Miguel POVI stood frozen at the doorway, watching as the nurses worked over Diego with practiced precision. The room felt too bright now, the sterile white lights almost blinding after the darkness we’d been trapped in. Machines beeped quietly as they secured him on life support—tubes, wires, and screens forming a fragile connection between life and whatever came after.The rhythmic hiss of the ventilator filled the silence.Isabel and Marissa sat in the corner, speaking in hushed voices. Their words were low, but the tension in the room made them echo louder than they should have.“He’s been through so much,” Isabel whispered, her voice strained.Marissa nodded, leaning back against the wall with arms folded. “Yeah. All this time... searching for his brother. Only to find him like this? And Gideon—”“That name,” Isabel muttered, clenching her fists. “He’s haunted us for too long. Every time we think we’re safe, he finds a way back.”I gritted my teeth. They weren’t wrong. Gideon had
Miguel POVThe steady hum of the ventilator echoed in my head, louder than the faint beeping of the machines keeping Diego alive. The pale blue light from the monitors cast cold shadows across his face, the only sign he was still here. Alive. Barely.I stood motionless by the door, unable to step closer. I’d been there for hours, watching, waiting—powerless.My father was across the room, hands tucked behind his back, staring at Diego like he was trying to memorize every detail. His face, usually so composed, was pale and drawn.The silence between us was unbearable.Marissa shifted in her seat near the window, glancing between us before finally standing. She walked quietly over to him.“You should sit,” she said gently as she pointed toward the empty chair closer to where she stood up from.My father didn’t move, his eyes still locked on Diego.Marissa sighed, folding her arms. “Look... I know it feels hopeless, but he’s fighting. You can see it. And he’s got Miguel here. That has to
Diego POVI was floating. No pain. No sound.Everything felt... very quiet.I couldn’t tell if my body existed anymore. I wasn’t sure I was anymore.But there was something. A voice. Faint. Like an echo through water.“Stay with me, Diego. Please...” I hear Miguel’s voice calling out to me his voice laced with pain I could literally feel he is crying even if I couldn’t see.“Miguel?”I tried to respond, but my voice didn’t reach the surface. Nothing did everywhere was too quiet despite all my attempts.Memories drifted like shadows, pieces of broken glass reflecting things I couldn’t quite grasp. Flashes of faces—Gideon’s men. The cold, hard glare of a weapon pressed against my ribs. The gunshot. Pain. Then... nothing.And now, I was here. Trapped.But I felt him. My brother. Close. Desperate.I had to get back. I had to warn him.Something was still coming. Gideon...Miguel POVThe heart monitor screamed its relentless, flat tone.I couldn’t look away from Diego, his lifeless body s
Diego POVThe darkness had started to thin.Sounds drifted closer now. Voices, faint but clearer than before. My mind felt like it was wading through fog, struggling to surface.“Stay with me, Diego... Please... Just hold on...” I heard his voice calling out to me, Miguel.I could feel his presence, his voice cutting through the haze like an anchor. But something else was there too—a constant pressure in my chest. Cold. Heavy.The pain was distant but growing sharper by the minutes but there nothing I could do about it.And then—another voice. Harsher. Mocking.“You never were the priority, Miguel. You're just another piece in my game.” Gideon’s voice came on as I was suddenly not pleased, I tried to talk but couldn’t, I was shouting but no one could hear my voice.I fought against the weight pressing me down, forcing my mind to break through. I couldn’t stay here. I had to warn them.Gideon was still controlling everything.Miguel POVGideon’s voice echoed through the hospital speake
Miguel POVThe sound of the flatline still echoed in my ears.Everything seemed distant—the frantic voices, the beeping monitors, the rush of medical staff around Diego’s bed. All I could focus on was his pale face, lifeless and still.A firm hand gripped my shoulder, breaking me out of my haze.It was the doctor. His face was serious, his eyes sharp with urgency.“We don’t have time, Miguel. I need consent for emergency surgery. Now.”I blinked, my mind sluggish. “What—what do you mean surgery?”The doctor’s voice stayed calm but unrelenting.“The implant. It’s interfering with his vitals. If we don’t remove it immediately, he won’t make it. We’ve prepped OR-1. You need to sign these forms.”A clipboard was pressed into my shaking hands, the medical jargon blurring together.Beside me, my father took a step closer. “I’ll sign. He’s my son—”I shook my head sharply.“No. I’m doing it.” My voice wavered, but I pressed the pen down, scrawling my name across the line. “Just... save him.”
Miguel POVThe heart monitor’s rhythm had stabilized, but the tension in the OR was heavier than ever.I stood frozen against the glass, my palms pressed flat, watching Diego’s still body beneath the bright surgical lights. Dr. Chen’s voice cut through the quiet hum of machines.“Electrical interference detected along the neural interface. Vitals unstable. We need to contain it—now.”The dual heartbeat continued flickering on the screen, chaotic and unnatural.Dr. Kumar, the anesthesiologist, spoke rapidly. “BP dropping—systolic down to 80. He’s losing ground fast.”Dr. Chen’s hands were steady, precise. “Scalpel. I’m isolating the main lead. Dr. Martinez, be ready to assist with micro-suction once I expose the implant.”The air felt thick, every movement calculated. A surgical nurse handed over the scalpel with practiced calm.Miguel’s father broke the silence behind me, his voice low but strained.“If they can’t control the implant’s electrical feedback, it could trigger full neural
Miguel POVThe heart monitor's steady beeping echoed in the sterile quiet of the OR.Dr. Chen’s brow was furrowed, her gloved hands hovering above Diego's skull. His vitals had stabilized, but the unnatural dual heartbeat still flickered on the screen.“Something’s still wrong,” she said, her voice calm but tense. “That second implant—it's not fully deactivated. There’s a residual charge coming from the nerve bundle.”Dr. Kumar adjusted the sedation levels. “BP holding steady... but the electrical interference is active again. We have a window, but it’s closing.”Chen nodded. “We need a controlled electromagnetic pulse—targeted. Prep the micro-coil generator.”The surgical nurse handed over the small, cylindrical device.I watched, frozen on the other side of the glass, every muscle locked in place.Dr. Chen glanced up at the gallery.“This procedure is experimental,” she warned. “If the EMP disrupts the wrong cluster—”Miguel's father interrupted; his voice low but steady. “Do it. I’
Miguel POVThe steady beeping of the heart monitor was almost soothing now, a reminder that Diego was alive. Breathing. Stable.I was slouched in the uncomfortable hospital chair, my head resting against the cold steel bar. Sleep hadn’t come easily, but exhaustion had finally forced me under.The sound of a door clicking open stirred me awake.Isabel entered, holding two cups of coffee, her eyes tired but alert.“You look terrible,” she whispered, setting one cup on the tray beside me.I sat up, my back stiff. “Yeah, well... so do you.”Her lips curled in the faintest smile before she turned toward Diego.He was awake. Barely. His eyelids fluttered, lips parting as he tried to speak.I shot up, my pulse racing. “Diego? Hey—are you with me?”His head tilted slightly toward the sound of my voice. His pale skin seemed even more fragile under the harsh hospital lighting, but his breathing was steady.“Water,” he rasped, voice hoarse.Isabel grabbed the cup, holding it gently to his lips.
"Feeding off what?" Caleb asked, his rifle sweeping the area.Before Finn could answer, a low growl echoed through the village. The team froze, their weapons trained on the source of the sound. From the shadows emerged creatures unlike any they had faced before. Their forms were barely humanoid, their bodies composed of writhing tendrils and jagged shards of obsidian. Their glowing eyes burned with malice."Contact!" Ruby shouted, firing the first shot.The creatures attacked with terrifying speed, their movements unnatural and erratic. Caleb fired at the nearest one, his bullets shattering its obsidian exterior but failing to slow it down. Selene charged forward, her blade glowing as it sliced through a tendril that lashed out at her."Aim for the cores!" Finn yelled, his device beeping wildly. "The glowing spots in their chests!"Ruby adjusted her aim, firing at a creature's core. The shot landed true, and the creature let out a guttural scream before collapsing into a pile of ash a
breath felt empty like the air was too thick to breathe. ''I'll feel better if I sleep, I told myself.Ghb yuu yuu y7u rrd tre oil uiuBut immediately as I was about drifting into sleep, I heard a sound that made me jump right up from bed.Asher's ears sparked in defense, his growl filling the whole room. The sound alone sent a chill running through my spine, but I couldn't look away from the window. There was a shadow outside that seemed to shift, stretching and bending unnaturally than they should have.I stood in fear, not being able to feel my legs which felt heavy. All I could hear was the sound of my heartbeat which kept on thundering in my chest. A loud bang at the door made me jump from my bed. I gasped out of shock, crawling on my knees in order to peep through the door. before I could even make it, the door burst open with enough force to slam against the wall. Two figures stood in the doorway, covered in dark shadows.GyyTheir eyes were glowing with yellow, a sight that
"Another kilometer," Finn replied, adjusting the scanner. "But the energy is… erratic. It's like the cluster is unstable, but it's pulling resources from somewhere."Ruby nodded, her grip tightening on her rifle. "Stay alert. The Shadow never makes things easy." The whole team were on high alert as they lifted their weapons higher ready to attack at the slightest movement The cluster appeared suddenly, nestled within a narrow gorge. Tendrils of dark energy snaked along the ground, pulsating faintly. At its center was a twisted structure, a crude spire of shadow and stone that seemed to breathe with unnatural life."Looks like a smaller version of the core," Finn murmured. "But it's… fractured. If we can destabilize it, the whole thing should collapse."Ruby surveyed the area. "Let's make it happen. You handle the spire. I'll cover you."As Finn approached the structure, the ground trembled. Creatures emerged from the shadows, their forms misshapen but vicious. Ruby fired a quick burs
Finn's scanner beeped intermittently, struggling to maintain accuracy. "The interference is worse than I expected," he admitted, frowning at the flickering display. "We're flying blind out here."Selene's eyes scanned the horizon. "Then we rely on instincts. This isn't the first time we've worked without a map."Zoe smirked faintly. "She's right. Besides, if anything jumps out, I'll just cut it down."Ruby kept her rifle at the ready, her voice cutting through the tension. "Stay sharp. Whatever's waiting for us, it knows we're coming."The signal led them to an ancient ruin, partially buried beneath layers of shadow-infused earth. The structure was unlike anything they'd encountered before—crumbling stone walls laced with veins of pulsing dark energy. Tendrils of shadow coiled and twisted through the air, moving as if alive.Finn's eyes widened as he studied the ruin. "This place… it's amplifying the signal. The core's energy is dormant but concentrated here. If we can disable it, we'
Ruby led the way, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Stay together! Keep moving!"A massive tendril slammed into the path ahead, cutting them off. Selene darted forward, her blade slicing through the tendril in a single, decisive strike. "Go! I've got this!"The team pushed forward, the exit coming into view just as the chamber let out a deafening roar. They burst into the open air, the ground beneath them trembling as the chamber collapsed entirely.Finn stumbled to his knees, his scanner clutched tightly in his hands. He stared at the screen, his face pale. "The energy… it's… it's heading somewhere else."Ruby turned to him, her expression grim. "Where?"Finn looked up, his voice shaking. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it's not good."The team's breaths came in heavy gasps as they stared out over the Wastes. The Shadow's remnants weren't just lingering. They were regrouping, gathering strength for something far worse.Ruby's grip tightened on her rifle. "We'll stop it. Whatev
Isabel POVExplosions and gunfire ricocheted off concrete walls, punctuated by shouts and screams. Isabel POVExplosions and gunfire ricocheted off concrete walls, punctuated by shouts and screams. The mechanical voice over the intercom had been haunting in its finality: "Containment protocol initiated. No one leaves."I bolted from the server room with my laptop clutched to my chest, my mind racing. Somewhere in these files was a way out, a weakness in the system I'd unwittingly helped build."Miguel!" I called, spotting him barricading the main corridor. His eyes snapped to me."What did you find?" he demanded, not pausing in his task of positioning wreckages for cover."More data on the project—but it's a mess. They've buried the important files under layers of encryption.""Then unbury them," he snapped. "We're running out of time!"I didn't argue. My hands shook as I knelt beside him, setting up my laptop on a nearby crate. The battle outside raged, but my focus was on the scre
"Feeding off what?" Caleb asked, his rifle sweeping the area.Before Finn could answer, a low growl echoed through the village. The team froze, their weapons trained on the source of the sound. From the shadows emerged creatures unlike any they had faced before. Their forms were barely humanoid, their bodies composed of writhing tendrils and jagged shards of obsidian. Their glowing eyes burned with malice."Contact!" Ruby shouted, firing the first shot.The creatures attacked with terrifying speed, their movements unnatural and erratic. Caleb fired at the nearest one, his bullets shattering its obsidian exterior but failing to slow it down. Selene charged forward, her blade glowing as it sliced through a tendril that lashed out at her."Aim for the cores!" Finn yelled, his device beeping wildly. "The glowing spots in their chests!"Ruby adjusted her aim, firing at a creature's core. The shot landed true, and the creature let out a guttural scream before collapsing into a pile of ash a
Miguel's POVThe headlights caught her face fully now, and there was no mistaking it.Our mother.Her face was pale, lined with the kind of exhaustion that only comes from years of pain, yet her eyes held that same piercing intensity I remembered as a child.Fifteen years. Fifteen years without a word. Without an explanation.I pushed open the car door. Cold air hit me, but my chest burned hotter than ever."Stay in the car," Dad ordered, his voice taut with authority."Like hell I will." I stepped out, heart pounding. "Fifteen years. And you think showing up now—like this—is enough?"She took a step forward."Miguel, please. There's so much you don't—"I cut her off, my voice trembling. "Then explain it. No more riddles. No more secrets. Why now?"Behind me, Isabel's voice cut through the tension."Miguel! Diego's pulse is dropping again! We don't have time for this!"Our mother's face twisted with urgency."Let me help him. Please."I stepped back, blocking her approach."No. You do
The air in the resistance base buzzed with an energy that was equal parts anticipation and dread. Though Ruby and her team had delivered a crippling blow to the Shadow, the cracks in the landscape, the faint echoes of corruption still lingering in the Wastes, spoke to a danger far from eradicated. The Shadow's remnants were more than just scars; they were seeds, threatening to sprout into new horrors if left unchecked.Ruby stood in the command center, leaning over a table strewn with maps and tactical reports. The dim light overhead cast sharp shadows across her face. Evelyn's voice was sharp as ever as she discussed deployments with the council."We've dispatched scouts to all regions marked by Finn's residual energy readings," Evelyn said, her fingers tracing the map. "But reports from the south are troubling. A village near the Wastes border… it's gone dark. No communication. No survivors seen leaving."Finn adjusted his device, the holographic map flickering to life above the tab