The subway tunnels became their world.
For three days, Bobby, Lyra, and Darius lived in the dark beneath the city. The abandoned station smelled of damp rust and mold, the air thick and heavy, but it was the only place they could vanish.
They lit no fires. Spoke only when necessary. Ate sparingly from whatever food Bobby had stuffed in his backpack, supplemented by stale crackers Darius had stashed.
Every sound echoed too loudly. Every shadow looked like it could peel open to reveal a faceless machine stepping through.
But XX-66 did not come.
Not yet.
---
Bobby spent those days watching the others more than sleeping.
Darius tried to hide how bad his injuries were, but the mottled bruises across his chest told the truth. His ribs had cracked like snapped branches; every breath made
