Rise of the Night/Run of Night

The truck rumbled like a content beast as they drove along. It was old and haggard but got the job done. Lyla tried to relax. If she was safe anywhere right now, it was in this truck. With Shadow dozed off against her and Congo and Shiva in the front seats. Shiva had drifted off too and the sound of her breathing and Shadow's light snores mingled with the crackle of the radio. Teams announcing their progress, laughing at each other's jokes and wising safe drives to others.

Still, she watched the road and passing cars vigilantly. Things were going well, the worst problem in the thirty minutes since they left the catacombs being a later team announcing a flat tire before they even started their truck. It should have been a comfort.

"Breathe, pup," Congo said quietly, so as not to wake Shadow and Shiva. "You're so tense you're freaking me out."

"Sorry," she said, still looking out the window.

"Hey," he said. She looked up. He was eyeing her in the rearview mirror. "That's better."

He smiled at her, the same rough and tumble kind of smile she expected from him. But concern was in his eyes and tugged at the edges of his smile.

"Where's your head right now?" he asked gently. "You here with us or are you back at the docks?"

"The docks?"

"Where we found you."

"Oh," she shifted in the seat, getting an arm around Shadow so she could play with the ends of his hair. The distraction was good. "I don't know. A little. I guess."

"You don't have to answer this if you're not ready, but what happened down there? One of your runners told me you were injured but that was all I know. And you look fine, physically at least."

"Shadow healed it," she said, now not looking back up at him. "They... He, really... Broke my wrist. Damn near opened up my arm. Drugged me. They... They were going to..." She paused, not wanting to admit all this to a man she respected. "He was going to rape me. At least one of them. Maybe more..."

"Did he?" Congo asked, his voice hard. When she looked up at him, his eyes were on the road but his face was tense.

"No." She looked out the window again. "He said he would find me again. I..." The tears were welling up again. "I shouldn't have gotten caught. I just... My arm... It couldn't hold my weight... I fell when I should have be able to hold on..."

Congo glanced back at her as they both realized what she was saying. Lyla flushed, horrified with herself. It wasn't his fault. She didn't blame him. But... if he hadn't punished her, she would have had the strength in her arm and wouldn't have fallen. She would have gotten away. They both knew it.

"Congo," she pleaded, "I don't blame you, please don't think that I do."

"I believe you," he said, softer this time. "I'm still sorry."

They rode in relative silence for the rest of the trip. Lyla just listened to the reports over the radio until she heard Kit and Luke's voices announcing that her small band of runners had left the catacombs safely. Counting herself, there were only seven of them, making them the smallest group under the Diamond Dongs.

"Big up?" Luke's voice called through the radio.

Lyla reached forward, trying unsuccessfully not to wake Shadow, and grabbed the receiver off the middle console. "This is big up."

"Young dash will need guidance," he said. Kit doesn't know his way around the mines.

"Ask and you shall receive," she called back.

"What was that about?" Shadow asked, rubbing his eyes and settling back against her.

"Kit will need to be shown around the mines. He's never been there before."

"Ah," he yawned as she put an arm back around him. He rested his head in her lap, absentmindedly rubbing her knee. "Are we there yet?"

"Another half an hour or so," Congo answered. "We'll go in armed to be safe. Lyla, you'll have to show your newbie around after we've got everyone settled. He'll survive for a bit on his own."

"Alright, can do."

"And Shadow, you're on point once we get in. Shouldn't be anything out of the ordinary but I'd rather be safe than sorry."