The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) by Gwyndolyn Russell (e reader txt) 📕

cleared her throat and looked away. “It’s not like they would have given it to me if I asked.”

“You stole it?”

“You guys kept them busy long enough for me to download their entire database!” She smiled. “Did you know they recorded everything? Not a single second went unrecorded. Every room has a complete three-sixty view.”

“Kind of creepy.” That did not sit well in my stomach.

“Under normal circumstances, I agree. This though...The children had to be watched. All thoughts and ideas had to be logged. It looks like Dr. Schreider kept a vlog as well. I haven’t looked into it yet, it’s password locked.”

I wasn’t sure what to do with this information. The video sat in the back of my head in a funny way. It almost looked like a movie. Like it wasn't real at all. I shook my head.

“I actually had a couple questions for you if you have a moment.” Right now I needed to focus on something more important. I knew she would tell us any information once she was ready.

“Of course!” She smiled. I could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

“We’re prepping for B-58, and I was wondering if you knew of an---”

“We’re going to B-58?! Really?! That’s amazing! Maybe I can get a live eos as a sample!”

I held a hand to stop her. “Hold on. I don’t know anything about that. I just want to know if I need medical supplies for the medics. I don’t want anyone getting sick, or dying of an infection because they got injured.”

“You’ll need a lot of stuff.” She said, “I can make a list for you.”

“Thanks. That’ll help. Make sure you have a list for the hospital, too. We’re returning to Solstice to prepare.”

“Wonderful! Is there anything else?” She looked back to the screen.

“One more thing.” I grabbed the edge of the desk to pull myself around. “Did I tell you about this...smoke Fenris produces?”

“He produces smoke?”

“Apparently he does. It’s dangerous as well. When we got Ianisse, he used it on the ravens. They all bled from...everywhere and choked to death. I was hoping you would be able to come up with something we could use to protect ourselves from it.”

“If Fenris gives me a sample, I might be able to. You may be best suited to using a closed air system though.”

“Those don’t last, but an hour, or two. If we can even breathe the air on B-58, I’d like to conserve that best we can.”

She grinned, and poked my chest. “You’re still afraid because of the last time!”

“No! I’m...I’m just being reasonable.”

THIRTY

I didn't see Fenris again until we got to Solstice. I expected the valkyrie to have been sent out to work by Reaper. Which made plenty of sense. Ever since the warp jump failure, Fenris had pretty much stayed with me. For someone who did not generally have friends, I grew accustomed to his presence. My room was a void. A cold, empty space. I couldn't stand the silence. The white noise. The soft clicks and beeps of the machines. It made my entire world feel lonely. Even though I focused on making a supplies list, I turned to whiskey to drown out the silence. The quiet voices whispering in the back of my mind. Reminding me of all my past failures.

When I saw Fenris again, I found him down at the nuclear core. Sleeping where I had first found him. He looked so alone. Cold, he pressed into the platform closest to the core.

"Fen?" I slowly approached him. No one else seemed to be around.

His lights off, he gave me no reaction.

He always responded….

"Fen, wake up." I touched his shoulder.

Crimson light bathed the floor beneath his frame. His head dragged to look up at me. My chest felt tight.

"What are you doing down here?"

"Waiting."

"We're back at Solstice."

"Time I walked." He sat up, scratching his belly.

My eyes narrowed. "You mean leave?" My chest tightened to the point it was hard to breathe.

"Yes." He stood.

"Why? What happened to going to B-58?"

"Will go still. Not with Syndicate." He stepped right by me.

I was at a loss for words. Just like that, he was leaving? No reason? Maybe I didn’t do enough for him. Maybe he felt unwelcomed. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. The air felt cold as ice. The room was starting to feel much smaller.

I ran after him and grabbed his elbow. Something pricked into my skin, so I quickly recoiled. A glance to my hand showed blood trickling down, first from a series of thin cuts, then it followed the creases of my palm and down my wrist.

Fenris turned halfway to look at me.

"Shit…" I hissed. I held my hand close. "Why are you leaving?"

He was silent. He rolled his shoulders to make his cloak drape over his arms as if it would protect me from that armor, or maybe protect him from me. Did he really not trust me anymore?

"You owe me an answer!" I shouted, using my officer’s voice.

He answered by turning to walk away. So, I grabbed him by the forearm with the same injured hand. I squeezed tight, biting back the pain of those razors digging into my skin. Fire coursed through the bones of my hand. Hard to focus on him, everything around me slowly engulfed in shadows. The room was so small now. It felt like a horse kicked me in the chest. Worse than a knife in the back.

Fenris didn't move. Not so much as a twitch of a muscle.

"Well? Answer me!" I glared. "You suddenly don't have the balls to tell it how it is?"

"This why." His voice was soft, crackling with a strained growl.

"What do you mean?" Was I too rough? Maybe I yelled too much, or drank too much.

Fenris was quiet for a moment. The lights on his face concentrated at the lowest portions.

I waited, still squeezing through the pain. The questions raced through my mind.

When I blinked, Fenris suddenly snapped. A starving wolf bit