✦
The walk back to my base felt longer than it should've.
Not because of distance.
Because the world kept… watching.
Shadows paused a little too long.Reflections blinked a little too late.A lamppost hummed with a faint, rhythmic vibration — like it was remembering a song someone had ripped from its pages.
The girl clung to my sleeve with both hands, small fingers trembling.
Her form wasn't collapsing — not yet.But she flickered every few steps, as if her outline was negotiating with the story about how real she was allowed to be.
"You're stable," I murmured.
She didn't answer.
Not because she disagreed.Because she didn't trust her voice not to crack.
I didn't blame her.
✦My base came into view — a converted storage bunker tucked into the eastern block. Reinforced walls, sealed door, layered protection scripts, emergency power cells.
Quiet.
Controlled.
Safe.
Usually.
