117
Author: Gem
last update2025-06-26 23:59:41

The motel room smelled like bleach and bad decisions.

One light flickered near the bathroom. The AC made a wheezing sound every five minutes like it was dying slow. The wallpaper was peeling like it didn’t even want to be there.

But it was safe. For now.

Davion sat on the floor, back against the bed frame, staring at the half-crushed energy drink in his hand like it had answers. It didn’t.

Irene was pacing. Obviously.

She did this thing where she chewed her thumb nail and muttered ideas under her breath like no one else could hear. Everyone could.

Beverly lay sideways across the bed with her hoodie pulled up over her face, just a voice now and then from under the fabric.

“I swear,” she mumbled, “if we all die doing this, I’m haunting someone. Just saying.”

Irene ignored her. “Okay, so this place Davion’s talking about—this file room—it’s in the lower compound, right? Past the chapel?”

Davion nodded without looking up. “Yeah. You go through the hall with the black pillars. There’s a ke
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  • Chapter 222

    The city felt wrong.Not just quiet—dead.As Davion and the others crept through the streets, the skyscrapers loomed above them like jagged teeth. Windows were shattered. Cars sat abandoned, doors hanging open like their owners had just run. Smoke curled from somewhere far off, painting the morning sky a sick gray.Wilson kicked a can out of his way, the clang echoing down the street. He winced. “Yep. Nothing screams stealth mission like announcing ourselves with trash-can percussion.”“Then stop making noise,” Beverly snapped.He threw his hands up. “Sorry, princess. My legs don’t come with a mute button.”Reika smirked, walking ahead without even looking back. “He’s right. He’s about as subtle as a marching band.”“Yeah?” Wilson shot back. “And you’re about as trustworthy as a snake in a petting zoo. So forgive me if I don’t care what you think.”“Both of you shut up,” Davion muttered. His ribs ached with every step, but he didn’t slow down. His eyes locked on the tower at the end o

  • Chapter 221

    The storm had burned itself out by morning, leaving the cabin soaked and the air sharp with the smell of wet pine. Sunlight pushed weakly through the broken window, throwing pale gold streaks across the room.No one really slept.Beverly was the first to move, tugging on her boots with stiff hands. “Up. Everyone. We don’t have time to waste.”Wilson groaned from under his blanket, tossing an arm over his face. “You sound like a coach before a suicide drill.”“Better than sounding like a corpse,” Beverly shot back. She grabbed her jacket and yanked it on, movements quick and angry, like if she slowed down, she might break.Davion sat up slowly, feeling his bandages pull against his ribs. His body ached everywhere, but he didn’t complain. He couldn’t. Not today.Reika was already awake, sitting cross-legged in the doorway with her knives laid out like she was arranging jewelry. She didn’t look up as she said, “Big day, huh? Hope you all wrote your wills.”Lina hugged her knees tighter o

  • Chapter 220

    They didn’t go home. None of them even suggested it. Once you said we’re going to war tomorrow, it felt wrong to just… crawl into bed like everything was normal.Instead, they holed up in Wilson’s cousin’s abandoned garage. The place smelled like oil and dust, but it was hidden, and that was all that mattered.Wilson dropped his backpack with a dramatic sigh. “Well, this is cozy. Nothing says final stand against a psychotic cult like a garage with a dead rat in the corner.”Beverly rolled her eyes, dragging an old blanket into the middle of the floor. “Shut up and make yourself useful.”Reika leaned against the doorway, watching everyone without saying a word. Her hood was down now, dark hair falling in her face, but her eyes kept flicking toward Davion like she was trying to figure him out.Lina sat cross-legged on the blanket, arms wrapped around herself. She looked tiny, fragile, like she might break in half if anyone touched her. Beverly sat down beside her without asking and nudg

  • Chapter 219

    The storm had eased by morning, leaving the woods wrapped in wet mist. Every branch dripped, every leaf shivered when the wind touched it. The world looked like it was holding its breath.Beverly shoved her damp hair out of her face and slung her backpack higher on her shoulders. “Let’s move before someone else finds her first.”Wilson dragged his feet in the mud, muttering, “Yeah, because hunting down our least favorite traitor at sunrise is totally the definition of fun.”“Shut up, Wilson,” Beverly shot back without even looking at him.Lina walked close to Davion, her arms crossed like she was trying to hug herself. Her voice was small. “What if she’s not there? What if she… left?”Davion didn’t slow down. His eyes were locked on the tree line ahead, cold and steady. “She’ll be there. Reika doesn’t run. She waits.”Wilson snorted. “Great. So instead of her ghosting us, she’s sitting around planning how to murder us. Awesome. Can’t wait.”Beverly stopped so suddenly that Wilson almo

  • Chapter 218

    Alright — here’s the next chapter written in that teen author style, picking up right after the cabin scene:⸻Chapter ???The rain started at midnight.Hard, relentless, hammering the roof of the cabin like it wanted to break through. Everyone was on edge already, and the storm wasn’t helping.Lina sat curled up by the window, watching lightning split the sky. Her phone buzzed nonstop, but the battery was dying, and she was clutching it like a lifeline.“Look,” she whispered, showing the screen. A shaky livestream—thousands of people in the streets, chanting Davion’s name, holding up hand-painted signs. ‘We believe you.’ ‘Shut Iron Hand down.’Wilson whistled low. “That’s… insane. You went viral, man. Like—legend status.”Davion was propped up against the wall, his arm still wrapped in bloody bandages Beverly had switched out three times. His eyes flicked to the screen, then back down.“Not sure being a legend helps when you’re hunted,” he muttered.“You’re not just hunted anymore,”

  • Chapter 217

    Davion’s knees buckled.For one terrifying second, Beverly thought he was going down. The way his body jerked when the bullet grazed his shoulder—it was enough to make her blood freeze.But he didn’t fall. Nope. This idiot—her idiot—clutched the phone tighter and kept talking.Blood was seeping down his arm, dripping over his knuckles, but the livestream never shook.“See?” Davion’s voice cracked but he forced it out, staring into the screen like the people watching could reach through it and save him. “This is what happens when you stand up to them.”“Davion, shut up and duck!” Beverly screamed, sprinting across the dirt before she could think better of it.Bullets whizzed past. Rocks shattered around her feet. She slid into him, grabbing his good arm and yanking him down behind cover.He winced but didn’t stop recording.“Are you insane?” she hissed.“Probably,” he said, teeth clenched, sweat plastering his hair to his forehead. “But the world’s seeing this. Finally.”Beverly wanted

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