had broken out on her forehead by the time she managed to get him to the other end of the corridor.
The problem now would be getting him up the stairs. She sat down on the lowest step to take a break. If she were lucky, he might wake up before she had to try dragging him upstairs.
As she rested, she couldn't help staring at him. From her mother's picture she knew there were other people like her, but she'd never seen one in the flesh. She couldn't help but smile at the thought she wasn't a freak, not like the other kids had often said.
He still hadn't woke up after a few minutes. Maybe the bumpiness of going up the stairs would jar him awake. Or the fresh air upstairs might finally rouse him. She might as well try.
She again took him around the armpits and then began to drag him. She took it a step at a time so she wouldn't trip over the stairs; there was no sense in both of them being unconscious. About halfway up she heard him groan; it sounded almost like one of Pryde's beasts. She waited to see if he would wake up, but he didn't.
It seemed like an hour before she finally got him up the stairs. He still hadn't woke up yet. She rested for a couple of minutes before she dragged him outside. She left him to lie out in the sun, hoping that might prompt him to stir.
She sat on an overturned crate to study him in the sunlight. From the lines on his forehead and around his eyes and mouth, as well as the gray hairs in his beard, she knew he had to be much older than Miss Brigham, or at least as old as Miss Brigham appeared. He was probably about forty years old at least, if not more.
It occurred to her to check his pockets for identification. Her face warmed as she thought of reaching into his pockets for his wallet. What if he woke up then? He might think she was a thief. She didn't want him to think ill of her before they had a chance to talk.
At the same time, she badly wanted to know where he came from. Given his skin and hair color, she might come from the same place as him. There might be a whole town full of people with bronze skin and black hair, where a pasty blond like Helena would be the freak.