Page 95 of Us Dark Few

Takeshi had left her a vulnerable fool.

Her relationship with Winnie was crumbling before her eyes.

Khalani had never felt more isolated. Not even when her parents were murdered.

And it was all her own doing.

24

I clutch the misery, fear, and sadness in my palms. I too know what it’s like to be unwanted.

Silence was a mirage.

From a distance, the vast emptiness appeared enticing, captivating even. A safe haven for the mind to be within one’s thoughts.

But as soon as you drew near, the illusion washed away and silence turned into a deafening thing. Boisterous and maddening.

Weeks passed, and Khalani hadn’t spoken to Winnie. She was never assigned to the library and never caught a glimpse of Winnie to express how much she missed her and was sorry.

And Timothy Talbot never escaped her mind.

A part of her wanted to forget the journal entirely, to not place her hope in someone from a lost generation—one responsible for forcing humanity underground in the first place. Believing in nothing would be easier.

But what if Timothy Talbot was right, and he had worked on a project to return humanity to the surface?

The notion may have been wishful thinking of a secret master plan to save them all, but her mind clung to the information like a lifeline.

Not only had she been unable to visit Winnie in the library, but Takeshi’s only interaction with Khalani since she’d spent the night in his bed was to inform her they were taking a break from training.

He didn’t provide an explanation.

The warmhearted person who revealed his troubled past was gone. The dismissive Captain who glared in her direction with vexation and ire was all that remained.

She tried not to think about him. She really did. But her mind kept drifting back to the night she’d lain beside his warm body.

Her muscles were able to relax. Her forehead released its lines of tension. For a brief moment in time, she felt safe.

But everything and nothing changed in a single breath.

He pierced through her armored heart and never patched the hole. Why was life always like that? The ones who inflicted the most damage never thought to repair it. They just left you broken for the next person to deal with those twisted scars.

“You alright?” Serene eyed her with concern.

“I’m fine.” Khalani raked her fingers through her hair. “Just a lot on my mind.”

She didn’t tell the others about Timothy Talbot. Not when she couldn’t determine whether his journal was truth or fantasy. For now, it was her burden to carry alone. She could only wait and hope their plan to contact Hermes would work.

“Please tell me you have an update,” Khalani said to Adan as they walked to the far corner of the pit, away from prying ears.

Adan gave them an uneasy smile. “Do you guys want the good news or bad news first?”

“Good news first,” Serene deadpanned.

“The good news is that I can get the walkie to work.”

Derek frowned. “And the bad news?”

Adan heaved a deep sigh and rubbed the corners of his eyes. “I can’t get the walkie to work down here. Apollo is too deep for the signal to get out. The signal can only be sent on the surface. In Genesis.”

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