Rescuing Ash

Chapter Nine

Sadie laid still, curled into a ball on the bed she’d been given. The blanket was tucked tightly around her in a comforting way but still she couldn’t sleep. Her eyes focused out the window, a blessing she’d never again take for granted. Space was vast and dark but just being able to see a winking star off in the distance was enough to quell any anxiety about being cooped up in a room. This room was nothing at all like the one on the prison ship. The bed was hard, as she expected any kind of military bed to be, but it was still much softer than the unforgiving floor she’d slept upon for over a year.

The rest of her life hung in the balance and she was thinking about the mattress. A light clicked on from the other side of the room, illuminating the wall next to her. Sadie didn’t move. A massive shadow covered the wall next to her as if death himself had come to finally collect her. Her heart twisted for a moment before she told herself it was just Ash. He stood there, still as a statue for a moment and she could feel his eyes burning into her, but with the way the blanket curled around her face, there was no way for him to know if she was awake. The door closed quietly and with it went the light. He was in the bathroom, preparing for bed, she realized when she heard him brushing his teeth.

So strange how a species so different could be so similar at the same time. When the sounds of him readying himself for bed quieted, he opened her bathroom door again a crack and then went into his room. Tired of laying awake, she moved to the side of the bed, bringing the blanket with her, and decided to walk around the ship a bit. He did say that she wasn’t a prisoner any more. Plus, if the captain was in bed, chances were that everyone else was too. The last person she wanted to run into was Lore. He clearly didn’t like her and that was okay. Not everyone was going to like her, but still, she didn’t feel like having a pissing match with an Alien she doesn’t know.

In Ash’s oversized dark socks, she made no sound whatsoever. The door made a little bit of noise but she could do nothing about it other than hope Ash didn’t notice. There was no doubt in her mind he would burst through his door to check on her. It was sweet in a way but nerve wracking all the same.

The gentle hum of the ship was oddly soothing. The vibrations traveled up through her feet in a way she kind of liked and couldn’t help but wonder how long she was going to be on the ship. How long would it take to get to Earth? Not even sure what galexy they were currently in, she couldn’t imagine. Maybe if Lore was still in the control room, she would ask him. Perhaps speaking to him would help him become accustomed to her, not that she intended on sticking around for a long time.

A cool breeze brushed past her legs eliciting goosebumps to skitter across her body like tiny tickling ants as she walked. The vents and oxygen scrubbers seemed to work much better here than they ever did in the prison. There, they seemed to rely on cooling the air to try and keep the smells at bay. Here the oxygen was cleaner than it probably was on Sonar 7. Despite the chill from being nearly naked and the vent, the ship was much warmer than the prison. It was different to feel warm. Hell, it was different to have a warm blanket wrapped around her.

It seemed, as she walked, that the personal rooms were situated along the outside of the ship, probably so everyone would have a view and their quarters would feel less confining. Sadie knew all about that. The inside was for other areas like the med bay she woke up in, a moderately sized mess hall of some sort, and another room she didn’t peer in. Somewhere was the engine room, but based on the vibration of the floor she assumed that was below.

Around her circuit, at the front of the ship, she saw that Lore was indeed still in the control room. He sat in the captain’s chair and seemed at peace as he looked out across the stars. Sadie couldn’t actually tell what his facial expression was due to the cowl that shrouded him, but his chest rose and fell in a slow steady rhythm much different than earlier. Rather than interrupt him, and possibly get him agitated again, she moved silently by.