Page 83 of The Souls Harvest
A shorter explanation than I hoped for. This cannot be a good sign.
Steps approach me. “Let me do it, please.”
Galen…
A sigh. “Sure, but it will hurt the same, whether I do it or—okay, okay. Suit yourself.”
I’m resting on something rough, slightly bent to accommodate my weight. My hands search for something familiar and find a stretch of plastic looped over metal bars—some sort of camping cot.
My breath stops when a warm, soft hand caresses my forehead,followed by Galen’s reassuring voice, “Sof, I need you to trust me. Try not to move, please.” Not that I could manage much movement right now, with this stupid headache and a half-senseless body.
“High-voltage barriers protect HQ. You barely touched it, and you’re lucky your brain is still functioning.” Galen’s touch travels down towards my eyes, one fingertip at a time.
“I planned it to perfection—”
“Shut up, Fumo.” Merya hisses, very close to me. I think she’s tried to keep her voice low, but my head perceives it like an army of stomping elephants.
My neck is one of the last parts of my body to have regained sensation. “Why can’t I feel my eyes?” I curl my fingers to contain the sudden shock of pain. My mouth is dry, and when I try to swallow, my throat stings.
“That’s what I like to call the gem of my creation—”
“Get out, Mack, now!” Galen’s snarl hurts every fibre of my brain.
“I’m sorry, Sof, I didn’t mean…” I must have winced in pain because his voice drops suddenly, but I can’t be sure because I have no perception of the space where my eyes and eyebrows should be.
“Get on with it. We need her up as soon as possible,” Merya whispers. “July, hold my hand and squeeze if you need to.”
Galen’s fingers move further down my forehead. And then—they’ve gone.
The scream is not comparable to anything else I’ve experiencedso far. It rips my heart from the inside, clawing at my nerves and skin, lacerating every cell in my body, and setting my head on fire. Even my hand, holding onto Merya’s, is in pain. Or is it because I’m clenching too hard? Am I crushing her hand, and is it Merya’s scream I’m hearing?
I try to sit up, but someone pins me down on the cot, and my back arches so much I fear my spine will snap.
“Focus on your pain and use it to breathe. Breathe the pain in and out.”
“We should have waited a bit longer; she’s too weak.”
A door quickly opens and slams shut. “What on Horigos is going on? We heard her scream two levels below.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Galen barks, his fingers twitching against my skin.
I clench my jaw, preparing for another wave of pain. But, the same way they started - unexpected and unannounced - the spasms stop; I jolt upright, touching my face to check my eyes haven’t fallen out.
“Easy, Sof.” Galen is by my side, holding an empty syringe. “Open your eyes slowly. Your sight may be blurred, but it’s just a temporary side effect.” He averts his eyes only for a second, to discard the used needle in a plastic bag on the floor.
I do as he suggests. My neck is so stiff I have to throw my legs over the cot and turn my whole body to face the rest of the people in the room.
“What happ—” I wince at the sensation of needles in my throat.
Someone rushes to the cot and gingerly brings something to my lips. “Here, drink some of this. It will soothe the pain, but try not to speak too much for the next hour or so.”
“Thanks,” I’m not sure if I’m smiling—but Ireallyhope so. “Coffee?” I ask dubiously, as if expecting a magic potion instead.
“You’re favourite—I was told.”
By the sound of his voice, the person kneeling in front of me is a man. Perhaps the stranger I saw with Jyn outside HQ. But it’s just a canvas of smeared greens and browns and whites.
“We haven’t been officially introduced.”
