The Loop Shop

The Trap Opens

The cold steel of the dagger pressed deeper into Julian's neck, drawing a single drop of warm blood.

He did not care about the blade. His mind was entirely stuck on the image of his sister on the glowing screen. Maya sitting on a throne of iron and bone. Maya smiling while a man begged for his life. Five years of sweat, torn clothes, and bruised ribs flashed through his head. Every time he came home bleeding from the train tunnels, she had handed him a clean towel with a sweet, sad smile. She had looked so weak, so small, so close to death.

It was all an act.

Marrow, Julian said, his voice hard and flat. You work for her?

Old Man Marrow let out a dry laugh right against Julian's ear. Work for her? Boy, nobody works for Maya. We just do what she pays us to do, or she tears us apart. And right now, she wants you out of the picture.

Commander Eleanor Vance did not move. She stood by the broken window, watching the scene with her arms crossed over her grey coat. She did not look surprised by Marrow's betrayal. She looked bored, like she was watching a play she had seen a hundred times before.

Let him go, Marrow, Eleanor said. Or I will burn this shop and everyone inside it down to the ash.

Marrow pressed the knife a little harder. Go ahead. The boss already got what she wanted from here. This shop is useless now.

Julian stopped listening to their argument. Anger flared up in his chest, hot and heavy. He had spent half a decade protecting the person who was actually using him as a puppet. He had risked his life fighting shadow hounds in the dark just to buy fake medicine for a sister who ruled a criminal empire.

Julian grabbed the blade with his bare hand.

Pain shot through his palm as the sharp metal sliced across his skin, but he did not let go. He pulled the knife away from his neck with a sudden jerk, ignoring the blood dripping down his fingers. Marrow let out a sharp gasp of surprise as Julian spun around and slammed his fist straight into the old man's face.

Marrow crashed backward into a tall shelf of glass jars. The jars fell and shattered on the floor, spilling dusty powders and dead insects everywhere.

Julian did not look back at the old shopkeeper. He turned toward Eleanor, his breathing fast and heavy.

Take me to her, Julian said.

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "You want to walk right into the Red Syndicate's base? They will kill you before you even walk through the door.

Let them try, Julian said, holding up his bloody hand. I spent five years carrying her baggage. I want answers, and I want them now."

Eleanor stared at him for a long moment, studying his face. Then a small, cold smile touched the corners of her mouth.

Fine, Eleanor said. Follow me.

She turned and walked right out the broken front window into the rainy street. Julian followed her without a second thought.

Outside, New Oxford was dark and loud. Rain poured down from the black sky, mixing with the puddles of purple fire burning near the street corners. Strange creatures hid in the shadows of the alleyways, watching them with glowing eyes. Eleanor led Julian down a narrow alley behind the pawnshop, past rows of rusted metal trash cans, straight toward a heavy iron door set into the brick wall.

The door had a large painted symbol on it: a broken clock with a snake winding through the numbers.

This is a back entrance to the main warehouse, Eleanor said over the sound of the rain. She reached into her coat and pulled out a heavy brass key. Your sister is inside. But remember, Julian, once you open this door, your old life is completely gone. There is no going back.

Julian did not hesitate. He reached out and shoved the heavy iron door open himself.

The door creaked loudly on rusted hinges. Inside, the space was huge, looking like an old train station turned into a secret meeting hall. Bright red neon lights hung from the high ceiling, casting long shadows across rows of armed guards. In the center of the room stood a raised platform, and sitting right in the middle of it was Maya.

She wore a clean black leather jacket. Her dark hair fell loosely around her shoulders. She looked healthy, strong, and completely different from the sick girl who stayed in bed all day.

When the door opened, Maya turned her head and looked straight at Julian.

She did not look shocked. She did not look guilty. Instead, she smiled warmly, standing up from her seat and walking toward the edge of the platform.

You took your sweet time, big brother, Maya said. Her voice sounded bright and cheerful, the exact same voice she used at home when she asked him to bring her warm soup. Did you bring the medicine?

Julian stopped walking. His boots stuck to the concrete floor. He looked at his younger sister, the girl he had protected with his life for five long years.

Maya, Julian said, his voice shaking just a little bit. Why?

Maya stepped down from the platform, walking closer to him with an easy, confident stride. Because this city is rotten, Julian. And our family is at the top of the rot. I needed an army, and I needed someone loyal enough to do the dirty work while I built it from the shadow.

She stopped just a few feet away from him. She reached out her hand, her fingers brushing against his arm like she used to do when she was a little kid asking for help.

Join me, Maya whispered, her eyes shining with a strange, fierce light. We can burn down the Vance family together. We can rule New Oxford."Julian looked down at her hand. His heart hammered in his chest. Every instinct told him to step back, but a strange pull kept his feet locked to the floor. He raised his hand slowly and reached out to touch her fingers.

Okay, Julian said softly. Let's do it.

Maya smiled, a wide, bright, beautiful smile. But the second his fingertips touched her skin, her smile vanished.

Her hand turned to grey dust right before his eyes.

Julian gasped, trying to pull back, but the dust spread up her arm like fire. Within a single second, Maya's entire body crumbled into a heap of grey ash that blew away in the indoor wind.

No! Julian shouted, dropping to his knees and grabbing at the empty air where she had just stood.

The entire warehouse began to shake violently. The red neon lights flickered and burst, showering the room in sparks. The concrete floor cracked down the middle, opening up into a deep, bottomless pit of blackness.

Before Julian could stand up, the floor beneath him gave way completely. He fell backward into the dark void, screaming as the rushing wind tore at his clothes.

Then, everything went totally black.

Julian blinked open his eyes.

The smell of old books, dust, and rain hit his nose. He was not falling. He was standing on solid wooden floorboards.

The metal bell above the door gave a dry click.

Julian froze. He looked down at his hands. They were not cut. They were not bleeding. His black jacket was clean and dry.

He slowly turned his head. A younger version of himself walked through the front shop door, kicking it shut against the rain, carrying a heavy leather sack over his shoulder.

Julian stood frozen in the corner of the room, watching himself repeat the exact same steps he had lived a thousand times before.