But then Jen looked at the torn, helmetless suit crumpled on the floor, and she knew, with complete certainty, that she wanted to keep the doors closed.

“Alessicka,” Jen said, “could you bring Carly some food and water?”

The young woman still looked shocked that they were keeping their partner inside the airlock, but she nodded and got up. Carly slouched away from the window to sit against the back wall, scowling. As Alessicka’s footsteps faded down the hallway, Jen said, “Carly, you know why I have to do this, right?”

“I’m your friend,” she spat. “We’ve been stuck on this forsaken lump of rock for three years. Don’t you trust me?”

Not at this moment, I don’t.

CHAPTER THREE

The day passed slowly. Alessicka and Jen stayed at the control panel. Carly refused to touch the bottles of water and peach-flavoured slurry packets they’d cautiously tossed through the door, but sat in her corner and sulked. After trying to make small talk for a few minutes, Alessicka gave up and joined them in silence.

When the clock ticked over to the third quarter of the day, Jen turned to Alessicka. “You’d better get some rest.”

She looked ghastly. Her doe-like eyes were bloodshot from crying, and her face was pale, but she still smiled. “I’m fine, Jen.”

Jen sighed. “No, you really need sleep. I’ll stay here with Carly. Go on.”

Alessicka obediently got up and waved goodbye to Carly, who flashed a grin back at her. Jen waited until she heard the bedroom door close before speaking.

“You haven’t touched your food.”

“Not hungry.”

“So you’re going to starve yourself until we let you out?”

Her only reply was a very slow blink.

“Carly,” Jen said, choosing her phrasing carefully. “I don’t believe you escaped from that creature.”

The other woman didn’t say anything.

“I felt how strong it was. It would have torn me in half if I’d given it another minute.”

“I’m sure it would have.”

Something about how she said that—almost with a hint of arrogance—made Jen pause. Carly was watching her through half-closed lids, a smirk hovering around her mouth.

“You don’t have so much as a scratch on you.”

“I was lucky, wasn’t I?”

“The air isn’t breathable.”

“Are you sure about that? I swallowed it. It was fine.”

“So you think the scientists lied to us when they said it was toxic?”

“Yes.” Another slow, languid blink followed.

Jen pursed her lips. She had always gotten along reasonably well with Carly, but at that moment, she would have been glad to never see the other woman again. “I’m going to get some sleep, too.”

“Do you know why I was condemned to this hellscape?” Carly asked, and Jen froze halfway out of her chair. Carly’s smile widened, but it wasn’t a pleasant expression. “I know you’ve seen my work history. I’m beyond overqualified for a place like this. You probably think I did something really bad to end up here, don’t you?”