Page 43 of The Stolen Tribute
SEVENTEEN
KYLIE
I saw the explosion in my head every time I closed my eyes.
“It can’t be true,” I whispered, hugging my arms around myself tightly. “Jaxir must have escaped before that happened. There’s no way he’d still be on the ship. He’s probably on his way to save me right now.”
The walls around me seemed to bow inward, making me feel more claustrophobic than before. I felt suffocated. I was trapped like a wild animal with no way to get out.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I put my hands on the cold floor, grounding myself in the moment before my anxiety took over completely. I paused, holding my breath and listening to the faint hiss of the air intake. That was the only sound.
Dal’s ship was oddly quiet and still. When would he activate hyperdrive to bring us back to the mothership? How long would it take?
I half-heartedly tried to open the door, tugging on the chrome latch, but it was locked.
My entire body felt weak. How long had it been since I’d eaten or slept properly? I was exhausted, but I couldn’t rest.
Then, everything started to shake. A tremor ran through the entire ship, shaking so hard that I felt the plastic and chrome sway underneath me.
“What was that?” I gasped.
I jumped to my feet, pressing my ear against the door.
From outside, I could hear an alarm and a computer voice saying something; it was too muffled to make out clearly. The floor shook again, and the lights flickered. Whatever was going on out there, it couldn’t be good.
“Jaxir,” I whispered like a prayer.
My heart flexed, stirring in my chest. Jaxir was close. I just knew it. Whatever was causing the commotion outside, it had something to do with him. I could feel his presence with my soul. It was calling out to me. I needed to be with him, and nothing was going to stop me.
I played with the door latch again – it was still locked tight.
“Guess I have to do this the hard way,” I muttered to myself.
I braced myself with the wall before jumping as high as I could and slamming both feet into the door. The door buckled but held. I kicked it again and again until the latch broke free, and the door fell outward.
I hesitated only a moment before peeking out into the narrow hall. It was empty. I didn’t see a sign of anyone, even Dal, anywhere. That meant I’d have to find where the commotion was coming from on my own. I had no weapon or anything to defend myself at all.
I took a breath and set my shoulders. It was time to settle my mind and get in the zone. This was just like a first-person alien shooter, except in real life instead of VR. How many times had a virtually cleared a mysterious spaceship full of alien invaders? Probably a million times.
Closing my eyes, I imagined that I was in a virtual reality tournament. If I was dropped in a level like this, what would I do first? Find a weapon. That was the most important thing right now.
Now, where were the weapons?
I went in the one direction I knew – towards the control bridge. The walls were plain, with no other doors or cabinets where weapons could be stored. The control bridge was empty, which gave me extra time to search under chairs and dashboards, but I still found nothing.
Where the hell were all the weapons?
I went back the way I came, following the rumbles and sounds, feeling horribly vulnerable. If I ran into an enemy now, I’d have no way to defend myself.
The hall ended with another door that slid open as I approached. The alarm grew louder. This starship wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for a crew to live in, and the door opened into what looked like a general living area. There were a few seats and two corridors leading to the rear of the ship.
The circular room also had small doors around the edge. I opened one to find the tiniest bunk imaginable. It looked like a capsule hotel that I stayed in once in Tokyo during a gaming convention. Meaning it was cool for the first ten minutes, and then it was uncomfortable as hell. So this was how the crew slept?
I closed the first door and kept opening them. There must have been weapons or supplies storage somewhere.
I tugged on a handle underneath one of the sleeping capsules, and a drawer came out. It had an extra warrior’s uniform, first aid supplies, and, most importantly, a small laser blaster, probably meant for emergencies or back up. It would have to do.
“Jackpot!” I hissed with glee.
