Welcome to stories from Among the Stars. You're listening to The Last Watch by J.S. Dewas.

Chapter 29

Kavalon lay on the cool metal floor and tried to concentrate on breathing.

Just breathing, in and out.

No pain, only oxygen, only what he needed, air.

It was all he could do to focus on it.

It had been at least 15 minutes since Snyder and his cronies had grown bored and left. Apparently it wasn't interesting to beat the

shit out of a guy who'd completely given up trying to fight back. Now he could barely move.

His weak muscles gelatinized while also managing to feel like they were literally on fire.

Threads of sharp pain traced along every nerve.

Phantom shocks left over from the volatile interfacing.

With a squeak of boots, Kavillon's eyelids blickered.

He squinted at the blinding overhead lights, his head hammering with each relentless pulse of his heart.

Emory leaned over him.

Her pale features tightened in a sympathetic grimace, Emory, who he'd wanted to leave behind to die, Emory who'd just tried to stick up for

him by threatening someone twice her size with a fucking knife.

After confirming he wasn't dead, she'd left briefly and now returned with a bio tool in hand.

She poked at the screen and started an internal scan.

Each tiny beep the device admitted cut through

Cavillon's throbbing skull like a hot needle.

How you feeling boss? she asked. Great, he grumbled.

How's it look?

...