Nobody spoke at first; the bleak little housing unit served as a home and a refuge, and there was a sense of relief that came from being back inside. Inside might mean grey walls, cement floors, and metal bunks, but also warmth and friendship, even comfort. Unfortunately, it trapped them as well, preventing them from taking time alone to recover from the rush of hostility, fear, and adrenaline.

Wash walked to a corner of the building and pressed his head into the wall, shaking. Tears trickled from his eyes as he thought about what Gray and Straaker had just gone through, and what might happen to them now. In his mind’s eye he saw Khiloh standing before them, exhausted and betrayed. Lacking the ability to do anything about it, Wash pressed closer to his corner and simply grieved.

Zeke sat heavily on a bunk and sighed, burying his head in his hands. A million confused thoughts were running through his head as he questioned whether there was anything he could have changed, any way he could have stepped in to prevent what he’d just seen.

Matty retreated to the back of the building, breathing heavily. His heart was pounding as he tried to process the implications of what he’d just seen and wondered if their easygoing friendships had been destroyed. He relied on the relaxed conversations to keep him sane, and now everyone seemed primed to hate one another. He curled up on a far bunk in misery, unwilling to face the others.

Mal simply stood. He stood just in front of the door, able to see faintly through the back window what was happening outside. His own heart was hammering his chest, but he didn’t notice. Straaker was on his feet and being led out of the yard. Gray was dragged to the gate, struggling weakly, and Mal watched as it was rolled shut and one of the guards handcuffed Gray’s limp form to its bars.

Khiloh walked away with the rest of the group, leaving one of the three other officers outside the gate, and Mal looked away. Almost by instinct, he took stock of the men inside th