The Progeny
“I am instantly awake, staring wide-eyed in the darkness. Aware of the arm beneath my head, the one curled over the coverlet around me. Smell of skin.My name is Audra Ellison. I am in a marine hostel in Rijeka, Croatia . . . and I am not in bed alone.If I close my eyes, I can almost pretend that these arms are as safe as they feel. And I do, for all of three seconds. Any longer and I will stay.I inch up with supreme slowness, glance back with only my eyes, not daring to turn my head. Slide out from under arm and coverlet both. Reach a foot for the ladder, find the floor instead. I’m on the bottom bunk.But I’m clothed, at least—having gone to bed fully dressed beneath the covers.Luka’s breath is slow and even. I ease up from the edge of the bed, swipe my sneakers from the floor nearby. Glance at the clock.6:11 A.M.There’s a light blinking silently on the phone—a message I don’t dare check. I pad to the door, feel for the chair. Lift it out from beneath the handle and set it carefully aside.
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