GUT FEELING

Chapter 30: GUT FEELING

Sleep didn't come easy. It never did.

I stared at the ceiling, listening to the steady rhythm of Lily's breathing between us. Soft. Peaceful. It almost made me believe we were safe. Almost.

The neon lights outside bled through the curtains, flickering against the walls like a slow, pulsing heartbeat. New York was alive, but something about it felt off.

Maybe it was the way the security drones hovered just a second too long outside our window. Maybe it was the hush in the hallways, that eerie kind of silence that only came before a storm.

Or maybe it was just paranoia.

I really hoped it was.

Beside me, Eliana shifted, rolling onto her side. I could feel her eyes on me before she even spoke.

"You're tense."

I exhaled slowly. "Something's not right."

She sighed. "Something's always not right with you."

"Because I'm usually right."

That earned me a soft laugh, but there was no real amusement in it. Just exhaustion. The kind that settles deep into your bones.

I turned my head, finding her in the dim glow. Her silver hair was a mess against the pillow, her eyes sharp even through the haze of sleep.

She reached out, fingers brushing against my arm. "Jamal, we made it here in one piece. No enforcers. No ambush. Nothing. Can't you just let yourself breathe for one night?"

I wanted to. God, I wanted to.

But that feeling wouldn't let me.

"I don't trust this city."

"You don't trust any city."

She wasn't wrong.

I inhaled deeply, forcing my body to relax.

Maybe I was overthinking. Maybe the weight pressing down on my chest was just a leftover ghost from the last time we barely made it out alive.

I let my eyes close.

Tried to believe her.

Tried to sleep.

But as I lay down, staring at the ceiling, that feeling in my gut only got worse.

Somewhere deep in the night, I felt it before I heard it.

"Jamal."

The voice slithered through my consciousness, quiet but insistent.

"Jamal, wake up."

I groaned, shifting onto my side. "Not now, O6X…"

Then its voice sharpened.

"You need to wake up. Now."

My eyes snapped open.

The room was silent. Too silent.

A cold prickle crawled up my spine as I pushed up on my elbows, heart hammering. I glanced at Eliana—still asleep. Lily, tucked into my side, breathing slow and steady.

Nothing seemed out of place.

The room was dark, still. But something felt wrong.

That thick, suffocating kind of wrong.

My pulse quickened. I turned my head slightly, checking the window. The city lights still flickered. The drones still hummed but were now flying closer to our window in formation.

And then—

"Target DNA confirmed—V chromosome detected."

My breath caught.

My blood turned to ice.

We were compromised.

A soft beep followed.

Then came the click.

A sound I knew too well

BOOM.

I barely had time to react before the glass shattered.

The explosion ripped through the room. Fire and debris swallowed everything in an instant. I lunged—instinct taking over—throwing my body over Eliana and Lily just as the shockwave hit.

Glass. Fire. The scream of metal twisting under force. The world flipped sideways, my ears ringing so loud I could barely think.

Pain lanced through my back, sharp and burning. But I didn't move.

Not until I felt Lily shaking beneath me.

I pushed myself up, coughing against the smoke. "You okay?" My voice came out rough, barely above a whisper.

Eliana groaned, blinking dazedly. "What... what the hell—"

Lily sobbed, curling into me, fingers gripping my shirt. "J-Jamal—"

"Targets movement confirmed. Adjusting attack pattern."

The mechanical voice made my blood run cold.

I turned sharply. Outside, beyond the gaping hole where our window used to be, three security drones hovered in formation. Their sleek metallic bodies gleamed under the city lights, red targeting lasers scanning the room for movement.

Then one of them spoke again.

"Code Acquired. Mutants marked for elimination."

A Code Was sent.

Somebody sold us out.

My jaw clenched. No time to dwell on it.

"Eliana—MOVE!"

We bolted.

Eliana grabbed Lily, hauling her into her arms as we rushed for the door. Another explosion tore through the floor behind us, heat licking at our backs as the building screamed under the assault.

I slammed my fist into the emergency exit panel. The door hissed open, and we ran.

The city was a blur.

We hit the streets, lungs burning, feet pounding against pavement slick with neon light. The drones followed, weaving through the sky like vultures.

The moment we rounded a corner, a spotlight flooded the alley.

"Targets located. Engaging termination."

Shit.

I turned to Eliana. "Take Lily and go—"

"No." She didn't even hesitate.

Another drone charged its weapons—electricity crackling at its core. I clenched my fists, already calling on my power, ready to—

But then they appeared.

At first, I thought it was just shadows shifting in the alley. Then I saw the glint of eyes. The flicker of movement too fast to track.

Figures emerged from the darkness—silent, precise.

Before I could react, one of them lifted a hand, and the entire alley was swallowed in darkness.

The drone lights flickered—then died.

Another figure leapt—agile, a blur of motion. The sharp snap of metal echoed through the alley as one of the drones crashed to the ground, sparking.

Eliana clutched Lily tighter, eyes darting between the newcomers. "Who the hell—"

One of them stepped forward. A woman. Tall, wiry, silver veins glowing faintly beneath her skin. She regarded us with cold, assessing eyes.

Then she spoke.

"You bleed like us... that's all the proof we need."

The woman didn't wait for a response. With a sharp tilt of her head, she signaled the others, and without a word, they moved—silent as ghosts.

Eliana and I exchanged a quick glance before following. There wasn't much choice.

They led us through the maze of darkened alleyways, slipping between crumbling buildings and abandoned streets where the city's glow barely reached. My body ached from the blast, my skin raw from the glass, but I kept moving. We all did.

Finally, we reached a rusted door tucked beneath a collapsed overpass. One of them pressed a hand against a barely visible panel, and with a hiss, the door unlocked, revealing a steep set of stairs leading underground.

The deeper we went, the colder it became. The air was thick with dampness, the scent of rust and stone clinging to every breath.

Then, we stepped into a shadowed basement.

Dim lights flickered to life, casting long, wavering shadows on the cracked concrete walls. Piles of blankets, scattered makeshift beds, and the faint hum of old generators told me this place had been used for a long time.

The woman turned to us, eyes sharp. "Get some rest. We'll talk at dawn."

I didn't argue. None of us did.

We were exhausted. Worn thin.

And for now, at least, we were safe.