Page 9 of The Hollowed
Alex winced a little at his own words. When he said them out loud, they sounded even less like a well thought out plan and more like a poor excuse.
Luci’s brow furrowed as her eyes drifted around the room, taking in the mess she’d left behind. The scattered tissues and tossed research papers, none of it was like her. She was nothing if not tidy and neat.
“How did you get the code to my door?” she asked, her voice quieter now, less panicked but still filled with disbelief as she began to gather the crumpled pages around her.
“I used the emergency override,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t have, I know. I just — I wanted to make sure you were okay. I guess I panicked a little.” Alex confessed, taking a moment to breathe. He realized then, that in all the years that he’d known Luci, he’d never seen her this distressed. “Are you? Okay, I mean?”
Luci looked up at him sharply. “What do you think?” she snapped, more bluntly than she ever had before. She tossed the papers onto the coffee table in a frustrated manner. Alex didn’t say anything as she let out a heavy sigh and stood up.
“I should’ve left a note or something when I came by to feed Luna,” she said. “It’s just…today’s been a lot.”
Alex gave a slow nod and bent down to help her with the mess. She should’ve yelled at him and kicked him out. He had no right to bypass her door like that but Luci had always seen the best in people — even when they didn’t deserve it.
“Sit down. I’ll clean this up,” he said gently, and to his relief, she didn’t argue. “Did you eat?” he added after a second passed. “I can make you something if you haven’t.”
Neither of them said much as Alex quietly cleaned up and began rummaging through her fridge for something simple. He fried a few eggs, plated them as neatly as he could, then set the dish down in front of her. Without a word, he took the seat across from her at the small round table just off the kitchen.
He waited, unsure if she’d speak. She picked up her spoon and pierced the yolk, letting it bleed across the plate before taking a bite.
“I don’t want to brag or anything, but I’m kind of a fried egg expert,” he said, offering a small smile.
Luci rolled her eyes, playfully this time and though she didn’t say it, he could tell from the way she kept eating that she appreciated it.
“Thank you,” she said after a moment. “Not just for the eggs but for checking on me, too.”
Alex nodded but he didn’t feel like he deserved any gratitude. Looking after Luci came as naturally to him as breathing. If there was any way to remind her that she wasn’t alone in this miserable place, he’d do it without hesitation.
“You probably want to know what happened,” Luci said, her voice softer now. “You’re just too kind to ask.”
She nudged the eggs around her plate, eyes fixed on the yellow smear she was painting.
“Only if you want to tell me,” he replied gently.
She let out a breath and set her spoon down, pressing her palms to her eyes for a moment. “My application for an extended deferral from the reproduction program was denied.”
Alex had braced himself for bad news but this was worsethan anything he could’ve imagined. He knew what the program meant and what it would do to her. Truly, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like to be told her time was up, that she had no choice but to reproduce… and yet, amid the anger and confusion, something uglier twisted inside his mind. The thought of her carrying a child that wasn’t his, a child with a stranger’s eyes that didn’t belong to him, made his heart twist.
“Fuck,” he whispered. “Is there anything you can —”
“No.” Luci cut him off before he could finish. “It’s done, the decision’s final. I’ll be paired in a few weeks.” Her voice cracked as she pushed her plate away. “And I’m so damn close to finding a viable vaccine, but they don’t care. I just thought…I thought if I bought enough time, if I just found something real, they’d let me off the hook.”
Alex leaned in, eyes locked on hers. “You will find something real, Luci. What you’re doing, it matters. You’re not just about saving lives, you’re building a future. If they can’t see that, that’s on them. Not you.”
She looked down, shaking her head. “You don’t get it. Once the pairing is finalized, I can’t stay in the lab. It’s policy, there’s too many risks and they won’t let me work during the pregnancy. I’ll be pulled from research entirely.”
Alex went quiet for a heartbeat. Then, firmly he added, “We’ll find a way out of this. I don’t care how final it seems. There’s always a way and until then…” He softened, voice gentler now. “Don’t give up on your work. If anyone can finish what you started, it’s you. I’ll help you however I can.”
Luci met his eyes again, and this time there was something brighter behind them. A glimmer of hope had returned. And it didn’t matter how dim it was because it was there.
“Promise?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as her gaze locked with his.
“I promise,” he said, even though he knew better than to make promises he couldn’t keep.
He had no idea how they’d pull it off. They had no plan, leverage or time but none of that mattered. He’d burn the whole system down before he let them take her choice away. If there was even a sliver of a path forward, he’d find it, for her.
Chapter 3
Lucilla