Page 43 of Resurgent

“What?”

“Goodbye, Lieutenant.”

Dax laughs. “Safe flight, Captain.”

Korr shakes his head, but still, as we mount, I catch myself smiling.

It feels strange, like finding an old shirt in the back of a drawer and realizing it still fits, even though I feel like a completely different person than the girl who used to wear it.

The return flight is quieter as we head home south this time, finally skirting the worst of the storm.

The afternoon sun breaks through the clouds, painting the landscape beneath us gold. I’m staring down when something familiar catches my eye.

My stomach drops instantly.

A cluster of buildings. A narrow road. The old grain mill. The river. The bridge.

We’re above South Hollow.

My entire body goes rigid.

Korr notices; of course he fucking does. “You’re from South Hollow, right?”

It isn’t really a question, but still I nod.

For several seconds, neither of us says anything.

South Hollow looks so small from up here, almost harmless.

That’s the cruelest part. From this height, it doesn’t look like the kind of place that would allow a sadistic man to starve or beat a young girl. It doesn’t look like the kind of place that would not only harbor her nightmare, but would also give him the power to determine other people’s fate.

Korr glances over at me, voice casual. “Anyone you want to stop and see? We have a little time to spare.”

The offer catches me off guard, not because I want to stop, but because he offered.

“No.”

His gaze stays on me. “You sure?”

“Yeah. There’s not really anyone,” I admit, swallowing hard.

He doesn’t say anything, and somehow, that makes it easier to keep talking.

“I used to work at a gym just outside town. It was actually a really good place. The people were nice. Normal. Some of them were annoying as hell, but…” I shrug, smiling. “They were good people.”

“You still talk to them?”

“Not really.”

“Why?”

“You mean other than the fact that they all think I’m a murderer? I don't know.”

I look down at the little buildings passing beneath us.

“Honestly? I never really hung out with them outside of work even before that.”

Korr remains quiet.