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Chapter 53: The Aftershocks

Penulis: Cat Stories
last update Tanggal publikasi: 2026-03-12 04:56:24

The coffee in the paper cup is bitter. Burnt. It tastes like battery acid and old grounds.

I drink it anyway.

I am sitting in a cafe near the docks. It isn't a cafe, really. It’s a hole in the wall with three plastic tables and a flickering neon sign that buzzes like a dying insect.

The air smells of stale grease, cigarette smoke, and the salty rot of the harbor.

My table is sticky. My elbow adheres to the plastic.

I don't mind.

I peel my arm away. The sound is sharp. Rrrrip.

It feels real. It
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