Chapter 13 · The Countdown Below

The broadcast cuts through the stairwell like a blade.

"—unauthorized marks detected in Sublevel Three. Initiation protocol active. All marked subjects report to Processing or face automatic hunt designation. Countdown: nine minutes."

I freeze halfway down the stairs. Cain's hand is still on my wrist where he grabbed me, and the silver mark on my other arm pulses hot enough to make me bite back a sound.

"Move." Cain pulls me down the rest of the steps.

"Don't touch me." I yank free but keep going because standing here won't help. The air gets colder the deeper we go. Damp concrete smell. Old metal. Something else underneath that makes my throat tight.

The stairwell opens into a corridor lit by strips of blue emergency light. There are doors on both sides, all marked with faded numbers and warning signs I can't read in the dim glow.

"Processing is the second door," Cain says behind me. His voice is level but his breathing isn't.

I stop and turn on him. "You knew this was down here."

"Everyone in Core Zone knows." He moves past me toward the door. "You don't last long if you don't learn the rules.