Chapter 12 · Eli Didn't Open That Door

The voice cuts out. The lights don't.

I'm burning everything I've got into the south wing, flooding every bulb, every backup circuit, every stupid decorative strip I installed when I thought this place might actually look nice someday. The glow spills down the corridor like I'm trying to scare off wolves.

Ivy's already moving. She doesn't wait for me to explain. She just kicks off the wall and sprints toward the sound, her blade out, her coat snapping behind her.

"Ivy, wait—"

"Shut up, Noah."

I don't shut up. I push every camera I've got into the south hall, trying to see what she's running toward. The feeds stutter. Half of them are dead. The other half show nothing but empty tile and flickering light.

Then I catch it. Movement. Low to the ground. Fast.

Not human.

"Ivy, stop!"

She doesn't stop. She hits the corner at full speed, blade up, and something slams into her from the side.

I see it for half a second. Lean. Plated. Six legs, maybe eight, I can't tell, it's moving too fast. It catches her shoulder and sends her spinning into the wall. Her blade skitters across the floor.

"Goddammit—