Beneath the Surface of Safety

Previously

…The thought was a chilling whisper in the silence. I closed my eyes, the image of Maya’s innocent smile flashing behind my eyelids. That was why. That was the only reason. I pushed myself away from the pillar, my movements stiff and pained. I had to get back. I had to ensure Sam and Maya were safe. And then… then I had to face the consequences. Not just of The Broker’s threat, but of the person I had revealed myself to be in this desolate place. The reckoning had come, and it had left its mark, deep and indelible, on my soul. The surface was no longer safe. The surface was a lie. And I was no longer sure I could ever fully return to it.