The dull throb in Calyx's skull pulsed in rhythm with the faint hum of the fluorescent light above. His eyelids, heavy with sleep and something else, cracked open, revealing the sterile grey walls of his room. The strangely calming space offered little relief from the pounding inside his head, a souvenir from the grueling training session hours ago.
A sudden, jarring BANG on the metal door jolted him upright. The sound echoed through the fairly cramped room, each echo amplifying the dull ache behind his eyes. He sat up, the bed groaning under his weight, his muscles protesting with a stiffness born of Cass's training.
He stumbled towards the door, each step a test of his coordination. The banging continued, growing more frantic with each passing moment.
