Chapter 14 · Ghost Signal - Chapter 14: Don't Look Back in the Dead Zone

The kill order blinked red in my visual feed.

Military frequency. Live broadcast. My face, my neural signature, my last known coordinates—all packaged neat for anyone with a hunter license.

Qin was still on the ground. Blood pooled under his left shoulder, dark against the concrete.

"Get up." I grabbed his good arm. "Now."

He didn't move fast enough. I yanked harder.

"Where—" His voice came out cracked.

"Dead zone. East perimeter. We got maybe ten minutes before they triangulate the feed."

He tried to stand. His leg folded. I caught him before his head hit the rubble.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah." He wasn't looking at me. Blood smeared across his jacket, too much of it.

"Then move."

I hauled him up. He leaned on me, heavy. His breath came wet and shallow.

Zero-Seven's voice slid into my auditory nerve. Smooth. Calm. Wrong.

*Lin. Optimal exit route: northwest corridor, forty meters ahead. Structural integrity at sixty-two percent. Avoid the eastern path—*

"I said stay out."

Qin's head turned. "Who are you talking to?"

"No one. Walk."

We dragged forward. Every step sent dust up from the broken floor.