Not safe
Author: VJ Tells
last update2025-04-30 21:21:34

Miley did not remember how much time had passed since they had arrived there, everything was going fine till the power cut out happened without warning. One moment, the safehouse hummed quietly with energy, and the next, darkness fell like a heavy curtain.

Miley froze mid-step. She was always afraid of the darkness and Julius was also aware of this.

“Backup generator?” she asked in urgency.

Julius was already moving, lighting a match and touching it to a candle. One flame flared, then another. Shadows bloomed and stretched along the concrete walls, flickering like silent ghosts.

“It’s manual override,” he muttered. “Which means someone’s probing the system.”

He moved stiffly. Only then did Miley notice the dark stain spreading across the side of his shirt. Her breath caught.

“You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Let me see it.”

“No.”

But Julius winced when he peeled the shirt off, and the candlelight revealed the gash…angry and red, sliced across his side. It was not too deep, but it was r
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