The Shadow Boy and the City of Glass

The Price of Freedom

Red lights flashed across the stone walls. Heavy boots hit the floor. The guard pointed his gun straight at my chest and told me not to move.

My heart beat fast. I did not have time to be scared. Director Vance turned his back on us and walked toward the big power core in the middle of the room. He did not care if we lived or died. He thought we were just broken tools.

I looked at Elena. Her small hand held onto my jacket. Her violet eyes shone with anger, but she did not shake. She was ready.

Evelyn stood on my other side. She held her hand out, and yellow sparks jumped across her fingers.

"On my count," I said to them in a low voice.

The guards took another step closer. Their guns were ready to fire.

"Three," I said.

My shadow energy spread out across the stone floor. It turned the dust into ice.

"Two," I said.

Elena pulled me closer. The bright light in her eyes grew steady.

"One," I said, and slammed my hands down.

Black shadows rushed out from our feet like a wave. The whole room went pitch black. At the same time, the ice shot up from the floor and tripped the guards. They fell down hard, shouting in surprise as they hit the slippery ground.

Evelyn did not wait. She threw her hand forward and sent a bright flash of yellow electricity straight into the group of guards. Half of them fell down before they could even pull their triggers.

"Run," I told Elena. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the side tunnel. Evelyn stayed behind us, tossing small sparks to keep the remaining guards back.

We ran down the dark subway tracks as fast as we could. Behind us, Director Vance shouted orders, his voice echoing through the damp tunnels.

"Catch them! Do not let them get outside!"

We did not stop. We ran through the dark maze, past broken gates and dirty water, until we heard the loud noise of the city above us.

We pushed open an old metal door and climbed out onto the streets of New York. The midnight air was cold. But the city was not the same. The red dome was gone, and a huge tear split the open sky. Strange, glowing stars hung above us like a bad sign.

Evelyn leaned against a brick wall and checked her empty gun. Her face was grim.

"The council is calling every unit," she said, looking up at the broken sky. "We cannot hide in the city anymore. Every patrol will look for us when the sun comes up."

Elena stood beside me. She held my hand tight. She looked down at the streets where cars honked and people ran around in panic.

"They think we are just lab rats," Elena said. Her voice was calm, but it sounded sharp and dangerous. "They are wrong."

I looked at my sister, then out at the messy city where our real fight was just beginning.

"Then we strike first," I said.

We started walking down the empty sidewalk, staying close to the shadows of the tall buildings. The wind blew cold against my face. We had no food, no safe place to sleep, and the entire council hunting us down. But we were alive.

After walking for ten blocks, we reached the edge of the old warehouse district. The buildings here were empty and dark, locked up tight by the city years ago. This was where we used to hide when we had nowhere else to go.

"Wait," Evelyn whispered, grabbing my arm.

I stopped immediately. I dropped into a low crouch, pulling Elena behind me.

Ahead of us, near the entrance of our old hideout, a single car sat with its headlights off. The engine was silent, but the side door was open. A tall man in a dark suit leaned against the fender, smoking a cigarette. The red tip glowed in the dark.

I narrowed my eyes. Nobody was supposed to know about this place. We had kept it a secret even from the other outcasts.

The man took a slow drag from his cigarette, then threw it on the ground and ground it out with his shoe. He turned his head directly toward our hiding spot in the dark alley.

"I wondered how long it would take you to get here, Ethan," a voice called out.

It was a voice I knew too well.

My blood ran cold. Step by step, the man walked out from the shadow of the car into the streetlamp light. It was Marcus, my old partner from the council labs, the man who had helped lock us away three years ago.

Marcus smiled, but his eyes were dead. He pointed a heavy silver pistol right between my eyes.