Page 32 of Rebels Rising

‘I might go see Reece for a bit. He hasn’t come out of his room yet, I don’t think. I want to check on him.’

He froze at the mention of Reece’s name, guilt twisting his features before he had the chance to contain the reaction. ‘Are you sure?’

I nodded decisively. ‘I’m sure. He shouldn’t be alone right now.’

‘Okay, then.’ He flicked off some invisible dust from his shoulder as he recomposed himself, then opened the door. ‘I’ll see you soon. Love you.’

‘Love you too.’

The door snicked shut behind him, and I was left alone to get dressed.

I wound my way through the corridors as I tried to remember where Reece had chosen to stay, and eventually found myself facing a door I was almost sure was his. I rose my fist to knock but paused before my knuckles could make contact, trepidation panging through me. The last time we’d been alone in a room together we’d been strapped naked to cold metal tables and tortured mercilessly, the very core of our bodies altered by scientists for their own personal, evil plots. But I pushed that all aside. If he needed a friend, I would be there for him. His torture had been a more personal attack and he’d endured much more and much longer than I had.

I knocked firmly.

No answer.

I waited for a few moments then knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing. My heartrate quickened as my mind immediately conjured up worst-case scenarios, but I shoved them away. Perhaps he had left the room and was exploring the ship. Maybe he’d found a job to occupy himself until we reached our destination. He could have simply decided to find the gym and get in a workout, or he’d headed to the kitchens to grab himself a bite to eat. No answer didn’t necessarily mean something was wrong.

Still, my gut twisted with intuition, my instincts screaming at me that something was wrong. I tested the handle and found it unlocked, peeking my head inside warily.

The room was dim, the only light illuminating the space coming from the open doorway as I peered inside, but I could still see enough to catch sight of Reece sitting at the edge of the bed. He was staring blankly at the wall and he looked almost… empty. I called out to him as I stepped further into the room, but he barely acknowledged my presence. The only reason I knew he wasn’t completely catatonic was the barely visible twitch in his jaw as I moved closer.

‘Reece?’ I tried again. Still no response. My chest tightened with concern as I sat next to him and placed a gentle hand on his arm. ‘Reece, are you okay?’

He remained silent, his gaze blank as if he were lost in some sort of trance. I waved my hand in front of his eyes, but he didn’t even blink.

A wave of helplessness washed over me, reminiscent of how I’d felt in that room as I was bound, his screams echoing in my ears like ghosts.

When he remained stuck in whatever memory had caught him firmly in its clutches, I whispered into the room, ‘It’s going to be all right.’ I said it for myself just as much as him, and took his hand in mine, my grip tight.

Some part of me knew I needed to get Henrik, orsomeonewho could help, but I found myself holding vigil beside him. I couldn’t leave him like this. I just hoped my presence could somehow reach him.

CHAPTER 10

Reece

The pressure was heavy against me, the walls pressing in so close that I could barely breathe. I’d stopped trying to keep them from crushing me ages ago, but I’d lost track of time so I couldn’t say how long ago that was. I was simply letting the darkness compress me, stuck in the repetitive rut of the walls’ movements as they pulsed and convulsed around me.

Suddenly, a faint light cut through the darkness, but it was weak, like it was attempting to shine through a thickly opaque fog. A muffled voice accompanied the light, but it sounded as if they were shouting from an immense distance. I could hear them, but there were no discernible words. I wanted to move towards them, but I was stuck in place, my body held in place by the undulating walls.

The light went away and I got the sense that the other entity was suddenly keeping me company, both too far for me to reach but still right there, the warmth from their presence working to wash away some of the cold that had permeated deep into my bones. It wasn’t much, but it felt nice. The pressure from the walls lightened a little, the fog no longer so oppressing.

Sensation slowly worked its way back into my limbs, one small tingle at a time. Eventually, and I couldn’t say how long it took, but the tingling turned into painful pins and needles stabbing at my weakened muscles. Not that I had much of even those these days. A solar spent in solitary confinement inside a tiny room with hardly and space to fart let alone work out had reduced my previous stockiness to practically nothing.

I blinked sharply at the reminder of my old cell, the walls currently pressing in on me dissolving as I remembered that I was no longer there. I was free, and I had the space to bring my muscle mass back to where it used to be. If I so chose. I wasn’t sure if it was worth it if I were only going to end up back there anyway.

‘Reece?’ a soft voice called from beside me, the sound so cutting against the quiet that I jolted with a wince as it blared through the silence of the room. The room on the ship we’d taken to escape Nova Station, I suddenly recalled.

The unfamiliar surroundings rematerialized around me as the walls suddenly snapped back into place, far away from me. They weren’t crushing me. They weren’t even moving.

‘Reece? Sweetie, can you hear me?’

The voice was familiar; the higher pitch of a woman with the sensual cadence distinctive of a Griknot female. There was only one Griknot female I was particularly familiar with.

‘Addy?’

My voice was croaky, my throat dry, and I coughed as soon as air pushed through to speak.

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