CHAPTER 11 — Old Ghosts
Author: M. Martell
last update2026-05-23 00:44:18

Only the beeping monitors and rain sounds broke the silence in Manhattan General Hospital's private wing.

Water dripped from Erick's hair as he walked down the corridor in his wet black suit. The nurses at the reception desk glanced at him but said nothing. He didn't look important.

That was the point.

Leroy and Evelyn waited outside Victor's room with two bodyguards.

"What are you doing here?" Evelyn snapped.

Erick ignored her and reached for the door.

Leroy stepped forward, trying to sound
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    Erick woke to the low hum of residual dampeners and the smell of antiseptic gel.His left side felt packed with wet sand and broken glass. Breathing still hurt. Consciousness came in pieces—ceiling lights, the weight of monitoring leads, the distant sound of someone arguing in a corridor.Remi’s voice cut through first.“He’s awake. Give us the room.”A residual specialist muttered something about vitals and stepped out. The door sealed. Remi stayed where she was, arms crossed, residual light under her skin dim but steady.“You look like shit.”Erick’s throat worked. “Feel worse.”“Good. Means you’re still processing pain like a person instead of a residual event.&rdqu

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    The service corridor spat them out into a loading alley behind a shuttered logistics depot. Night air hit as a slap—exhaust, rain, distant sirens layered over each other.Remi kept Erick upright against the brick wall. His breathing was a wet, uneven scrape.Aria’s voice stayed tight in their ears.“Extraction van is ninety seconds out—Black GD Tech medical unit, no markings. Driver is one of ours. Trauma kit onboard is better than nothing. Clinic is seven minutes from your position once you’re moving.”Ivan set Jacqueline’s body down under the shallow overhang and checked the alley both ways.“Street’s too quiet.”“Residual infrastructure in this sector is partially offline,” Aria said. “Seed failure is creating dead

  • Chapter 161 — What’s Left of the City

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  • Chapter 160 — Backlash

    The residual scream from above cut off like a throat being closed.For several seconds the only sound in the memory core chamber was the slow drip of Erick’s blood hitting scar-tissue. The white cracks that had spiderwebbed across the walls faded one by one. The pressure that had been trying to rewrite everything in the chamber simply… stopped.Remi kept both hands pressed against the worst of the wounds in Erick’s side. Her residual light was so dim it barely showed under her skin.“Hey. Look at me.”Erick’s eyes were open but unfocused. She slapped his cheek, not gently.“Erick. Eyes on me.”He blinked. Focus returned in fragments. His voice was barely air.“Did it work?”<

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