The air felt different.
Not heavier.
Not lighter.
Just—
wrong.
But it didn't settle.
Like something had moved—
and didn't return.
"…You felt that?" Kai said.
Dev didn't look at him.
"You noticed it too."
A pause.
Kai didn't answer immediately.
His gaze moved across the road—
not searching.
confirming.
"…Why not?"
Silence.
Dev stepped forward.
The pavement—
empty.
No wall.
No resistance.
Just space.
"…It was here," Dev said.
A pause.
Why didn't I notice it earlier?
Or—
was it even there?
The road wasn't empty.
Vehicles moved.
Normal.
But something—
didn't follow.
Not the cars.
Not the people.
The timing between them.
A slight delay.
Barely visible.
Dev kept watching.
Not the movement—
the gap.
Tracking it.
Then—
a cab passed.
Dev noticed her.
The same woman.
Sitting inside.
Looking ahead.
Still.
Unchanged.
Like nothing had happened.
The cab slowed slightly.
Just enough.
The woman reached up—
The hand paused—
for a fraction.
Then moved.
Too smooth.
Not natural.
The wig came off.
Dev's gaze sharpened.
The face—
different.
Younger.
Not what it should have been.
Kai leaned forward slightly.
"…Hey."
A pause.
"…Something's missing."
Dev didn't respond.
His eyes stayed fixed.
Vehicles passed.
One after another.
But the pattern—
kept slipping.
Not breaking.
Not stopping.
Just—
misaligned.
The cab moved past them.
Kai didn't follow it fully.
Just the rear.
He raised his phone.
Click.
The number plate—
blank.
Kai narrowed his eyes slightly.
He adjusted the angle—
zoomed in.
Still nothing.
No digits.
No mark.
Like it had never been assigned one.
Kai glanced at the screen again.
The image held.
Clear.
Unchanged.
But something about it—
didn't feel complete.
Like a part of it—
wasn't meant to be seen.
Dev didn't react.
His gaze stayed on the road.
Vehicles passed.
One after another.
But he wasn't watching them.
He was watching the space between.
Something didn't align.
Why didn't I notice it earlier?
Or—
was it even there to notice?
Kai stepped closer.
Closing the gap.
His hand caught Dev's wrist.
Not forceful—
precise.
"Let's go."
A pause.
Kai looked past him—
not at the road.
At something else.
"…We don't have time."
Dev didn't resist.
Didn't question.
He understood.
They moved.
Away from the spot.
Away from what wasn't there.
The road stayed the same.
Vehicles passed.
Sound returned.
Continuous.
Unchanged.
But something—
had already shifted.
Not visible.
Not defined.
Just—
present.
And still—
not finished.