The ground shook again before Mateo reached the barricade.A crack raced across the road behind him, splitting the asphalt with a sound like breaking glass. Blue light spilled through the opening, illuminating the abandoned cars and the frightened faces of people gathering near the shelter entrance.“Keep moving!” Mateo shouted. “Nobody approaches the road!”The maintenance technician stumbled over a broken curb. Lucía caught his shoulder and helped him regain his balance.Behind them, the damaged shop groaned.Its front window shattered completely, scattering glass across the pavement. Something moved inside, fast enough that Mateo caught only a dark shape crossing the room.Then the clicking began again.Three short sounds.A pause.Three more.The same pattern they had heard beneath the transit station.Mateo forced himself to look away. The connection message still burned in his memory.CONNECTION ESTABLISHED.He had no idea what it meant, but one thing was clear: whatever was hap