Page 39 of Forged in Deception

Karlin was making the rounds slowly, stopping for a few moments behind each person as she passed. She was definitely the most interesting person to look at, and not simply because of how pretty she was, even wrapped in a blanket with her hair tumbling halfway out of its bun.

Asher could see the genuine care on her face as she monitored her patients, took short notes, and occasionally conferred with Bajwa in a whisper. She was good at her job. And not just the part of it that involved hiding in a lab mixing chemicals.

Despite the generally prickly attitude that she gave off and her obvious preference for solitude, she was unable to hide her underlying kindness. Even in the short time he’d known her, it was clear to Asher that she was a woman who cared deeply for other people. It impressed him.

Bajwa stepped back from the CD player and glanced around the room as the sound of slow drumbeats began to fill the hut.

His eyes lingered for several seconds on Asher.

It wasn't the first time, but he couldn’tbe sure if it was because he stood out or because Bajwa was analyzing everyone and he was just being paranoid.

Asher used the edge of his blanket to dab at his forehead, and Bajwa looked away at last.

Though everyone looked normal for the most part, there were little things that Asher couldn’t easily fake, the profuse sweating being one of them. Hopefully, it wasn’t enough of a clue for his deception to be found out.

As Bajwa wandered toward Karlin on the other side of the hut, Asher noticed the sound of the drumbeats was getting much louder and more intense. He adjusted his position on the mat, closed his eyes, and let himself drown in the music. It wasn’t exactly Neil Peart, but he was still thankful to have something a little more interesting to listen to than the dulcet birdsong of a fake jungle.

After a few minutes, however, he changed his mind.

The drumbeats had not remained as they were. Instead, they had grown even faster, and they were now interspersed with a discordant ringing noise every few seconds. It was an actively unpleasant sound, and it was all he could do not to press his hands over his ears to try and dampen it.

He opened his eyes again and glanced around the room, a chill creeping up his spine even as he pulled the blanket in more tightly around his shoulders. Everyone else was sitting just asthey had been a few moments before, except Cora had gone from carefully examining her hand to staring in fascination at a piece of fiber she’d pulled from her mat.

Asher caught Karlin’s eye as she strode by his mat, and to his surprise, she stopped instead of instantly looking away. She knelt down in front of him, notebook at the ready, and looked him over slowly, writing down some scribble he couldn’t read.

Her hands still looked a little bit shaky, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. Asher found himself thanking God for the same boredom he’d been lamenting moments before. It may have sucked for him, but the uneventfulness of the night was better for Karlin, and that was all that he actually needed.

He peered over her shoulder and, finding Bajwa was still looking in the opposite direction, reached out and touched the edge of her forearm. “You’re doing an amazing job,” he said in a whisper.

She gave him a small smile, and he was pretty sure she actually blushed.

He let his fingertips fall away from her pale skin, but to his surprise, she leaned in closer. He felt a shiver as her breath touched his ear. “Bajwa doesn’t suspect a thing. We’ll talk later.”

The moment passed all too quickly before she was on her feet again.

She walked over to Paul and, to Asher’s dismay, whispered in his ear as well. Apparently, their little moment was nothing more than her standard observation procedure.

He watched as she spoke quietly to Lily and Cora in turn, writing down more scribbles on her notepad. Finally, she approached Destiny, whose eyes were pressed firmly shut.

Asher watched as Karlin drew out a hand and gently patted Destiny’s shoulder and announced her presence aloud.

Without warning, Destiny let out a guttural, terrified scream.

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

KARLIN

Karlin shrank back as Destiny wailed.

Her heart was racing, and once again, she felt like she was going to throw up herself, but she couldn’t let it show on her face.

The memories were back again, pressing at her mind, trying to knock her off-balance as the fear coursed through her.

That night was burned into her mind, etched as firmly as a tribal cave painting on stone. Amira had panicked just like this.

And at the time, Karlin had panicked, too.

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