Chapter 158: The Network
The river moved quietly beside us.
Water slipped over smooth stones with a soft, endless sound that almost felt peaceful. The forest around the clearing glowed in the early morning light, golden rays filtering through the branches.
It should have felt calm.
It should have felt like we had survived something.
But the tension hanging over the group refused to fade.
Marcus Hale was gone.
The Creed compound was destroyed.
Yet none of us felt victorious.
Because deep down we all knew the same thing.
We had only scratched the surface.
\---
Dominic stood near the edge of the clearing, staring into the distance.
His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, his expression dark with thought.
I watched him for a moment before walking over.
“You’re thinking about the girl,” I said.
Dominic didn’t look at me.
“I’m thinking about everything.”
His voice carried the weight of too many battles.
“They were experimenting on children, Roxanne.”
His jaw tightened.
“And if Elena is right…”
He finally turned to face me.
“That facility wasn’t the only one.”
I leaned against a nearby tree.
“The girl said ‘the others are still coming.’”
Dominic nodded slowly.
“That means there are more like her.”
A cold feeling crept down my spine.
“More experiments.”
Dominic’s voice hardened.
“More weapons.”
\---
Across the clearing, Callum sat on a fallen log, lazily tossing small rocks into the river.
But the tension in his shoulders betrayed his calm attitude.
Aidan stood nearby, scanning the forest like a soldier who never truly relaxed.
Elena knelt beside Talia again, checking her pulse and breathing.
After a moment, Elena spoke.
“She’s stabilizing.”
Dominic looked over immediately.
“That’s good.”
Elena nodded.
“But she’s still extremely weak.”
She glanced toward me.
“The energy inside her body is unstable.”
My stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?”
Elena sighed softly.
“It means whatever the Creed did to her isn’t finished.”
Callum groaned.
“Oh fantastic.”
He rubbed his face dramatically.
“So we saved a ticking supernatural time bomb.”
Aidan shot him a look.
“That’s not helping.”
Callum shrugged.
“I cope with trauma through sarcasm.”
\---
I walked back toward Talia slowly.
The girl looked peaceful now.
Too peaceful for someone who had endured so much.
Her small chest rose and fell gently as she slept.
But beneath that calm surface…
I could still feel the energy inside her.
It was faint now.
But it was there.
The same strange power that had surged through the Ascension Chamber.
The same force that had awakened something inside me.
Elena noticed my expression.
“You feel it too, don’t you?”
I nodded.
“It’s like… a pulse.”
Dominic looked between us.
“What kind of pulse?”
I struggled to explain.
“Like something inside her is trying to wake up.”
Aidan frowned.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
Callum raised a finger.
“Correction: that sounds extremely not good.”
\---
Suddenly Talia stirred.
Her fingers twitched slightly.
Everyone froze.
Her eyes slowly opened.
But this time…
They weren’t glowing.
They were just normal.
Small.
Tired.
Confused.
The girl blinked weakly.
“Where…”
Her voice was barely audible.
Dominic crouched beside her.
“You’re safe.”
Talia looked around the clearing slowly.
The forest.
The river.
The unfamiliar faces.
Fear flickered across her expression.
“Where are they?”
Elena spoke gently.
“They’re gone.”
Talia’s breathing quickened.
“They’ll find me.”
Dominic shook his head.
“Not if we keep moving.”
But Talia looked directly at me.
And her eyes widened slightly.
“You…”
My chest tightened.
“You remember me?”
Talia nodded weakly.
“You were in the chamber.”
The others looked between us.
Callum leaned toward Aidan and whispered loudly.
“Oh great.”
“She imprinted on Roxanne.”
Aidan elbowed him.
“Not the time.”
\---
Talia slowly pushed herself up.
Elena immediately supported her.
“You shouldn’t move too much.”
But Talia shook her head.
“I have to tell you something.”
Dominic leaned closer.
“What is it?”
Talia looked nervous.
“They’re not just making experiments.”
My heart began pounding.
“What do you mean?”
The girl’s voice trembled.
“They’re building an army.”
Silence fell across the clearing.
Even the river seemed quieter somehow.
Aidan spoke first.
“An army of what?”
Talia looked down at her hands.
“People like me.”
Callum let out a slow breath.
“Well that’s horrifying.”
\---
Dominic’s expression darkened.
“How many facilities?”
Talia hesitated.
“I don’t know.”
She swallowed nervously.
“But I heard them talking.”
Elena leaned forward.
“Talking about what?”
Talia whispered the answer.
“The Shadow Network.”
The name sent a chill through me.
Aidan frowned.
“What the hell is that?”
Talia shook her head.
“I don’t know exactly.”
“But the scientists said it connects everything.”
Dominic’s eyes sharpened.
“Everything?”
Talia nodded.
“All the labs.”
“All the experiments.”
“All the soldiers they’re creating.”
Callum blinked slowly.
“So let me get this straight.”
He held up a finger.
“We destroyed one evil facility…”
He raised another.
“…but there’s an entire network of them?”
Aidan rubbed his temples.
“Sounds about right.”
\---
Elena’s expression grew serious.
“If the Shadow Network is real…”
She looked at Dominic.
“That means the Creed has resources far beyond what we imagined.”
Dominic nodded grimly.
“And influence.”
Callum sighed dramatically.
“So basically…”
He spread his arms wide.
“…we’re completely screwed.”
Aidan glared at him.
“Helpful.”
Callum shrugged.
“I’m being realistic.”
\---
Talia suddenly grabbed my hand.
The movement startled everyone.
Her small fingers trembled slightly.
“You have to stop them.”
My chest tightened.
“Why me?”
Talia looked into my eyes.
“Because you’re the only one who survived the Ascension.”
Aidan blinked.
“What?”
Elena looked shocked.
“You mean no one else—”
Talia shook her head weakly.
“They all died.”
The words hit like a hammer.
I felt the weight of them immediately.
Every experiment.
Every test subject.
Every life the Creed had destroyed.
Gone.
Except me.
Callum spoke quietly for once.
“That’s… a lot of pressure.”
\---
The forest breeze rustled through the clearing again.
The sun climbed higher into the sky.
But the calm morning atmosphere was gone now.
Replaced by a heavy realization.
Dominic looked at me.
“We need information.”
Aidan nodded.
“If this Shadow Network exists…”
He cracked his knuckles.
“…we find it.”
Callum tilted his head.
“And destroy it.”
Elena added quietly,
“Before they create something worse.”
Dominic looked back at the burning smoke rising faintly in the far distance.
“The Creed just lost one of their strongest facilities.”
His eyes hardened.
“They’ll retaliate.”
My stomach twisted.
“They’re already watching us.”
Everyone turned toward me.
Aidan frowned.
“What do you mean?”
I hesitated.
Then said quietly,
“Marcus said something before he disappeared.”
Dominic’s expression sharpened.
“What did he say?”
I took a slow breath.
“He said they’re already watching me.”
Silence fell again.
But this time…
It felt heavier.
More dangerous.
Because deep down…
We all had the same terrifying thought.
If the Shadow Network was real…
Then someone out there already knew exactly who I was.
And they were waiting.