And There Was Another✔️

Chapter 07: Stealth & Secrecy

He was aboard the Endar Spire, and something was wrong.

Gravely wrong.

There was smoke and death on the air. The metal walls of the corridors were smashed and battered, covered in blood and tattooed with blaster fire scoring.

Seth wandered these corridors endlessly, terror stealing into his soul.

Someone was coming for him.

Someone who wanted to hurt him. Who wanted to make him wish for death. Someone with eyes of glowing blood red and a grin like a skull and long fingers.

He heard his name whispered from somewhere behind him and froze.

Time passed in isolated fragments, swollen so that a second felt like an era.

A hand fell on his shoulder.

Seth screamed.

* * *

Seth opened his eyes.

For several seconds, he was frozen in absolute terror, his entire body locked in a rigid paroxysm of mindless fear. He had no idea where he was. All he could see was some strange ceiling overhead of old, rusted corrugated metal.

But then he heard voices, and one of them stood out, and was very familiar.

The strange, somewhat wet voice of Seri.

Seri.

He remembered her. And Nova. And Yex.

He was on Taris. In the Undercity.

Seth took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Certainly not a great place to be, especially considering how he'd gotten here, but it was vastly superior to his nightmares. He heard footfalls, then a door opening and closing. Rolling over, he saw Seri stepping back into her shack. She looked over at him and smiled.

"You are awake," she said.

"Yeah. Um...how long was I out?" he asked, since the outdoors looked exactly the same it had as when he'd gone to sleep.

He missed the sun. It was strange, he didn't miss it this painfully when he was on a starship, traveling in the vast, obsidian gulfs between worlds. Perhaps it was because he knew that, before too long, he would likely see sunlight again.

"Twelve hours," Seri replied.

That made him a little guilty, but he had needed that sleep. Badly. And as he sat up, he actually felt half decent. A meal and a shower would probably help him feel almost good. He sat up, pulling the blankets back, then stood and stretched. Several of his joints popped and his body felt a bit stiff after that long of a sleep, and on an old cot to boot.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes. No one has attacked us. Nothing has gone wrong," Seri replied.

"Good. Um, I think I need another meal, and a shower. Unless that's asking too much."

"No, it should be fine. I'll join you. I need to check your wounds again."

"Okay."

They ended up eating a quick breakfast first: more food out of cans. This time he got beans and some kind of meat that tasted at least half decent. When he got out of here, another thing Seth promised himself was a good breakfast, with eggs and bacon and corned beef hash. And milk. After breakfast, he followed Seri back over to the showers. Essale was there, guarding again, and she raised one eyebrow at him as he passed, though said nothing.