“Kerry…” Sam spoke through her continued whisper while her mind raced. I thought I smelled alcohol on her, but that just means she’s being overly open with me. She can’t be just acting vulnerable, right?

And then she realized this hearkens back to what Devin said to her. Maybe having such a person genuinely confiding in her is something she could only feel if she truly felt she was where she needed to be. Her arm squeezed Kerry a little more tightly.

“No, I never planned on going home,” she warmly replied. “I’m doing this thing as long as I can, and especially not while you two are so close to finishing out.” She then felt Kerry’s cheek move around a bit, followed by a sniffle. A warm tear then rolled onto the exposed skin of her shoulder, further tugging at her rarely-pulled heart strings. “Kerry, what happened while I was out?”

“I feel like everyone’s starting to turn on us,” Kerry answered with another sniffle.

Turn on us?! “Who? Andre?”

“Andre is trying to turn Sebastian, too,” she continued.

Sebastian?! He wouldn’t, would he?!

“I can’t even get a hold of Ms. Norris… it’s like she disappeared all of the sudden. And when I heard your dad was coming, I was sure it meant you were leaving, too,” Kerry finished as she tried to pick herself back up.

Sam’s eyes narrowed upon further thought into her announcement. Andre was acting suspicious with good reason, but I see what’s got her so fraught. If he’s turning tail and Norris is- … wait! She remembered the picture she saw of her and Sebastian. But I can’t ask about that right now! But what if there’s some weird correlation here? She shows up on a picture but is now… gone?

Sam cleared her throat. “No, like I said, I am staying.” And she heard and felt Kerry breathe a bit easier just then. “But we can’t worry about the others. We have too much at stake to do anything other than stick to our goals, right?” She then gave Kerry’s shoulder a reassuring rub. “I’m sorry to hear about that thing with Ms. Norris…”

And I can’t ask her about that… thing with her and Sebastian now, can I…

“…But don’t worry about the guys. I got your back no matter what this is that’s coming for us this coming week.”

“Thanks,” Kerry humbly whispered after a slowed breath.

Sam felt it again with that word. But as she started thinking up how to respond further, Kerry eased up her grip and started sitting up straight, clearing her nose with one last sniffle. “It just hit me. Isn’t it stupid we have to whisper like this? How many moles do you think are within these walls?”

“No telling,” Sam sighed, stretching her back. “But let’s give that a rest. We got time to talk over more of whatever you want in the morning, and I know you haven’t been sleeping,” she now spoke in her usual voice and a weak smile, looking back at her over her shoulder. She saw Kerry had leaned herself into the corner, head fit snugly in place as if to sleep there as she lay. “No no,” she laughed, standing up to guide her to a more proper sleeping position. All the while, she couldn’t help but feel what must have Kerry so distraught.

She can’t see her fiancé, she can’t get a hold of Norris, Andre acting out, and now I realize she hasn’t slept in ages because she had forgone that whole night for saving me.

She stepped back to pull the covers over her as Kerry started turning to her side, facing the wall with her breathing much more at ease.

I don’t know what else I can do for her other than at least be here for her. Her mind then turned to Sebastian once more as she backed away to sit on her bed just across the way. Sebastian, the only other individual she had felt so inclined to stick around for throughout her journey.

Should I try to call him?

.

▽　▽　▽

.

Sebastian walked briskly but with hushed footsteps alongside the alley’s walls just behind the bar from which he left, eyes locked straight ahead on a figure approximately ten meters in front. He felt a vibration coming from his watch, knowing it was an incoming call. Without looking, he reached over to click a command that would decline the call, never releasing his eyes from who he was following.

And just as the figure passed under a street light, he caught glimpse of a few locks of red hair that had escaped the hood they had over their head. His eyes narrowed, now confirming the figure had to be a woman. And as she turned the corner near the crosswalk at the upcoming intersection, he took the chance to pick up the pace and close in. But when he turned the corner, he saw nearly empty sidewalks ahead amongst several passing cars. He scanned the opposite end of the street to only find differently clothed men walking in a group, chatting loudly amongst themselves.

He bit down, knowing he likely lost his target. He checked to see if there were any alleys or open doors near that corner, only to find nothing but locked and barred doors to that corner building. Huffing in defeat, he leaned against the wall and pulled his mobile from his pocket. He swiped away the missed call from Sam and brought up his notebook app, writing down: [Red hair, female, alone at the bar just across from us. Never saw face. Entered after us, left at the same time. Came alone, left alone, disappeared.]

[Just as I started suspecting lately. This place must be crawling with ears… and my guts tell me HQ isn’t any safer.] But he had nowhere else to go as things turned out, electing to head back to headquarters. [It’s times like this when I wish I had my brother and sister to lean on.] His thoughts were deliberate, trying to keep the desire to turn back to Sam for comfort, still feeling as if the sudden and unexplained dug-out, cold ravine still existed between them. The struggle, however, would continue all the way to the front entrance as he started humming a tune. This time, however, the tune was not his usual melancholy selection that he lately had shared with Sam, but rather heavy, seemingly defeated.

It was the song he overheard someone listening to, back during his visit to Akkadia One. The song seemed to stick to how things had become and never let go since then. And with no more than half a minute passing, the lyrics that he understood had tied his thoughts back to her, unrelenting.

He tapped his watch to bring up the call function, finger hovering over the dial command for a few hesitating moments. He withdrew it, instead swiping over to the message function. He brought up the keyboard overlay and instead typed: “I hope you recovered well after the surgery. Please call me after you rest. Good night.” He then swiped it all away, letting out a long, heavy breath as he slowed his pace as if to try and enjoy the peaceful air for a change.

.

▽　▽　▽

.

Sam had stared at her response to Sebastian’s message that read: “Thanks. I am doing much better. And, sure, I will tomorrow before the meeting. Good night,” and was posted fifteen minutes after receiving. And going by her screen clock, over ten minutes had passed. Unlike her peers, the glow from her mobile revealed far-less pronounced bags under her eyes, but yet a deep, undeniable weariness still prevailed.

Why am I still doing all this? Why am I-

She almost answered that same rhetorical question to herself for the millionth time, but a more commonly occurring thought sprouted up once more in its stead. She had never felt so scared yet so confident in her life when she stood her ground vs the last Cloak she faced. She remembered the look of submission from the face that once struck nothing but panic into the hearts of not just the ones close to her but countless ones before her. And she wanted so dearly to return to that very position, even if it included starting down her brother. And the thought had her feeling shameful, almost remorseful, but it was becoming harder to keep at bay.

Her mobile screen had timed out, going blank as the room fell dark.

The images quickly shifted to the prior evening. The feeling and smell of warm, sticky blood pervaded her senses, dropping the weapon she had used to take the lives of two men she’ll never know as to who they were or who sent them. To keep this up, the fear was how many more times she would be exposed to those sights, though as the night continued to set in, those fears began to numb. She was then tuned into the breathing sounds from Kerry’s slumber, feeling she had more on her list with feelings for than just Sebastian. And the longer time passed, the more that fear became suppressed.