The sound does not leave the room when Dan dies.It lingers.The echo of bone splitting feels suspended in the air, like dust that refuses to settle. For a moment, no one breathes. No one speaks. Even the lights seem too bright, too aware.My laughter burns itself out slowly. It starts sharp and unrestrained, then thins into something hoarse, something empty. When it finally stops, the silence that replaces it is worse.Dan’s head is no longer intact. That is the only way my mind can phrase it. Wrong angle. Wrong stillness. Whatever was animating him has left.My fingers feel numb, as if they belong to someone else. Jaylen is the first one to move. He does not rush to Dan. He does not check the body. His eyes never leave me.“What did you do,” he says quietly.Not angry. Not yet. Just stunned.Storm exhales slowly, almost impressed. “Well,” she says. “That escalated.”Blade straightens from where he had been leaning against the wall. His expression is unreadable, but his eyes flick
Last Updated : 2025-12-29 Read more