Page 67 of Hide From Me

Moe

01-07-2026

Seaborn

"Where is he?" My voice echoes down the hall. For once, soldiers part, not because someone powerful is with me, but because I’ve become the storm they want to avoid. I’ve never felt rage rise like this, boiling beneath my skin and itching to erupt. I’ve always been able to control it. But now everything is crumbling.

I always respond to Raylen. Always. But this time? I couldn't. The "we need to talk" text turned my stomach. The follow-up? Even worse. Cordelia and Jasmine. In her apartment. No context. Just betrayal.

I’m already unraveling from the mission briefing. Intel? Redacted. Teams? Blank. No faces. No details. Just whispers about Greenport and a pile of classified information designed to get someone killed.

And nowthis.

"The Captain—"

“Not the bloody Captain. Where is Sam?” I snap, cutting off Zander mid-sentence. He’s a new recruit, clearly too inexperienced to survive one of our interrogations—he’s already ratting out his lieutenant.

This adds to my growing list of issues: fractured trust, double lives, mission pressure, lies stacked like explosives ready to detonate, and now a fucking mental note I need to create of recruits who need more training.

It’s suffocating.

“In the security room, Sergeant,” Sam’s voice interrupts from the speaker above, the flashing red camera light casting a glow on the walls like bloodstains.

“Don't. Fucking. Move.” I growl, pushing my hand through my hair to get it out of my face as I storm down the corridor. I know I have no right to talk to a superior this way, but he has no right to meddle in matters that don’t concern him. I don’t give a rat’s ass if it was Sharkie and Jasmine who showed up at Raylen’s place; they must have gotten the information from somewhere. If he would have just left it alone...

I swear to God, if this ruins everything—

I slam the security door open with such force that it ricochets off the wall. The flickering light behind me casts distorted shadows across the rows of monitors, yet Sam doesn’t flinch.

“You knocked over a trash can in B Hall. Don’t worry, I had someone clean it up,” he says, switching camera feeds as if I didn’t just tear the door off its hinges.

“What did you do?” I bark, and he turns slowly, controlled, knees apart, fingers interlaced, as if this is a performance.

“Me?” Sam’s tone drops and his features harden, but I refuse to back down this time.

“What didyoudo, Moe? Better yet, what have you been doing? What the hell have you been thinking?” His voice rises as he stands and pushes back his chair. I can barely see over his shoulder, but the intimidating slow motion gives me enough time to catch the screen displaying Jasmine and Cordelia on screen, laughing as if they didn’t just detonate my life.

“Fuckin’ spare me,” I growl as I quickly turn on my heel, ready to cut them off before they can pass the door. Everyone is getting a piece, fuck this mask I wear so well, fuck what they expect me to be, fuck it all.

“Hey—” I shout, but I don’t finish. A hand grabs the back of my neck, and before I can think, I turn and throw a punch, my knuckles crashing into Sam’s jaw with a sickening crack.

“Jesus fuck!” Cordelia growls as Jasmine rushes into the room.

“What is going on?” Jasmine snaps, placing her hands on Sam's chest. I wish she wouldn’t try to calm him down. I want him to fight back. I want someoneto go toe to toe with me for once, unrestrained. Sharkie slams the door shut and starts pacing in front of it as if she's trying to stand guard, and I shake out my hand.

“You tell me!” I snap. “What right did you three have—”

“Moe, it wasn’t—” Cordelia begins, looking at me with wide eyes as if my outburst is something new. I suppose it is. Even in my rage-fueled fit, I can recognize that this isn't like me. I should be able to manage this side of myself better and keep it hidden as I always have. What has Raylen done to me? It's as if I have this uncontrollable fear that I'm about to lose the one thing I had hoped would save me from myself.

“We didn’t think it would hurt you. You weren’t giving us much to go on, and… I guess for good reason.” Her voice is soft now, almost small as she runs her hands down her face. I don’t care if she’s overwhelmed. Try being in my goddamn head for a day.

“Damn right, it was for good reason!” I shout, and Sam steps forward, with Jasmine barely managing to hold him back.

“Technically, the only reason you have is that you brought her into our territory and basically exposed our whole world. You could've gotten away with it–” Jasmine starts, tilting her head to get a better view of the red swollen lump forming on Sam's jaw, but he cuts her off.

“She wasn’t supposed to be a part of it!” Sam snaps, spitting blood. “What were you thinking? That she’d just… adapt? That she could live between blood and bullets like it’s some kind of fairytale? She could ruineverything.”

I roll my eyes with a huff as Sam goes through his little lecture. Does he think he's teaching me something? What the fuck is he hoping to accomplish here?