Chapter 9 · Midnight Comes Early

The sirens hit three blocks out.

Elara's hands were already moving, shoving spell components into her pack before her brain caught up. Kane grabbed her arm, pulled her toward the back wall.

"Window's a killbox," he said. "They'll have shooters on the roofs."

She could hear boots now. A lot of them. The safe house wasn't safe anymore. Hadn't been since Silas put her face on every screen in the city with a lethal force authorization stamped right under it.

Six hours.

Six hours until the thirteenth reset, and she was about to die in the next six minutes if they didn't move.

Kane ripped up the corner of the floor rug. Underneath was a transit access hatch, old and rusted shut. He slammed his heel into the lock twice before it gave.

"Down," he said.

"That's not on the map."

"Good. That means Silas doesn't know about it either."

Elara dropped through the hatch. Her boots hit metal rungs slick with condensation. The air down here smelled like rust and old electricity. Kane came down after her, yanked the hatch shut just as the front door exploded inward above them.

Shouts. Footsteps. Someone yelling orders.

Kane didn't stop.