Calder's leg was worse than it first looked.
They moved into an abandoned furniture store and blocked the doors with heavy couches and shelves. Sunlight filtered through broken skylights, lighting dust in the air. It felt almost calm—too calm.
Mara knelt beside Calder, cutting away the bloody fabric. "You're lucky it missed the bone."
Calder laughed weakly. "Lucky's not the word I'd use."
Phileo leaned against a wall, watching. His head still pulsed, a slow, deep ache. Every now and then, a faint whisper brushed his thoughts—not words, just feeling.
Ben noticed his distant stare. "You hearing things again?"
"Not hearing," Phileo said. "Feeling."
"That doesn't help," Ben replied.
Mara tied the bandage tight. Calder winced but nodded his thanks. "You all saved my life. I owe you."
Jax snorted. "Debt's hard to pay these days."
A sudden crash came from the back of the store.
Everyone froze.
Another crash. Closer.
"Not infected," Phileo said quietly. "People."
Ben's jaw tightened. "How can you tell?"
"They're… loud inside. Messy. Infected feel empty."
Mara grabbed her weapon. "How many?"
Phileo closed his eyes, focusing through the pain. "Three. Maybe four."
The back door burst open.
Three armed figures rushed in, faces hard, eyes wild. One raised a gun immediately.
"Hands up!" the leader shouted.
Phileo's head screamed.
The pressure spiked so fast he staggered. He dropped to one knee, gasping.
"Phileo!" Mara shouted.
The man with the gun noticed him. "What's wrong with him?"
Ben stepped forward slightly. "He's sick. We're just passing through."
The leader's eyes flicked between them. "Supplies?"
"Barely enough for ourselves," Mara said.
The whisper in Phileo's head grew louder, pushing, warning.
"They're going to take Calder," Phileo said hoarsely.
The leader smiled thinly. "Smart kid."
Ben moved.
The shot came almost at the same time.
Chaos exploded—gunfire, shouting, furniture splintering. Phileo crawled behind an overturned table, clutching his head as the noise tore through him.
An infected moan rose outside.
Then another.
And another.
Phileo looked up in horror.
"They heard us," he whispered.
The gunfire stopped as everyone realized the same thing.
The raiders panicked.
One ran.
The front doors began to shake.
Mara looked at Phileo. "Can you—?"
Phileo swallowed hard. Blood trickled from his nose.
"I don't know if I can stop them," he said.
Outside, the doors bowed inward.
The cracks weren't just in the building anymore.
They were in Phileo.