to my ship on his own, sadly finding no trace of Val’s presence or scent.
Only I could open the locked doors to our sleeping cabin on the ship where Val still might be hiding. However, Wyck had been reluctant to let me go because I’d have to walk along the entire length of the main corridor of the Dark Anomaly to get there. With the crew actively looking for me for days, it’d been more dangerous than ever.
Wyck’s other concern had been the safety of our ship. The cut-out that Nocc had made in its hull needed to be repaired. On his last visit to the ship, Wyck had brought along a large slab of metal that he used to block the entrance.
Now that the unrest had finally started to quiet down, we planned my move to the ship.
Wyck wanted to do it early in the morning when most of the crew would be hopefully passed out, exhausted after wreaking havoc all night.
I waited for him to come back soon and, hopefully, confirm that it was safe to finally leave our small hiding place where we’d spent the week.
Afraid to breathe, I was listening carefully to every little noise reaching me from the outside. The now familiar sounds of the centipedes scurrying inside their cages and the clanking of their mandibles against the metal bars didn’t scare me. Straining my hearing, I tried to pick out any sound of the rioting crew.
My only defence against them was to remain undiscovered. I had no weapon on me. The large, unmanned cargo ship that had crashed last week ended up completely destroying the glass room, along with Wyck’s vest and my knife. Thankfully, to defend himself, Wyck still had the gun and, of course, his fists.
I knew he’d been getting into fights and scuffles, though he wouldn’t talk about it when I’d asked. Throughout the past week, I’d spotted blood on his knuckles on more than one occasion. There had also been fresh claw and teeth marks on his arms and back.
The thought of what might be happening to him right now made my stomach churn and my hands shake. I wished to get out of here, to be next to him, but I knew that my presence out there would only make things worse for both of us.
Instead, I was laying here, shaking in my suit, afraid to even get under the blanket in case someone showed up and I’d have to fight for my life. Hiding, I barely breathed, making as little noise as possible.
This had been my existence for the past week—sneaking out to use the bathroom, quickly eating the food Wyck smuggled in for me, lying low, afraid to move, day after day.
Wyck’s hugs and occasional kisses were the only things that kept me sane in this nightmarish place. Only in his arms could I get any rest.
Every night, however, I crawled through the short tunnel into the tiny room with the window, leaving him alone to guard the exit. I knew that unless I was safely on the other end of the narrow tunnel, Wyck wouldn’t relax enough to fall asleep. My safety had become his mission in life.
Aside from my parents, I’d never had anyone who cared so much about me. In turn, I began to genuinely care about him, too. He meant more and more to me with each passing day. Here, on the Dark Anomaly, Wyck had become my entire world.
Come back to me, please.
I didn’t dare say these words out loud, not even in a whisper, for the fear that one of the crew might hear me. But I pleaded for his safe return in my mind.
Come back to me.
The stomping of feet out in the farm made me halt my breath.
Someone crawled into the room on the other side of the tunnel—someone very large by the sound of it.
“Nadia,” Wyck’s whisper reached me, and I exhaled in relief.
Lesh’s soft hissing announced that Wyck’s pet had made it back with him, too.
“You’re back...” I crawled through the tunnel and into Wyck’s arms.
He had a split lip and there was a wide smudge of blood on his temple.
“Wyck, what happened?” I reached back into my room to grab the glass with water. “Are you okay?”
I dipped the end of a blanket in the water then gently dabbed at the blood streak below his lip.
“I’m fine.” He attempted to smile then winced instead.