Chapter 8 · East Gate Breaks

"Move." Carson grabbed my arm before the bell's echo faded. "East gate. Now."

I yanked free. "You didn't answer my question."

"Your question doesn't matter if there's no city left." He was already at the door. "Control ring works up to half a mile. You stay here, the defenders die."

The bells kept screaming. Three short, two long. Breach protocol.

"Fine." I shoved past him into the corridor. "But we're finishing that conversation."

"If we live."

The east wall was chaos. Soldiers ran in every direction, some buckling armor, some just running. The black tide had punched through the second gate like it was paper. I could see it from here—a writhing mass of shadow and teeth, pouring into the ward like infected blood.

A soldier slammed into me, didn't even look back. Carson caught my elbow before I hit the ground.

"Stay close," he said. "You die, the core goes dormant. Then we all die."

"Romantic."

His hand stayed on my arm, steering me through the crush of bodies. His grip was tight enough to bruise. I didn't pull away.

The city interface flickered at the edge of my vision. Red warnings everywhere. Structural integrity: 34%. Gate two: destroyed.