Chapter 19 · Abyss Crawl

"Tell me you're joking," Elise hissed, her voice trembling. She didn't look at me. She was staring at the holographic map flickering between us, the red coordinates pulsing like a dying heart. "That's not just the Abyss. That's *his* sector."

I didn't let go of her wrist. I couldn't. The gear in my chest was humming, a low, vibrating thrum that echoed the frantic beat of her pulse. "I'm not joking, Elise. The chip updated. It’s not a generic ruin. It’s a signature."

"We turn back. Now," she snapped, finally meeting my eyes. Her gaze was sharp, but there was a hairline fracture in her composure. She tried to wrench her arm away, but the sync held us tight. The air between us felt thick, charged with a static that made the fine hairs on my arms stand up.

"Turn back to what?" I stepped closer, closing the gap until I could smell the ozone and scorched metal clinging to her gear. "The people who want us dead? The guys who’ll put us in a cage the second we hit the city limits? We're already too deep. The only way out is through.