Chapter 26 – A Sky of Peace
Grim could feel his soul leaving his body.
The wind howled past his ears, a deafening roar that swallowed every rational thought he had left.
His stomach? Somewhere in the stratosphere. His mind? Pure static.
The Escort holding onto him was as calm as a damn yoga instructor.
"Keep your head straight, exhale slowly, count to three—"
"I SWEAR TO EVERYTHING UNHOLY, SHUT UP!" Grim yelled back, his voice instantly ripped away by the wind.
Ahead of them, Ash was flipping casually, freefalling like she did this for fun.
Grim hated her so much right now.
The ground was rushing up.
The parachute yanked open.
Grim’s body snapped backwards, the force nearly ripping his soul apart.
He felt himself slowing—
Then everything went black.
When Grim’s eyes fluttered open, the first thing he saw was Ash.
Sitting beside him. Arms crossed. Wearing a smirk so smug it could kill a god.
"You fainted."
Grim’s entire existence collapsed.
"No, I didn’t."
Ash tilted her head, smirk widening.
"Yeah? So, you just decided to take a nap midair?"
Grim groaned, pushing himself upright. He felt like dying. Not because of the fall—because of her.
"You passed out before we even hit the ground."
The voice didn’t belong to Ash. It was him.
The insider.
The same guy from the plane. The one who’d given them the rundown on what to expect before they jumped.
He was crouched nearby, arms resting on his knees, smirking.
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"Frankly, I was hoping for something more dramatic. You know, screaming all the way down, a heroic last-second landing. But fainting midair?" He shook his head.
"Disappointing, mate."
Grim buried his face in his hands. Kill me now.
Ash patted his shoulder, a mockingly comforting gesture.
"It’s okay. Some people just can’t handle the sky."
Grim gritted his teeth. Oh, he was handling the sky just fine. It was Ash he couldn’t handle.
"Alright, up you go." The insider stood, stretching. "We’ve got a long walk ahead of us."
They set off on foot.
For a place torn by war, Grim had expected something bleak—ashes, ruins, corpses lining the roads.
Instead—
It was green.
Not the dull, suffocating green of Duskwatch’s flickering neon lights—real green.
Rolling plains stretched endlessly before them, swaying under the golden light of the sun. The sky was too blue, the clouds too white. The wind smelled like grass and soil and life.
Grim had never seen so much open space.
His chest felt light.
Like something invisible had been pressing down on him his whole life—and now, suddenly, it was gone.
Ash was watching him again.
Grim pretended not to notice.
The day passed in golden light.
They stopped by a stream, cold and clear, reflecting the sky. The insider refilled their canteens while Ash washed her face in the water.
Grim just stood there, watching the way the river rushed over smooth stones, listening to the sounds of nature.
No engines. No sirens. No neon hum.
Just wind. Water.
"You look like a city rat seeing nature for the first time," Ash teased, flicking water at him.
Grim flinched, then scowled. "I hate you."
"No, you don’t."
He looked away. Damn her.
The insider plopped down on a rock. "You guys ever see a waterfall up close?"
Grim blinked. "A what?"
The guy grinned. "You’re gonna love this."
They found it just past the tree line.
A massive waterfall, roaring like a beast, water crashing into a crystal-clear pool below.
Grim’s jaw actually dropped.
Ash smirked. "Still think the outside world is boring?"
Grim shook his head, stepping closer. The spray hit his skin, cool and fresh. He had never felt anything this real.
And then—
The insider jumped straight in.
"WOOHOO!"
Grim flinched as the man hit the water with a giant splash.
He surfaced a second later, shaking water from his hair. "Holy hell, that’s cold. Alright, who’s next?"
Grim turned to Ash, raising a brow. "You’re not actually—"
She kicked off her boots. "Last one in’s a coward"
And then she jumped.
Grim stared.
Then stared some more.
Then sighed. "I hate both of you."
And he jumped.
They camped in the open fields.
The fire flickered, casting warm light over Ash’s face as she leaned back on her elbows, watching the stars.
The insider was roasting something over the flames. Some animal Grim had never seen before, but it smelled amazing.
"Tomorrow, we’ll reach the refugee camps," the insider said between bites. "But for tonight? Let’s enjoy the quiet."
Grim lay back, arms behind his head.
The stars above were huge.
He could feel the grass beneath him, the warmth of the fire nearby, the sound of Ash breathing next to him.
It was a stupid feeling.
But for the first time in a long, long while—
He didn’t want to go back.
He didn’t want Duskwatch.
Didn’t want war.
Didn’t want his mission.
He wanted this.
Just this.
End of Chapter 26
