Chapter 67: Breakdown

•National Academy of Science•

Valerian

Valerian shut his eyes from the unbearable pain. The sounds that bombarded him were not just uncomfortable; they were excruciatingly painful. 

For the longest time, Valerian had trained himself not to flinch even as the sounds were banging in his head. He had managed to endure this kind of pain all his life but somehow, tonight, each sound was torture.

It felt like he was caught in the crossfire and gunshots erupted around him, each shot felt like an explosion in Valerian's head. The reverberations pounded through his skull like a hammer, making it hard to breathe, to think, to hold on to any semblance of sanity. Valerian could hear sirens, blaring in the distance, the sirens felt like it was banging in his head, blaring louder and louder until he feared they'd shatter his eardrums.

"What's wrong? What do you see?" He could hear Ana ask in concern as he felt a warm hand rub comforting circles on his back.