Chapter 26 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 26: Blood-Stained Hallway

"Don't let go. If you let go, we both die."

Seth's voice was a jagged rasp, barely audible over the screaming alarms. He didn't just hold my hand; he had his fingers locked around my wrist like a shackle, crushing the bone. I couldn't see a damn thing. My vision was a smeared mess of static and digital noise, the cost of pushing the God-tier plug-in to its limit. I was blind, and we were sprinting through a hallway that felt like it was shrinking.

"I can't see the floor, Seth!" I yelled, stumbling as my boot hit something wet. "Is that blood or coolant?"

"Does it matter?" he snapped, jerking me forward. "Move. Now."

I felt the air shift. A sudden, sharp gust of wind—the kind that only happens when something fast and heavy moves toward you. My plug-in flickered. A ghost-image flashed in my mind: a three-second preview of the future. I saw a blade, a shimmering mono-molecular edge, slicing through the air exactly where my neck would be in three seconds.

"Drop!" I screamed.

Seth didn't ask why. He didn't even hesitate. He slammed his shoulder into my chest, tackling me flat against the cold, metallic floor.