TIME : T-48:50 → T-47:35
The scritch-scritch at the door grew frantic—like a death drum.
I clutched the half-loosened copper ring, its edge biting my palm, blood mixing with blue gel—warm, thick, 38-second spread.
Marcus's bone blade still pressed my throat.
His pupils needle-thin, throat clicking: "…calibrating… 99.2%…"
Fuck! 99.2%? Rhea's reading!
I sucked air, titanium in my left arm groaning tight—
Not dodging. Ramming!
Shoulder slamming his sternum!
Ghk! He staggered back, blade clattering to the floor.
I rolled, sprinting for the atrium—
Emergency reds sluiced the marble, like a blood tide.
Harvester Nodes honeycombed the floor, red LEDs pulsing—0.8 seconds.
Reanimated flooded in!
Fat cook leading, pupils locking on me, throat pulsing: "…donate… honor…"
No way out.
I lunged for the glass curtain wall—
Three stories high, jade-green curve, reflecting my ragged silhouette.
Beyond it, Eidolon's dark spires loomed like beast vertebrae.
"Run!" Rhea roared, bursting from shadows, Orchid sweeping the horde—all red.
She hurled the axe handle: "Catch!"
I jumped, one hand grabbing the ledge—
Glass slicing my palm, sharp sting.
Blood welled, dripping onto the glass—fuzzy edges, 38-second spread.
Wind howled through the hole, tearing at me.
I kicked off the wall, climbing.
Fingertips digging into seams, concrete dust sifting into my eyes—stinging.
Reanimated slammed the wall!
CRACK!
Glass shuddered, fissures snapping an inch.
"Move!" Rhea yelled, axe raised.
I climbed three meters, left leg pushing—
Hiss!
Old injury tore, blood surging faster.
At the top, a vent grille creaked open.
A hand reached down—
Slender, calloused knuckles, scar on the thumb web.
Liora.
"Kai." Whisper, palm open—holding half a copper leaf.
Veins pulsing faintly, like living wire.
I reached—
Copper edge sliced my flesh, blood beading, mixing with her sweat—warm.
Reanimated battered the wall harder!
CRACK! CRACK!
Fissures spiderwebbing.
Liora's hand withdrew into the duct.
Darkness. Two amber points—
Gold → orange → brown → gold…
Like cooling molten copper.
"Why?" I panted. "Help me?"
A soft laugh from the duct, laced with static: "…they… harvest fear…"
"…I… want to see… letting go…"
Broadcast cut in—Silas's voice, velvet knife: "…Liora… traitor…"
"…terminate protocol… initiate…"
Vent BANGed above!
Like something heavy slamming the roof.
Amber lights died.
Only the leaf in my palm, oozing another drop.
This time—
Droplet edge, a faint crimson halo.
Human tear fluid.
She'd swapped it.
The curtain wall CRACKED—!!!
Cook lunged through, pupils flickering, throat clicking: "…donate… Kai Lin…"
I clenched the leaf, edge biting flesh, blood mixing that red tear—
Warm, thick, 38-second spread.
Rhea shouted: "Jump! Alley's outside!"
I turned—
Eight meters down.
Dumpsters stacked below, rusted metal, jagged edges up.
Jump? Broken legs would be lucky.
Cook struck!
Bone blade slashing for my neck!
I dropped, rolling, leaf spinning away—
Jade veins arcing in the red light, tink landing on the Harvester Nodes.
Red LEDs flickered—sync disrupted.
Cook froze.
Pupils stuttering.
Chance!
I exploded forward, axe handle swinging for his knee!
CRACK!
He stumbled, blade flying.
Rhea slammed his back: "Go!"
I lunged for the breach—
Wind filled my ears.
Stomach dropped.
Eight meters… six… four…
Dumpsters rushed up—
Rusted iron, jagged points.
I tucked, right shoulder leading—
CRASH—!!!
Metal dented, glass shards stabbing my back—stinging.
Right shoulder—fire. Collarbone probably cracked.
Left arm wound split wide open, blood and glass spraying warm, thick.
I rolled three times in the trash, stopped.
Above, Rhea landed on a dumpster, boots clanging.
Cook didn't follow.
He crouched by the Nodes, picking up the leaf—
Veins blooping red tears.
His pupils snapped to pinpricks, throat pulsing: "…Subject Kai Lin… fear peak: 97.1%…"
Rhea hauled me up, breathing hard: "…97.1%… fuck, they're almost full."
I wiped my face, glass and blood gumming my eyes.
Looked up at the mall—
Curtain wall fissures snapped wider, glass tinked onto my shoulder.
T-47:35.
Minute Eleven: complete.
The leaf still in Cook's hand.
But in my palm—
Real blood burned.
Thanks for climbing the glass curtain wall with Kai. Did your palms sweat when the shards cut his hand? 💉
Drop a "💉"—top 3 comments get a Trauma Surgeon's Notes on Glass Wounds PDF!
Next minute: narrower alleys, sharper edges. #Chrono60