2025-10-31 00:53:04
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
105
The tunnels toward the lower archives narrowed into a jagged throat of concrete and steel, their walls layered with cables that pulsed faintly like veins beneath scarred skin. Kess led them with quick, confident strides, her augmented eye scanning corners before her human one ever needed to. Two Underline scouts followed at a distance, fading in and out of shadow as if the darkness itself had learned their shapes.Jake stayed close behind Kess, one hand pressed lightly to his side whenever the ache flared, the other never straying far from Cael. Elen walked at Cael’s other side, her glow reduced to a soft halo that barely kissed the floor.“Archive access is ahead,” Kess said quietly. “Old civic records, pre-Engine era. They stopped caring once all the data got absorbed into the network. But the structures are still there.”Cael glanced around, eyes wide. “It feels… heavier here,” he whispered. “Like the air
104
Jake woke to the sound of muted voices and the steady pulse of the shelter’s systems. For a moment, he did not remember where he was, only that the world felt too quiet for a city that never truly slept. Then the ache in his side reminded him.He opened his eyes and saw Elen standing near the wall, speaking in a low tone to someone just beyond the door. Cael was still asleep on the other cot, curled in on himself, his faint glow barely visible beneath a thin blanket.Jake shifted carefully, suppressing a groan.Elen noticed instantly. “You are awake,” she said softly, ending her conversation and moving toward him.“Been told I’m hard to keep down,” Jake murmured. “How long?”“Less than two hours,” Elen replied. “Kess sent medical supplies and someone to stand watch.”As if on cue, the shelter door slid open just enough for a woman to peer inside. She wore a patched jacke
103
Shelter Seven settled into a low, constant murmur, the sound of dampeners and recycled air blending into something almost soothing. Soft amber strips along the walls cast enough light to see without inviting attention, and the reinforced door remained sealed, its surface etched with layers of old transit codes and Underline markings.Jake lay back on the cot, one arm draped across his chest, eyes half-closed as his breathing finally evened out. Every muscle in his body protested, but the quiet gave him no choice but to feel it.Cael sat on the edge of the cot beside him, legs swinging slightly, watching Jake with worried eyes. Elen stood near the far wall, her glow reflecting faintly off the metal panels as she scanned the shelter’s systems.Kess lingered near the doorway, arms crossed, studying them like a puzzle she had not yet decided to solve.“You’ve got maybe a few hours before the city starts sniffing around this sector harder,&rd
102
The dead sector released them reluctantly, its broken corridors giving way to narrower access routes that sloped back toward the living city. The farther they moved from the ruins, the more the distant hum returned, like a heartbeat growing louder with every step. Neon reflections crept back into the shadows, and the air thickened with heat and the scent of machinery.Jake led the way, guided by the coordinates Rhea had sent, keeping to service paths and half-forgotten walkways that curved beneath main traffic lanes. His movements were slower now, controlled, each breath measured against the ache in his side.Cael stayed close, gripping the back of Jake’s jacket whenever the path narrowed. Elen walked slightly ahead this time, her glow faint but steady, acting as both light and lookout.“They will be focusing on hubs and intersections,” Elen murmured. “So we avoid them.”“Always been my favorite strategy,” Jake re
101
The maintenance chamber breathed like a wounded beast, each pulse of the flickering lamp throwing long shadows across rusted panels and damp stone. Water dripped steadily from a fractured pipe above, the sound echoing too loudly in the cramped space, as if the city itself were counting their heartbeats.Jake stayed seated against the wall, one arm wrapped around Cael, who had finally stopped sobbing but still trembled with every shallow breath. Elen remained near the tunnel entrance, her glow dimmed again, though tension coiled in her posture like a drawn wire.“We can’t stay here,” Jake said quietly after a moment. “They’ll sweep the tunnels next.”“Yes,” Elen agreed. “The Walkers will map every branch once the panic settles. This place will not remain blind for long.”Cael lifted his head slowly. His eyes were red, but there was something steadier in them now. “You said we need somewhere
100
The elevated walkways thinned as Jake led them deeper into the upper lattice of the city, where traffic noise softened into a constant metallic whisper and the lights grew colder, more utilitarian. Here, the towers were closer together, their surfaces layered with cables, vents, and humming conduits that pulsed like exposed veins. The air tasted sharper, tinged with ozone and old rain.Jake kept one hand near Cael, not quite holding him, but close enough to feel his presence. Every few steps, he glanced over his shoulder, scanning reflections in the mirrored panels that lined the rails.“We can’t go back to the room,” Jake said quietly. “Not after that.”Elen nodded, her glow barely more than a breath of light under her skin. “They will mark it as a probable shelter,” she replied. “If they have not already.”Cael hugged his arms around himself, eyes darting at every distant footstep. “Are they st
You may also like
Secretly The Billionaire Boss
Debbie chocolate 2.4M viewsThe Pinnacle of Life
Evergreen Qin1.7M viewsThe Return Of The God of War
Esther Writes374.0K viewsThe Billionaire's Revenge
Hare Ra81.8K viewsI Am Calvin Luthor: The God Of War
Samuel Kelvin213 viewsHis Return: Revenge Of The Rejected Son-in-Law
Lady B 329 viewsThe Man They Betrayed Reborn as Their Boss
Shuyu Bee484 viewsThe Super Son-in-law
Camellia4.1K views