Isabel POVThe room was suffocating. Marissa stood to the side, her knife glinting faintly under the dim light, while Miguel leaned against the wall."You've done the smart thing," Miguel said, his voice cold and detached. "But you're not off the hook yet. If you're lying—""I'm not," Alex interrupted, his voice hoarse. "Gideon's summit is happening in two days. Everything—his allies, his resources—will be there.""And the location?" Miguel pressed.Alex hesitated, his eyes darting between us before he muttered, "An abandoned resort. Edge of the city, near the cliffs."Miguel POVI pushed off the wall, stepping closer to him. "You've just bought yourself time. Don't waste it."He gave me a weak nod, too exhausted to respond.Marissa sheathed her knife with a smirk. "Guess we've got work to do."I turned to Isabel, who stood near the doorway, her expression unreadable. "This is it," I said. "We hit him at the summit."Isabel POVMiguel moved with purpose; he began detailing the plan to
Isabel POVGideon stood at the center of it all, his smirk razor-sharp as he faced us down. His guards flanked him, their eyes cold and calculating."You're persistent, and very relentless. I'll give you that," Gideon said, his voice smooth despite the chaos around us.Miguel didn't lower his weapon, his tone unyielding. "It's over, Gideon. Don't make this harder than it has to be." He said his voice very firm as he stood his ground.But Gideon's smirk only widened. "Oh, I think it's just getting started." He took a few steps backward.He reached into his jacket, and for a split second, I thought he was going for a weapon. But what he pulled out was far worse—a small remote with a red button in the center."No, this can't be what I think it is " I whispered, my hands flying to cover my mouth Miguel POVMy heart sank as Gideon held up the device in the air. "Don't do anything stupid," I warned, my voice steady despite the spike of panic shooting through me."Stupid?" Gideon repeated,
Isabel POVThe passage reeked of damp earth and rusting metal. My breathing was ragged as I chased the faint echoes of Miguel and Gideon's scuffle, the darkness pressing in on all sides. My grip on the knife was firm, though my fingers trembled.The sound of a gunshot reverberated through the tunnels, followed by a sharp cry. My heart leapt into my throat, my pace quickening.But before I could reach the source, a figure emerged from the shadows, staggering toward me."Marissa?"Her name escaped my lips in a whisper, disbelief and fear twisting together.Miguel POVGideon was fast. He darted through the narrow tunnels like a man who knew every twist and turn by heart. I thought he was dead on the floor but he wasn't. The dull throb of my shoulder where his earlier blow had landed was a reminder not to underestimate him.Finally, I cornered him in a dead-end section of the tunnel. He turned; his face twisted in a sneer."You don't know when to quit, do you?" he said, his voice echoing
Isabel POV Miguel stared intensely at Gideon who is still bleeding. His Gun still trained at him even though he was shaking. Miguel with swift move landed a heavy punch on Gideon's face over and over again till I rushed to stop him from beating him to death. "Be better than him, Miguel. That he is heartless doesn't mean we thread in the same path. You can be better. I said. Miguel Pov. Isabel's words felt very heavy in my heart as I managed to regain my composure. Isabel held me tightly as she drew me to the edge of the tunnel where Marissa is seated bleeding. We then left the tunnel to a new place for safety. Isabel POV The new safe house was colder than the last, both in atmosphere and in temperature. The tension hung thick in the air, unspoken but palpable. Miguel hadn't said a word since we left the tunnels. His expression was unreadable, his silence deafening. Marissa sat on the couch; her side patched up with hastily applied bandages. She was pale but alert, he
Miguel stared intensely at Gideon who is still bleeding. His Gun still trained at him even though he was shaking. Miguel with swift move landed a heavy punch on Gideon's face over and over again till I rushed to stop him from beating him to death. "Be better than him, Miguel. That he is heartless doesn't mean we thread in the same path. You can be better. I said.Miguel Pov.Isabel's words felt very heavy in my heart as I managed to regain my composure.Isabel held me tightly as she drew me to the edge of the tunnel where Marissa is seated bleeding.We then left the tunnel to a new place for safety.Isabel POVThe new safe house was colder than the last, both in atmosphere and in temperature. The tension hung thick in the air, unspoken but palpable. Miguel hadn't said a word since we left the tunnels. His expression was unreadable, his silence deafening.Marissa sat on the couch; her side patched up with hastily applied bandages. She was pale but alert, her sharp eyes following Migue
Isabel POVThe note crumpled slightly in my trembling hand, but I refused to let it fall. My eyes burned as I stared at Miguel, the man I'd trusted through chaos and bloodshed, now standing with his back to me, his jaw tight, his silence louder than words."You were just going to leave?" I said, my voice sharp and accusing. "No explanation? No goodbye?"He turned slowly; his face shadowed in the dim light. His eyes, always steady, now flickered with guilt."It's not what you think," he began, but I stepped closer, cutting him off."Then explain," I snapped, shaking the note. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're running."Miguel POVHer words cut deeper than I expected. I hadn't planned to leave like this—not without telling her. But how could I explain the storm raging in my head? The file, the photograph, the possibility that my brother was alive... it consumed me."I'm not running," I said finally, though the words felt hollow. "I'm trying to fix things."She laugh
Isabel POVThe explosion left my ears ringing, the world reduced to a haze of smoke and chaos. The safe house groaned around us, wreckages raining down as the walls buckled under the force."Miguel!" I screamed, coughing through the thick dust.His hand found mine, pulling me to my feet. His grip was firm, a lifeline in the chaos."Run," he said, his voice steady despite the madness. He polled me through the opening.I didn't argue. We sprinted toward the back exit, dodging falling beams and navigating the collapsing structure.Miguel POVThe safe house was a death trap now, every second spent inside another step closer to the end. The attackers weren't letting up, their movements precise and unrelenting."Go left!" I shouted to Isabel, pushing her ahead as another explosion rocked the building.She hesitated, glancing back at me. "What about the others?""They'll manage," I said, though doubt gnawed at me. "We can't help them if we're dead."Isabel POVThe cold night air hit me like
Isabel POVThe voice froze me in place. It wasn’t the cold tone or the precise command; it was the familiarity of it. Miguel stiffened beside me, his hand twitching toward his gun.“Don’t,” the voice warned. “I’d rather this not end in bloodshed—for once.”Through the dim light, the figure stepped forward. My breath caught as recognition dawned.“Alex,” Miguel growled, his voice dripping with disbelief.Miguel POVAlex’s smug grin hadn’t changed, but everything else about him had. His stance was more deliberate, his clothes sharper, and his gear... military-grade.“I bet you didn’t see this coming,” Alex said, lowering his gun but keeping it within reach as he steps closer to us and his face scanning the environment like hawk searching for its prey.“How are you alive?” I demanded with a little bit of unease running through me.“Resilient, aren’t I?” he replied, his smirk widening. “Let’s just say I had a little help.”Isabel POVI stepped closer to Miguel, my knife still in hand. “He
"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