Broken Soul | Din Djarin

chapter nine: safe

When you open your eyes, you're staring up at a low ceiling in dim darkness. You groan in pain, looking around at your surroundings through blurred vision, and you blink rapidly, trying to clear your vision. The walls of a small compartment surround you and the new space strikes panic in your chest. You start to hyperventilate, thinking that the escape had all been a dream.

It wasn't real. He didn't come back. Why would I dream something like that? Why would my subconscious be so cruel? Where are they taking me? What have they done?

You sit up in a frenzy, feeling the walls of the compartment for a control panel, a button, a vent, something. Anything to get out. To get away. You slam your hand on a button and a door slides open. You fall through the door onto a metal floor, jumping to your feet to fight your way out.

"Hey, hey, it's okay!" Your eyes focus on the Mandalorian, who'd jumped to his feet when you'd entered the hangar. His hands are raised to show that he's unarmed. Your breathing is erratic, panic still sitting in your chest with the weight of a bantha, and pain rippling through your body. Catching a glimpse of the Child playing with an orb in the corner, you crouch on the ground, holding your head as it pounds like a drum in your skull. You can see the Mandalorian in your peripheral vision slowly making his way over to you, moving as if you were a wild animal that he didn't want to spook.

"I got you out, remember? They won't hurt you anymore." 

You look down at your body to see dry and fresh blood soaking through your clothes. Your hands are caked in dried blood, both from you and the stormtrooper that you'd killed. Your frantic movements through the door had reopened your wounds, sending streaks of pain through your torso. Flashes of what had happened and what you'd done flicker through your mind. Your body quakes and trembles as you rock back and forth in your position.

"You're on the ship, Alora. The Razor Crest. You're on my ship."

You look back at the compartment you'd fallen out of, eyes still wide with shock. Mando watches your gaze, suddenly understanding why you'd woken up in a frenzy. You'd never seen his room before, nor been in it.

Waking up in such a small and strange space must have terrified her.

"That's my room... where I sleep. I wanted you to be comfortable." He kneels down by your side, taking your hands away from your head gently. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry." Her hands are shaking. 

You stare into his visor, frozen in your silence and listening to your heavy breathing as you maintain your locked gaze. You look at your hands in his, eyes widening as you become horrified at the blood on them. Your hands start to tremble and he brushes his thumb over the top of your hand, trying to soothe you.

You sit there helplessly, staring at his hands. His touch is oddly comforting, regardless of the fact that his hands are gloved. You crumble from your crouching position and sit on the ground with a small thump. Your brain feels frozen and fuzzy and you don't seem to be reacting to anything anymore. Your mind is void of thoughts and filled instead with static-like emotion.

"You're in shock." 

Looking up at his visor, you find yourself lost in the darkness of it, staring right at one spot as if you somehow knew that was where his eyes were.

"Alora... can you hear me?"

You nod dumbly, eyes widening slightly at the sound of your name leaving his lips.

"I haven't been able to examine your wounds to see what they've done. I wanted to wait until you were awake."

Your mind feels numb, unsure what to make of what happened to you. Flicking your gaze back to the blood on your hands, you slowly take them from his grasp and start rubbing them on your pants, trying to get the dark stains off of them. You let out a soft grunt when the blood doesn't come off, trying even harder to get the red off of your skin. The movements become desperate and Mando watches you for a moment, unsure of what to do. From his point of view, your face looks blank and only your eyes show the emotions that you're feeling inside. He takes ahold of your hands again when the desperation leaks into your eyes and you meet his gaze once again with quiet pleading.