The Renegade

Chapter 2

 "Come on, Renna," Orrick says. He shifts away from me so I can't lean on his shoulder and I have to put weight on my injured leg. As soon as the weight hits my leg, pain shoots through it and I almost fall over t. Orrick's arm around my waist secures me against him as I inhale through my gritted teeth.

I woke up three days ago and Luk, Orrick, and Elz have been doing their best to help me recover, but a bullet wound to the thigh from a few feet away, not to mention five days in a coma and severe hypothermia, doesn't just disappear overnight. I'm not convinced I'll ever walk right again.

"Alright, let's make it to the wall," Orrick says, and I grit my teeth together as I ready my leg for another attempt.

I'd curse Mizpah for the pain her shot gave me, but I already killed her and I can't summon hatred for anyone anymore, not even my oldest nemesis. I breathe in and ready to take another step when Orrick trips over an outstretched leg and nearly pulls us both to the ground.

"Strafe, watch where you're going," Ryke growls. He sits and leans against one of the walls of the narrow room, his leg stretched in front of him. His beard has grown out and his long hair is dirty and untamed, but his gold eyes gleam as they jump to me, and I look away. In his bowed expression I can see how far his star has fallen. He's no longer the cocky wannabe Civilizer; he's a lost refugee with a thousand deaths haunting him. I can't face him right now. Possibly not ever.

Ryke, who used to be one of my closest friends before I rejected him. Ryke, who masterminded the plan to kidnap Domus's children and supplant them into the Civilization. Ryke, who forced us to let him join our escape by threatening to destroy the medicine that might be able to save Ila. Ryke, who slipped me a gun while we were escaping so I could save Luk's life by killing Mizpah. I'm too exhausted and in pain to contemplate his morality, but I'd like to punch him in the face for what he did.

"Don't talk to me," Orrick says and kicks Ryke's extended leg out of the way.

Those four words are the most anyone has said to Ryke since I awoke. None of us can truly hate him since we all bear our own guilt, but Ryke went beyond our mistakes. He planned a cruelty with no motivation besides greed and hunger for power.

Ryke pulls his knees to his chest and looks away, and I wonder if that's a shadow of guilt in his eyes. Orrick forces me to take a few more steps until I pant from exertion. Thanks to days locked in a Civilization cell with torture and little food or water, I'm incredibly weak; the hypothermia and bullet wound haven't helped either. I sag against Orrick, chest heaving.

"Blitz, let me take a break already," I wheeze in between sharp inhales and Orrick stops.

"You don't look so good."

Tali lounges against the wall beside Hayl, both of them looking worse for wear. Tali is almost unrecognizable in muted dark colors with her red hair pulled up and her face shadowed by sleeplessness.

"Thanks," I say with an eye roll.

"You're being sarcastic," Tali says with a slight grin. "You must be feeling better."
Hayl doesn't quite look at me, but I can't blame her. Both Elz and Hayl agreed to experiment on Ila with the memory destruction serum to save me, and they'll have to live with their choices just like I have to live with mine.

"Come on, let's just make it back to Luk and Ila," Orrick says, gesturing to where Luk sits on the floor with his daughter held in his arms.

Physically, the child merely looks tired, but psychologically, she's a mess. She doesn't know who her father is, and she's scatterbrained and confused. Even if Hayl and I can somehow concoct an anecdote to save her memories, she might never be the same.