Luminescence

Nine.

________

As I hopped into the shower, I was paranoid.

Knowing that Hudson's figure could pop up anytime in my head was very unsettling, especially in moments like these that were supposed to be peaceful.

I began by scrubbing all of the sweat from earlier with a citrus body wash. The aroma of lemons always seemed to calm my anxiety for some reason. Alcohol could never relieved my stress, as I preferred smelling naturalistic scents over booze.

Priscilla had offered me a bed in her room tonight after the minor anxiety attack on the training platform. I graciously accepted, knowing that I would be safe with somebody else.

Loneliness was biggest enemy right now. I had discovered Hudson's biggest weakness when it came to his brain games—he didn't want anyone else around. He wanted to be confined in a room with me, and only me. My goal for the next few days... or even forever, was to always be with someone even if it meant sharing rooms with Priscilla.

I could only pray that my theory worked.

I scrubbed the shampoo through my hair, rinsing it out as the warm water cascaded off my body. But in my moment of peace, a shrill alarm pierced the air, making me jump. It wasn't the sound of a fire alarm. This alarm was different, like there was an emergency outside the base.

Quickly, I wrap a towel around my body and run to the dressing rooms nearby to get dressed and to see what all of the commotion was around me. I noticed other female soldiers were also scrambling out of the showers, putting on their uniforms and throwing their wet hair into buns.

I look over to another girl next to me who looked about my age, who seemed to be the most chill out of everyone scrambling around.

"Do you know what's happening?" I question to her, and glancing over to me she smiles. Tying my hair in a ponytail, I wondered how she was so neutral. She was like a Floridian in a hurricane—absolutely unfazed by the restlessness around her.

"Yeah. That alarm means either another battle is coming, or there's been Plague activity that we need to know about." She shrugs. "It's pretty boring if you ask me."

I raise an eyebrow. "Boring? What about fighting an enemy could be boring?"

From what I've learned, fighting bad guys was a blast. I got high off of the adrenaline that came with overcoming your fears, and conquering your enemies.

The stranger sighs. "Girl, if only you knew how much I hate my job. Don't get me wrong, fighting for what you believe in is great. But not when the leaders are completely sexist and give the girls positions like cooking and cleaning the leftover scum on ships," she mutters, playing with her fingers.

"Well, what's your name? I'm sure I could give Wes a piece of my mind for you," I say to her reassuringly. For each moment I had spent in this base, my respect for Wes was lowering quicker by the minute.