The world blurred as Ethan stumbled forward, his body screaming with every step. Blood trickled down his temple, his ribs ached from Harbinger’s strike, and his head pulsed with the remnants of the Veil’s power still surging through his veins. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay on his feet.

“Almost there,” Jax muttered, leading the group through the winding ruins of the city outskirts. His voice was tense, but there was urgency in his stride.

Mara and Lila weren’t faring any better. Lila clutched her broken arm, her breathing shallow, while Mara’s usually sharp gaze was dulled with exhaustion. The fight had taken its toll.

Jax’s fingers danced across a rusted console hidden beneath a pile of debris. A moment later, a steel door groaned open, revealing a dark passage leading underground. Without hesitation, he stepped inside, motioning for them to follow.

Ethan exhaled sharply. “You always have secret hideouts, or is this just a special occasion?”

Jax smirked. “Always be prepared, kid. That’s rule number one.”

They descended into the bunker—narrow corridors lined with exposed pipes and flickering lights. The space was small but functional, a stark contrast to the decaying world above. A few old cots were pushed against the walls, and a central table was cluttered with maps, weapons, and scattered notes.

Three figures waited inside.

One was a wiry man with a cybernetic eye and a permanently amused expression. “Welcome to paradise,” he said, kicking back in his chair. “Name’s Felix. Tech guy, scavenger, occasional explosives expert.”

Beside him, a muscular woman leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Her dark eyes swept over them, evaluating. “Rhea,” she said simply. “I patch people up. You’re lucky I’m here.”

The third figure sat in the corner, silent, observing. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but his presence was unsettling. “That’s Vance,” Jax said. “He doesn’t talk much.”

Vance didn’t respond.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Felix grinned. “So, Jax, what the hell kind of trouble did you drag in this time?”

Jax sighed. “The kind that nearly got us all killed.” He gestured to Ethan. “This one got on Harbinger’s bad side.”

Felix whistled. “Impressive. Most people don’t live long enough to do that.”

Ethan ignored the comment and slumped onto a cot. His limbs felt like lead, but there were questions gnawing at him. “Tell me about the Resistance. The real story.”

Jax exchanged glances with Lila before sitting across from him. “It’s not what it used to be,” he admitted. “A long time ago, we had a real shot at taking back control. We had structure, leaders, resources. But that all fell apart. Now? It’s a fractured mess.”

Lila’s expression darkened. “Jarek controls it all, but he doesn’t lead. He lets the Squadron Leaders do the work while he pulls the strings from the shadows.”

“The five Squadron Leaders,” Mara murmured. “Harbinger, Wraith, Hollow, Revenant, Aegis. They control different sectors, different forces. Some more brutal than others.”

Ethan frowned. “So you were part of that?”

Lila hesitated. “I was. I believed in it, once. But things changed.”

Ethan looked at her, searching for answers. “Why did you leave?”

Silence stretched between them before she finally answered. “Because of you.”

He hadn’t expected that.

Lila shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze. “When you got caught in all this… I couldn’t keep following orders. I couldn’t watch innocent people suffer anymore.”

Jax leaned back, arms crossed. “I left long before that. Saw the cracks forming, knew it was only a matter of time before everything collapsed. Decided I’d rather fight my own battles than die for someone else’s war.”

Felix snorted. “Which is why we’re holed up in a glorified sewer.”

Jax shot him a glare. “It’s *our* glorified sewer.”

Ethan absorbed the information, the weight of it settling in his chest. The Resistance wasn’t a unified front. It was broken, scattered, and barely holding together. And now, he was tangled in it all.

Mara’s voice was quiet. “So what happens next?”

Jax sighed. “You rest. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

Ethan nodded, the exhaustion finally catching up to him. He lay back, staring at the cracked ceiling, the hum of the bunker’s generators lulling him into a restless sleep.

And then the dreams came.

He was home.

His mother’s voice called from the kitchen. His sister laughed as she chased their dog through the hallway. The scent of warm food filled the air.

His friends were there, too—faces blurred but familiar. They joked, shoved each other, their laughter echoing like a melody he’d almost forgotten.

It felt real.

Until it wasn’t.

The sky darkened. The walls cracked. Shadows crept in, swallowing the warmth, the laughter, the voices. His mother turned to him, but her eyes were hollow. His sister’s laughter became a scream.

Then—nothing.

Ethan jolted awake, breath ragged, the cold reality of the bunker settling around him.

He was still here.

And the war was far from over.