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Chapter 40 – Kin of the Spiral
The night air in the underbelly of Eastbridge was thick with the stench of burning metal and static discharge. Steam hissed from ruptured pipes, cloaking the rusted corridors in a damp haze that distorted the flickering light from overhead security lamps. Somewhere in the darkness, footsteps echoed — too measured, too synchronized to be scavengers.
“Keep moving,” Dante hissed, pulling Aria forward by the arm. His other hand never left the trigger guard of his sidearm. The mag in his rifle was nearly empty, and from the look on Lira’s face, she was running dry too.
Behind them, Mira kept watch over their rear, the muzzle of her weapon steady despite the thin sheen of sweat on her brow.
“They’re herding us,” she said, voice low but tense. “Purge Units
