Chapter 13: When Shadow Wakes

The sunlight was already peeking through the thin curtains when Adrian sat up on the stiff mattress. His eyes were heavy, but his mind hadn't stopped spinning all night. He kept hearing sirens in the distance—even if there weren't any. It was like the city was breathing down his neck.

Lara was curled in a blanket on the floor, her laptop open in front of her. The screen gave her face this weird glow, and her fingers tapped the keys without stopping.

"They deleted it," she said quietly.

Adrian rubbed his face. "Deleted what?"

"The post. All the evidence I uploaded—it's gone. Completely."

"You have a backup, right?" He got up slowly and stretched, his back aching.

"Yeah. Two. One in the bag and one in my boot," she said, tapping her foot.

Adrian walked to the window and peeked through a gap in the curtain. "We can't stay here long. They're gonna find us eventually."

"I know. But I reached out to someone last night. A journalist. She answered."

"Do you trust her?"

"She's been covering stories like ours for years. Real stories. She gave me a meeting spot. Sector 9."

Adrian turned fast. "Sector 9? You serious? That place is crawling with patrols. It's a trap."

"I don't think so," she said. "She used a coded message. Took me a while to even read it. This woman knows what she's doing."

He sighed, pacing the small space. "Fine. But if this goes sideways…"

"I know," she cut in. "We run."

They changed clothes—again. Lara pulled a plain black hoodie over her head, and Adrian tossed on a cap and jacket that didn't fit right. They stuffed everything important into a backpack, then slipped out the back of the motel.

Getting to Sector 9 wasn't easy. They had to duck through alleys and avoid cameras. It was like walking through a graveyard. The whole area felt cold, even though the sun was shining. Buildings stood like skeletons, windows busted, paint peeling.

The train station she mentioned was half-collapsed. They stepped inside slowly, eyes alert.

A woman stood by one of the old benches. She had short hair, a gray coat, and a calm face that didn't match the danger around her.

"Elena?" Lara asked.

The woman nodded. "You brought it?"

Lara handed over the flash drive. "Everything's in there. Names, dates, recordings, files they tried to erase."

Elena plugged it into her laptop and started scanning. Her lips pressed into a line as she read.

"This is... more than I expected," she said. "It's enough to bring them down. But they won't go quietly."

"We're not expecting quiet," Adrian said.

Suddenly, there was noise outside. The sound of a door slamming. Then another. Tires screeching.

"They found us," Elena whispered.

"Back exit!" she said, already running.

They followed her through the back of the station and into a dark tunnel. Flashlights were already flickering behind them. Adrian's chest tightened. Lara ran faster, clutching the backup drive.

A metal ladder stood at the tunnel's end. Elena climbed first. Then Lara. Adrian was last. Halfway up, he felt something grab his ankle.

He kicked hard, heard someone grunt and fall. He didn't stop to look. He reached the top, shoved the hatch open, and scrambled out.

They were in an alley now. It stunk like trash and smoke, but they were out.

"We split here," Elena said, out of breath. "I go east. You two go south. Less heat that way."

"You'll publish it?" Lara asked.

"I'll try. If I don't make it, make sure someone does."

She handed Lara back the flash drive. "In case."

Then she disappeared into the shadows.

Adrian and Lara moved fast. They didn't talk until they got to a half-burned building near the edge of the zone. It was dark inside, but safe enough for now.

"We made it," Lara whispered.

Adrian nodded slowly. "Barely."

She leaned back against the wall. "Even if they come tomorrow, even if we don't see how it ends, at least we didn't stay quiet."

He didn't say anything. Just looked at her.

For the first time in a long time, silence didn't feel like fear.

It felt like courage