338. Out of the Dark

At first, there was nothing. Just quiet.

It was not the kind of quiet Max knew from the streets or from the long pauses before a trigger pulled.

This was heavier. It felt like the world had gone still, like he was trapped under water.

Then he heard it. A heartbeat. Not his own.

It was quick, light. Familiar. He followed it.

And then came her voice.

“Max.”

It was not loud, not even a whisper. But it reached him. It gave shape to the dark.

Images flickered in front of him. Suzi on a couch with a blanket, drawing in her notebook. Suzi in the lavender dress, the one that had stopped him cold. Suzi’s small hands clinging to his when she was afraid.

The pictures broke apart. Something else cut in.

Smoke. Leather. A man’s voice, sharp against her ear. “Quiet.”

Rage tore through him. He tried to move, but his body would not answer. He had no body here. Only the fight in his chest.

Suzi.

Her fear pulsed against him, pulling him closer. He pushed into it, forced himself toward her, though every