Chapter 33 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 33: Neural Feedback Loop

"Get out. Now!" Seth’s voice wasn't a shout; it was a distorted snarl, vibrating through the neural link like a jagged blade.

He slammed me against the bulkhead, his fingers digging into my shoulders. But he wasn't looking at me. His eyes were rolled back, flickering with a violent, electric violet hue. He was fighting himself—his own damn body was trying to erase me from the inside out.

"I'm not leaving you in this mess," I spat, my voice echoing in the ghost-space.

We weren't in the real world anymore. We were in the Feedback Loop, the shimmering, glitchy void between our two consciousnesses. Around us, fragments of our memories floated like broken glass—my father’s silhouette, the cold rain of the slums, the smell of ozone and burnt copper.

Seth’s grip tightened. He let out a choked sound, half-sob, half-growl. "You don't... get it. The curse... it's feeding. If you stay linked, it won't just take me. It'll overwrite you."

"Then let it try," I snapped. I lunged forward, grabbing the front of his tactical vest, pulling him close enough that I could feel the unnatural heat radiating off his skin.