Page 97 of Akur

Sweat blossomed and grew cold on her forehead as she worked. Her arms burned, but she wouldn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. After thirty compressions, she tilted his head back, pinched his nose, and breathed into his mouth. His skin was so cold against her lips.

“Come on, Akur,” she demanded between breaths. “Don’t stop fighting now.” Another set of compressions. Another breath. “I need you to fight.”

Compression after compression, breath after breath, she fought for him like he’d always fought for her.

Because somewhere beneath her hands, so faint it defied detection, a warrior’s heart was fighting to beat again.

And this time, she would be the one who saved him.

26

Akur

Pain.Endless, crushing pain.

That was his first awareness as consciousness flickered at the edges of his mind. Every breath felt like molten metal in his chest. His body was heavy, unresponsive, as if trapped beneath the weight of an ocean.

“Computer, where are the medical supplies in this thing?”

Kon-stahns?

No. She shouldn’t be here. She should be far away from this place. Safe on a ship, heading away from this nightmare.

Had he failed? Had he failed in the one thing he’d been so hell-bent on doing?

The thought clawed at him, dragging him deeper into the darkness. He couldn’t protect her. He couldn’t even open his qrakking eyes.

But her voice kept pulling him back, a rope thrown into the abyss.

“There must be a medical bay or something heresomewhere.”

“THERE IS NO MEDICAL BAY ON THIS SHIP.”

Who was that? The voice was mechanical. Kind of like the standard artificial voices used on vessels.

But…that couldn’t be. How was he on the ship with Kon-stahns?

“What do you mean?!” Her voice rose. “There has to besomething!”

“THIS IS A CARGO VESSEL. BASIC MEDICAL SUPPLIES ARE LOCATED IN STORAGE UNIT 2-B.”

He tried to move, to speak, but his body refused to respond. The darkness kept pulling him under.

Kon-stahns let out a low, exasperated growl, and he could hear her footsteps pacing. Then a pause.

“Unit 2-B. Unit 2-B. Which one is unit 2-B?!?”

“AFT SECTION, PORT SIDE.”

“Okay, port side. Port side.”

Her footsteps faded, leaving him alone with the oppressive silence. He tried to force his body to move again, but it was as if his limbs were submerged in bonding agent. His mind screamed at his muscles to obey, but they didn’t even twitch.

He wanted to open his eyes. Just so he could see her.

Instead, he slipped into the void again.

When consciousness flickered back,it was to the sound of rummaging. Containers being opened, items shuffled and discarded. Her voice was closer now, muttering under her breath.

---