The silence of the ruined hallway pressed in on them, thick and suffocating. Every step Ariana took felt heavier, like the air itself had become a trap. Dust hung in the shafts of fading light, coating everything in a gray haze. She clutched Adrian’s arm, feeling the tension that radiated off him like electricity, black and dangerous.
“Adrian… something doesn’t feel right,” she whispered, voice trembling. “Everywhere we turn, it’s like… they’re waiting for us.”
He didn’t answer immediately, eyes scanning every corner, every shadow. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, controlled, and deadly: “They are. Every step, every breath… they’re calculating. And one misstep…” He flexed his fists. “…we’re finished.”
Ariana’s stomach knotted. “Then we fight. We can’t keep running forever.”
Ad
