Page 64 of Meteor Storm

Like everything in life.

You can’t rely on “fair” to save you.

I heard the recruiting officer’s voice ringing in my head as I moved.

I nearly tripped a few times and caught myself, leaping across gaps and praying I didn’t fall and break an ankle. Then, finally, I spotted the light where the door to the room was barely visible against the far wall. If that wasn’t considered the other side of the room, I didn’t know what was. I headed toward it, glancing back momentarily to see that Thilar was no longer in pursuit.

At least, not from that direction.

When I heard movement to my right, I didn’t even look. I kept rushing toward the door, unsure how I was going to get down once I reached it. My pulse was suddenly racing like I was right back in that arena on Mekah Prime. It wasn’t the best feeling, but it would serve me well to get used to it. I didn’t have a lot of time to talk to a therapist about my feelings in space.

I was so close to the door. So close.

I leapt off a ledge, scaling the side of the incline and praying I didn’t break something on the way down. When I hit the floor, I stumbled into a sprint, but Thilar’s hulking silhouette was running alongside me. I made a split-second decision to veer off only feet from the door just before he cut me off.

There was a certain terrified and exhilarated thrill that came from hearing his heavy steps pounding behind me. A thrill that should have scared me out of my skin. All anyone did in the arena was chase me and I felt sick thinking it was anyone other than Thilar.

What did that say about me?

Just before he could grab me, I dropped to the ground, rolling beneath a small crevasse in the artificial stone. Thilar let out a growl, almost like he was frustrated, and then bounded onto the stone ledges high above, keeping pace with me as I fled down a narrow passage.

I needed to find a way to turn back around and get to the door, but now he was right on top of me and he was faster. More agile. And he could definitely see clearer than I could. Every step I took, I was nearly tripping over myself.

But then he disappeared…

I did not see his shadow leaping over me and I could not hear his footsteps or his heavy breathing.

And I stupidly let that slow me down. I peered up and backward, searching, but when I couldn’t see him, I questioned myself. I slid to a stop, pinning myself against a wall as I tried to quiet my panting breath.

There was no way he lost me. I knew he was likely watching me from somewhere in the shadows, but I couldn’t very well stay put. I started creeping along the rockface, listening to every sound and watching every shadow and every shape.

Crouching in a tight corner, I let my hand glide over the pockets on my pants. With nothing else on me to use as a tool, I carefully pulled out half of a leftover nutrient bar and then searched for a hologram to chuck it at. I tried to find one across the room that I could hit with my average throwing skills and tossed it that way. It didn’t hit my target, but it hit one nearby, sending a ripple of light through the room.

I heard nothing.

Wherever Thilar was, I couldn’t sense him. I didn’t know if he would fall for my sly little trick, but I had to try for the door again eventually.

Slowly, I snuck out of that tight corner and began creeping further along the wall, but I was turned around now. All I could do was hope I was going in the right direction. Finally, the narrow passage opened up and there it was again. The door on the other side of the room. I did my best to map out a way to get there, but my eyes wouldn’t adjust completely no matter what I did. So, I bolted. As I got closer, I saw another crawlspace up ahead. If Thilar cut me off, that was my escape plan. He couldn’t fit. That was his downfall.

Just as I thought, he was there, sprinting to cut me off. I dropped onto my stomach and quickly slid into the narrow space, but that time, he was quicker than me. I felt his hand wrap around my ankle and let out a startled yelp as he dragged me backward.

I writhed, kicking and struggling when I saw him looming over me, a beast in the night, eyes glowing. He reached down and clutched my wrist, hauling me to my feet.

“You almost made it,” he said, almost playful.

“What do you mean, almost?”

I jerked out of his grasp, which he clearly wasn’t putting much strength into, and tried to run again. His fingers wrapped around my arm and tugged me backward, throwing me off balance. I fell back just as he crouched and bent me over his shoulder. When he stood, I was off the ground.

“What… Thilar!” I complained.

“That was very good, considering your poor night sight.”

He began carrying me back toward the control panel, despite my kicking legs. I tried to push up against the small of his back, but all I was getting was a clear view of his backside wrapped in tight, combat material as he walked.

I growled, trying to twist out of his grip, but my efforts went practically unnoticed.

“I learned a lot from the way you navigated the environment,” he continued, finally setting me on my feet once we reached the controls.