Seri…had nothing left to give. He was tired—bone tired. Tired of fighting, tired of running, tired of hiding. He was just exhausted, emotionally and physically. Because it had been years. Seri had been living in this constant state of fear for years, and it seemed he’d never be free of it…
Once they landed in seven days or so, he was sure it would all hit him then. The fear, the embarrassment, the anger, he’d likely embody it all. But, for now, he prayed that this weird numbness would hold, and stop him from breaking down once again.
When Severo started to walk, Seri wordlessly followed. He almost ran into the man when he suddenly stopped. Seri glanced forward and his eyes widened at the ramp. The tube-shaped ramp was long and dimly lit, with only small spotlights in the ceiling every five feet or so. It was also wall to wall windows.
Had he thought space wasn’t terrifying? He’d been mistaken, for sure.
Severo glanced back at him, face grim. “Why don’t you go in front of me, and I can shine my phone light?”
Seri almost relaxed at the idea when the woman behind them said, “Sir, there is no phone use allowed in the tunnel until you reach the craft.”
“I’m aware of your policy on pictures. But I’m not going to take a picture. I’m going to use the flashlight,” the Dweller said stiffly.
“The policy is?—”
“Your policy is there so people can’t take pictures of things in a way that may damage your company’s reputation. But the fact that you all obviously can’t handle something as simple as changing a light bulb, makes me wonder what else you aren’t doing,” Severo snapped.
The woman gasped, but the Dweller ignored her and turned to Seri, his expression apologetic. “Come on, Seri. I will know if something or someone is in the shadows. I won’t let anything happen.”
Seri stared for a moment. He wasn’t sure he had heard the man speak so harshly before…
Severo waved him ahead of him. Seri sighed, and despite the darkness surrounding on both sides, he forced himself forward. He stayed focused on each beam of light, as if they were a spot of safety.
He managed well until they came across one that had burned out. At that spot of blackness, Seri froze.
It was irrational, he knew. Seri could see that nothing was in that area of the walkway. Beyond that spot, not so much. The space outside was dark, because Mars was blocking the sun from where they were at.
Seri stared and tried to logic his way past the dark spot. As someone who had always been very logical, he knew logically that Preston was not there. The man would never come to fetch Seri himself. Not when it was much easier to get others to do it for him.
But that was the thing about irrational fears, logic didn’t really come into play. And perhaps his fear was not so irrational. For the last almost six years of his life, shadows and darkness had been something that had constantly brought him pain.
And escaping had not made the shadows any safer, with the agent chasing him being a Shadow Dweller as well.
At something brushing against his arm, Seri flinched back, plastering himself against the rounded wall of the walkway.
“Easy there. It’s just me,” Severo stated. The male gently gripped his arm with the hand that was linked to his.
Brows pinched in concern, the Dweller eyed him. Seri peered into Severo’s worried eyes, then passed him to the dark spot and back again.
Severo frowned. “There’s nothing there, Seri. He’s not there. I promise. I’d know if he was.”
“Ha…does it really matter? You are delivering me to him anyway.”
Severo sighed and started to speak, but a throat clearing stopped whatever he planned to say.
The woman who had been standing before the gate was behind them now, her expression irritated.
“We can’t begin boarding normal passengers until you have cleared the ramp and have…” Her gaze flicked briefly to Seri before continuing, “Secured the prisoner.”
He hunched at the look of disgust in her eyes. “Apologies for holding you up,” Seri muttered, face heating as his heart started to beat faster.
Apparently, the numbness was gone…
“We’ll hold you up as long as we want,” Severo growled.
With a light grip, Severo used his hold on his arm to guide him forward, murmuring words of assurance as he practically dragged him past the spot of darkness. Seri allowed it, for what else could he do?
That grip remained until they made it inside the craft, where another attendant guided them to what appeared to be a large private cabin.
