Each breath Zack took was quick, uneven. Metal links clinked when he turned, his gaze darting into dark corners.
A hush fell then, the barest noise. Not loud enough for boots on stone. That quiet step didn't fit their pace. Air pressed into his ribs. Something near, not drifting but aimed, still unseen, measuring him from the black.
Frozen in place. Not even a whisper of air passed through his lungs. All his gut told him: hold on tight.
Out of the corner of his eye, movement flickered. Light bounced off metal, just a flash, hard to see. Then came the step a quiet one, deliberate. Face hidden. Not a sound. Built like someone used to being obeyed.
A shadow paused at the bars, eyes tracing the metal like he was figuring something out. A small tool landed on the lock mechanism just a faint tap. Metal links snapped loose from Zack's wrists, slipping down with a hush of steel sound.
Frozen in place, Zack wondered whether it could be a trick. Out of the quiet came the figure's soft, steady words
"Move."
That day, no command came through. Just something said like it meant to stay true.
Foot by foot, Zack came behind, eyes locked on the shape slipping smooth as water between dark corners. Each doorway, each hall, each watchful lens met without surprise. Slow motion ruled here. Errors never found a way in.
Out of nowhere, footsteps turned the corner. Not fast Zack held his breath anyway. The air hummed, just slightly. Something unseen slammed into the first guard, soundless, dropping him. One after that. Then one more. Every strike placed like a note in silence.
Blood thumped hard in Zack's chest. Not merely fast this was precision. Total command. A quiet mastery took hold.
A low sound buzzed through the hall's air. Looking over their shoulder, they checked on Zack.
"Stay close. Don't draw attention."
He gave a small nod, pushed down the dread rising inside, then made his legs go forward. Sounds of sirens lingered far off, yet the person behind the mask stayed calm. With each stride, each shift of weight, there was purpose nothing left to chance.
It hit Zack then he wasn't only rescued. Someone had been steering him all along
Above, the ceiling lights blinked unevenly, as if worn down by time. The path ahead refused to end, tight and endless under low beams. Each step Zack took rang out sharper than he expected, filling the silence wrong. Sounds bounced back at him, making everything feel off.
A figure up front came to a halt, lifting one arm slowly into the air.
Zack froze instantly.
From just out of sight came voices soldiers. Near. Much nearer than safe.
A shadow moved across the floor then he was gone. The wall stood empty.
A beat dropped in Zack's chest. Fear raced under his skin when a soft sound curled around his ear.
"Don't move."
A shiver ran across the surface of the wall no movement, just a waver in sight. Heat seemed to twist what lay ahead, distorting without changing anything real. Though the hallway remained exactly where it had been, Zack understood suddenly that none of it was true. People moved through, soldiers walking close, yet their gaze slipped away, refusing to land on them.
Zack didn't breathe.
The sound of steps disappeared into silence, then the image broke apart. There he was again the same person, standing still, expressionless. Not a single covering hid his face, yet nothing about it stayed fixed in view. Features slipped away like smoke when Zack tried to recall them, memory itself seeming to slide off.
"Who are you?" Zack whispered.
Still silent, he spun around, then kept on moving down the path.
Not much ground covered before he halted once more though now with caution.
The air shifted.
A weight pressed down on Zack right away. Not loud, but thick. The building seemed to pause, as if caught mid inhale.
A slight tilt came to the man's head, his gaze drifting loose, tuned into a sound Zack did not catch.
He said it quietly. They had seen.
Fear pressed against Zack's ribs. "Tell me who."
A shiver ran through his fingertips. Around them, the light wavered, shapes blinking like thoughts too quick to catch.
"Multiple signatures," he said quietly. "Fast. Organized."
Zack swallowed. "Stronger than the guards?"
He caught the man's eye.
"Yes."
Flickering wildly, the ceiling lights spat shadows across the walls. From close by came a shriek of twisting metal some heavy door giving way under pressure. Then, like thunder trapped underground, a deep pulse shuddered along the hall, making the ground tremble where they stood.
A dull ache pressed against Zack's skull. From somewhere inside, a hum began again louder than before vibrating through his ribs like an old wire waking up.
"Are they coming for me?" he asked.
A pause.
"For both of us."
Breath left his lungs, steady and low. Around them, the false world grew dense truth twisting now with purpose, drawn taut.
"Stay close," he said. "What's coming doesn't chase blindly."
Heavy air pressed in. Fists tightened, Zack's knuckles white. The hum rose not loud, yet impossible to ignore as if Neovis knew before he did.
It wasn't ordinary.
It kept drawing nearer.
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Thank you for reading:)