Page 94 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol 2
Silence. Then, a step back. Baldy drops his eyes, mutters something I don’t bother decoding. His buddies follow, grudgingly.
I turn to Sam.
“You’ll be alright. Stay close to me.”
I guide her to her sleep pod—the one furthest from the others. A quiet corner, tucked away from prying eyes. She slips inside silently, still shaken. I stay where I am for a moment, scanning the area.
Then I decide to move. My original sleeping spot, across the hangar, won’t do anymore. The situation’s changed. She’s not safe here. So I take the pod right next to hers.
I prefer to stay within earshot. Just in case.
I settle into the pod beside hers, back against the wall, senses still alert despite the heavy quiet that’s settled over the hangar.
“Thanks,” she whispers.
Her voice is barely audible. I turn my head slightly toward her, though she can’t see me.
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I do. You didn’t have to step in.”
I pause. “Maybe not. But I did it anyway.”
She lets out a small laugh, short and a little rough.
“You don’t exactly look like the protective type.”
“I’m not. Sleep now.”
A final silence falls. I assume she’s drifting off.
As for me—I stay awake, eyes open, on guard.
The calm has lasted a while. The hangar is nearly pitch-black, broken only by a few blinking red lights in the distance.
Fatigue starts creeping in. I’m about to let go, to give myself over to rest.
But a faint sound pulls me back. My instincts don’t lie—something’s happening. I listen closely. There it is again: a muffled footstep, closing in.
I sit up and slip out of my pod without a sound. Another noise—closer this time. Someone’s moving quietly between the sleep units. A shadow breaks from the dark, inching toward Sam’s bed.
I leap forward and block his path.
“Not another step,” I whisper sharply.
A red status light briefly illuminates his face. One of the three from earlier. Not the bald one. The quiet one. He freezes, breathing shallow, then steps back with his hands raised.
“Chill, man. I just wanted to talk to her,” he mutters hoarsely. “Nothing bad.”
Liar.
“In the middle of the night? Creeping around like this? You think I’m stupid?”
I hesitate. He came for Sam—and not to chat. If I let him go, he’ll wait for another chance. If not him, one of the others. I have to make an example.
I move in slowly. He backs up, too late.
I grab his head. He tries to fight it, but it’s pointless. One sharp twist, clean and fast. The crack echoes in the silence.
