The gray ceiling played tricks on her eyes—or maybe she'd just been staring too long. She couldn't tell anymore.
How long had it been since Ms. Ivy left to get more supplies this morning?
A sudden clamor from outside the apartment pulled her out of her thoughts. She rose from the battered ottoman.
When she drew the curtains and cracked the window open, afternoon light spilled harshly into the dim room.
Below, the parking lot writhed with movement. Satires—those caught between life and death, their souls frayed and nearly undone—moved in disjointed unison. Each one wore identical black garments and glowing cuffs that pulsed in rhythm with the metal music thundering from unseen speakers.
She rested her head against the windowpane, lost in the spectacle, unaware of the more sinister sound threading through the chaos below.
Then came a scream. A single, blood-curdling scream snapped her back into the present.
Her eyes darted beyond the crowd, and she gasped.
Just yards from the frenzied mob, Ms. Ivy was being restrained. Two hooded Retainers gripped her arms, while another pair dragged her forward by a chain looped cruelly around her waist and neck. She thrashed against them, even in her broken state—her face bruised, arms bloodied, a deep crimson stain spreading across her midsection.
The girl scrambled toward the door, but before her fingers could reach the knob, a voice rang out—desperate, raw:
"VERA!"
"RUN!"
Ms. Ivy. Her eyes locked on Vera's, frantic and pleading.
"RUN AWA—"
A Retainer's machete silenced her mid-scream. Blood erupted across the pavement as her head hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Vera's shriek tore through the room before she could stop it. She clamped a trembling hand over her mouth—but it was too late. One of the Retainers had seen her.
Now all four were charging toward the building.
The floor was as cold as the sweat beading on her skin. Somewhere between the scream and the sight of Ms. Ivy's body, her legs had given out. She sat, paralyzed. Her thoughts scrambled. Time blurred.
Then—three knocks. Sharp. Demanding.
The door.