Chapter 25

Chapter 25
The world had become a nightmare.

I barely recognized the streets anymore. Everything felt different—wrong. The sky above was an unnatural shade of red, and smoke curled from the ruins of the city like a funeral pyre. The once-bustling streets were eerily silent, save for the occasional crackle of gunfire in the distance.

I didn’t want to think about what it meant. I couldn’t.

But 014 and I had no choice but to keep moving.

We found ourselves in an alley, the shadows thick, our breath ragged in the cool air. I could feel the weight of our situation pressing in on me, suffocating me. We were running out of time. Out of options.

“We have to find somewhere to hide,” I said, my voice hoarse. “They’ll be looking for us.”

014 didn’t respond immediately. She was staring at the distant flames, her face pale. The fear I’d seen earlier had deepened into something darker, something I couldn’t quite place.

“I’m not sure how much longer we can keep running, Estela,” she said quietly. “Every direction we go, it’s the same. There’s nowhere left to hide.”

I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the rising panic in my chest. She was right. The streets weren’t safe. The world outside the alley was a warzone, and it was only a matter of time before we ran into someone—someone who wasn’t just looking for us, but who would kill us without hesitation.

“We can’t stop now,” I said, my voice sharper than I meant. “We’ve come this far. We’ll find a way out.”

But 014 didn’t look convinced. She pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders, her eyes distant.

I hated the feeling that was creeping up on me—the feeling that we were running in circles, that no matter how fast we ran, we’d always be one step behind whatever it was hunting us.

Then I heard it.

A low hum. A vibration that sent a shiver down my spine.

I turned toward it, my pulse spiking. The sound grew louder, unmistakable now. It wasn’t just the hum of an engine—it was the sound of a chopper. A military chopper.

“They’re here,” I breathed.

014’s face twisted with a mix of fear and disbelief. “But how? We’ve been moving in different directions. We should’ve lost them.”

“They have technology we don’t understand,” I said, my mind racing. “And they know how to track us.”

The chopper was closer now. I could feel the air shifting as the sound grew louder, as though the entire city was being swallowed by the rot of the machine.

“We need to move,” I urged, grabbing 014 by the arm. “This way.”

But it was too late. The chopper came into view, its dark silhouette cutting through the smoke, its spotlight sweeping across the alley. I could see the faint shape of soldiers hanging out of the side, weapons raised, scanning for targets.

They were looking for us.

“Run!” I shouted, pulling 014 toward a narrow opening in the alleyway. We had no choice now. We couldn’t outrun them in the open, but if we could find a way to lose them in the maze of the back streets, maybe—just maybe—we’d have a chance.

We sprinted through the alley, ducking into another shadowed passage, the sound of the chopper’s engines thundering behind us.

“We’re not going to make it,” 014 said, her voice tinged with panic.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I was focused on one thing—getting out. If I could just get us out of this immediate danger, we could regroup. Plan our next move. But there was no time to waste. Every second that passed, the noose around our necks tightened.

We reached a dead end.

The brick wall in front of us loomed like a prison, and I slammed my hands against it in frustration, my breath coming in short, desperate gasps.

“There has to be a way,” I muttered, frantically searching for some kind of escape. A drainpipe. A door. Anything.

“Estela,” 014 said, voice trembling, “we’re trapped.”

I turned to face her, panic and exhaustion creeping into my veins. She was right. We were trapped.

But just then, something shifted in the air.

A shadow.

I spun around, instinctively reaching for the gun at my side, but I was too slow.

A figure appeared in front of us, emerging from the darkness like a ghost, tall and imposing, dressed in a black jacket and combat gear. The face was obscured by a mask, but the figure’s presence was undeniable. This was no soldier. This was someone else entirely.

“Who the hell are you?” I demanded, my voice laced with fear and defiance. But I couldn’t see his face. His presence was just as intimidating as the men chasing us.

“Not important,” the figure replied, his voice muffled by the mask but still clear. “What matters is that you’re coming with me.”

I didn’t move. I didn’t trust him. My hand tightened on the grip of my gun, ready to fight if I had to. But there was something about him—something that made me hesitate.

“Why should we trust you?” I asked, keeping my distance. My pulse pounded in my ears.

The man chuckled darkly, and for a moment, I thought he might be taunting us.

“I’m not asking you to trust me,” he said. “I’m telling you to follow me if you want to survive.”

I exchanged a quick glance with 014. She was on edge, her eyes flicking back to the approaching helicopter, then to the figure.

“Trust him?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” I said, my voice low. “But we don’t have any other choice.”

The sound of the helicopter grew louder, and I knew we were running out of time.

I nodded, the decision made in that split second.

“Fine,” I said. “Lead the way.”

The man didn’t waste a second. He turned on his heel and moved toward the back of the alley, disappearing into the shadows.

“We move now,” he ordered, and I followed without question, though every instinct told me not to.

We ran. Through winding alleys, under the cover of night, our footsteps pounding against the pavement as we fled from the chaos we had unknowingly unleashed. The chopper’s spotlight scanned the area, but it never found us.

For now.