Chapter 47: Unmasked and Unbroken
Pain. That was the first sensation I felt. A profound, pulsating pain spreading from my ribs and shoulders, as if molten metal had seeped under my skin. My eyelids were heavy, yet I compelled them to open. The overhead ceiling was a clean white, adorned with recessed lights gently humming above. A subtle antiseptic odor lingered in the atmosphere.
I'm alive.
My heart raced as I attempted to rise. Tubes pulled on my arms. A monitor was beeping quickly to my left. I glanced down and noticed heavy bandages encircling my chest, with dark threads visible through the gauze near my ribs. My right hand was also wrapped, the skin firm where the rope burns had healed.
To my right, on a small steel tray, sat my mask. The Dust Mask. Its surface was cracked along the edge, the filter smeared with dried blood. My pulse doubled as panic slammed into me.
They've seen my face. My identity...
I reached for the mask, my hand trembling despite the IVs snaking from my wrist. Before I could grab it, a voice interrupted.
"Relax, Rey. You're safe."
I quickly turned my head, disregarding the pain that surged in my neck. In the corner of the room, Camille was seated cross-legged in a tattered armchair. Her dark hair was pulled into a chaotic bun, her eyes dimmed by fatigue yet sparkling with humor.
"Camille?" My throat was raw, the word coming out as a croak.
She smiled softly. "The one and only."
"Where...where am I?" I rasped.