The compound’s outer fence loomed above them, coiled in barbed wire and crowned with security cameras that swept like watchful eyes. Sonia crouched low in the shadows beside Eric, Alex, and Silas. The night pressed close, thick and electric with tension.Alex tapped rapidly on his tablet, his breath coming in shaky puffs. “I’ve looped the cameras for thirty seconds. That’s all we’ve got to get over.”Silas flexed his hands, looking up at the fence. “Thirty seconds is generous,” he muttered, adjusting his gloves.Eric gave him a look, then turned to Sonia. “Ready?”She nodded. She didn’t feel ready, not really, but she’d learned that courage wasn’t about feeling fearless it was about moving anyway, even when your bones trembled.At Alex’s signal, they sprinted forward. Sonia felt the sting of the cold metal as her fingers curled around the fence, her muscles burning as she hauled herself up and swung over. She landed hard, rolled, and immediately sprang to her feet, heart hammering.Er
The warehouse on the outskirts of the city looked like any other abandoned building: rusted gates, shattered windows, vines curling around steel beams. But beneath it, Sonia knew, was the real fortress the heart of the Cartel’s new empire.Sonia stood on the roof of a nearby office building, staring at the compound through binoculars. Beside her, Alex was adjusting a small drone, his fingers quick despite the tremor of anxiety running through them.“We have three entry points,” Alex said, his voice tight. “North gate guarded, but sloppy rotation. The loading dock least guarded but leads directly to the basement labs. And the south tunnel old maintenance access, probably booby-trapped but closest to the holding cells.”Sonia lowered the binoculars, glancing at him. In the morning light, Alex’s eyes were hollow but sharp. His whole body seemed like a taut wire about to snap.“You sure you’re up for this?” Sonia asked softly.Alex didn’t look at her. “She’s my sister. I don’t get to back
Sonia awoke to the soft gray of dawn creeping into the room. She could feel Eric’s warmth behind her, his steady breathing against her neck. For a moment, she let herself sink into it the quiet, the softness, the rare sense of safety. Then the memories flooded in: Alex’s broken confession, the missing sister, the secrets that still hung over them like a storm cloud. She turned carefully, propping herself up on her elbow. Eric stirred, eyes blinking open slowly. “Morning,” he rasped, voice low and husky. “Morning,” she echoed, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead. They stayed like that for a beat, memorizing each other’s faces, every scar and soft edge. Sonia leaned down and kissed him, slow and unhurried. When they pulled apart, Eric searched her face. “What’s on your mind?” he asked. She sighed, resting her forehead against his. “Alex’s sister. The facility. I can’t stop thinking about her. About all the others they might still have.” Eric’s jaw tensed. “We can’t
It was late when Sonia stepped out onto the balcony. The city stretched below her like a dark ocean, waves of lights and distant horns rising and fading. She pulled her cardigan tighter around her shoulders. For the first time in weeks, she felt the old itch the one that told her she wasn’t really safe, not yet.She thought she heard footsteps behind her and turned, expecting Eric.But it wasn’t him.It was Alex.He stood in the doorway, his hair longer than she remembered, the shadows in his eyes deeper. There was something different about the way he held himself more cautious, almost haunted.Sonia straightened. “Alex,” she said, surprised but trying to keep her voice steady. “You… you made it out.”His lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. “Yeah. Barely.”A silence stretched between them. Sonia felt her heart tighten. She remembered the last time she’d seen him, sprinting toward the library during the chaos, yelling at other students to run. She had believed he was gone or worse.
The small coastal town felt like another universe. Whitewashed buildings lined narrow streets, fishermen shouted at dawn, and the sea carried its own symphony of waves and gull cries.Sonia woke to the smell of salt and the soft rhythm of Eric’s breathing beside her. For a few seconds, she forgot about everything Daxton, the Cartel, the blood.But shadows didn’t sleep.After breakfast, they strolled through the open-air market, their fingers laced. Sonia tried to lose herself in the simple details the bright flash of fresh oranges, the sharp scent of herbs, the warmth of Eric’s hand.But she kept glancing over her shoulder.“You okay?” Eric asked, studying her with those dark, searching eyes.She forced a smile. “Habit,” she said.A shout erupted nearby. Sonia turned fast, pulse jumping. But it was just a young boy chasing after a stray dog, laughing breathlessly.Eric’s hand tightened in hers. “We’re safe here,” he said.She didn’t answer. Because in her heart, she knew safety was a
The council meeting was tense but quiet, a handful of older men and women huddled around a long oak table. They spoke in hushed tones about liabilities, reputations, the future. But Sonia barely listened.She watched them from her seat by the window, eyes drifting over the city beyond. In those glass towers, life went on: people hurrying to work, students heading to classes, parents shepherding children across streets.For years, she’d thought her fight would end with Daxton’s fall that the Cartel’s collapse would bring her peace. But now she understood: peace was never about erasing the past. It was about finding the courage to live beyond it.Silas signed the final documents without fanfare. When he finished, he looked up at Sonia with a small, tired smile. “It’s done,” he said.She nodded. There were no cheers, no triumphant music swelling. Just a soft exhale that felt like her first real breath in years.---Later, Sonia stood on the cracked stone steps of Daxton Academy one last