Redemption

Redemption Part 9

I shot awake in the dark. Cold hands clung to me; eerie laughter rang in the air. The nightmare faded, and I couldn't remember any more, but I couldn't shake off a creeping feeling either. Like someone was there in the room. Watching me.

There, in the shadows—glinting eyes—

My heart dropped. I fought the urge to dive under the covers.

The eyes in the corner were red and unblinking, and they were near the floor in an oval approximation of a face—

Lacy. Her unformed faux flesh bare of her holoskin.

I flopped over with a frustrated sigh and willed myself to go back to sleep. Sabra was curled up near my feet, her whiskers twitching as if she'd just caught a particularly delicious piece of prey.

I didn't want to fall back into nightmare, just after escaping it. So I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Sabra, and to my surprise, beyond the thick curtains, it was nearly dawn. A gray light filtered over the city, the hexagonal towers shrouded in mist, their edges blurry and indistinct. A few lights blinked on. It was a peaceful, sleepy city, unlike the chaos of the night before.

Dazzle was out there somewhere. She didn't seem quite so dangerous in daylight, still...the fact that she could be right outside my window made my skin crawl. I tugged the curtains shut and sat back on the bed. I considered calling Vy, but maybe it was too early. I needed answers though....

I had to distract myself. I wandered out into the hall, and Sabra followed me. I needed to breathe the free air, the minimum if I couldn't fly. Lacy would follow me and I'd be safe. Though I was a little nervous around her, ever since she'd grabbed me pretending to be Dazzle....

As I took a step forward, the door beside mine opened and Sol stepped out. He looked startled, then the fear fled his eyes.

"Oh! Good morning," he said.

"'Morning. Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Now that we're safe. But—" His brow furrowed. "I just...needed some air."

"Me too."

In the dim light, he wore an expression of panic that looked familiar to how I had been feeling a moment ago.

"Nightmare?" he asked.

"Nightmare."

We headed toward the elevator. Sure enough, Lacy appeared and followed me. It was a good thing she was protective, but it also made me feel stifled.

Sabra paced, her tail lashing back and forth. She didn't like to be in a small space for long.

"Would you...like to talk about it?" he asked. "Sometimes it helps."

I shook my head, and then thought, he's probably right. "What about you?"

"Um...well...." He laughed. "I should follow my own advice—but I don't want to give the shadows any more power right now."

"Was it about...what happened yesterday?" I ventured, not sure if I should pry.

He hesitated. "Not exactly." He looked away, an undercurrent of shame in his eyes.

The door opened and I stepped out into the cool morning breeze. It smelled of the sea, despite our proximity to Desolation, and I whirled, embracing the wind, closing my eyes against the pale golden light.

I walked over to the edge of the roof and leaned my arms on the metal barrier. Beyond, Desolation spread out in a vast gray mass of nothingness. Little dust storms danced across the plain. There were vague suggestions of ancient ruins, but otherwise it was like looking into a wall of mist. With the haze, I couldn't even see silhouettes of the City on the other side.