Ash's Perspective
The others stood behind me, weapons ready—tense, silent, expectant.
I stepped toward the bus. The cold concrete felt heavier than usual beneath my feet.
Kai's hand landed gently on my shoulder. "Ash, wait."
But I shook it off.
This time, I wanted revenge. For Theo. For Jace. For me.
I bent down and looked underneath the bus.
Nothing.
Just oil stains and shadows.
My breath caught. My body froze. For a moment, it felt like even my soul was missing.
"What happened?" Kai asked from behind me.
I turned, swallowed the panic, and lied through gritted teeth.
"Nothing's down there. Sorry… false alarm."
A heavy silence settled.
"What the hell, Ash? This isn't the time for jokes," Ryn snapped.
I could feel their stares—sharp, disappointed, confused. No one said more. Maybe they thought I'd lost it. Maybe they were right.
Silas handed me a flashlight. "Come," he said coldly. "I'll show you around."
I stayed at the back of the group, letting the others move ahead as the apartment tour continued. Gray Hat was tall, built like a fortress, but the tension inside was thicker than the concrete.
I broke away when no one noticed.
My feet took me to the sealed stairwell between the second and third floors. The area was chained and padlocked, a thick iron bar stretched across the handles. This was where the incident had happened—the fifth floor. But no one had properly checked the upper floors.
I had to be sure.
I took a crowbar from a nearby box of tools and snapped the lock with one hard pull.
The noise echoed like a gunshot.
Footsteps immediately sounded behind me—but I was already moving.
Third floor.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Sixth…
Seventh…
All the way to the fifteenth floor.
Nothing.
I stood on the rooftop, staring into the city's grave-silence. Blackened sky. Empty air.
Then—
A flicker.
Far ahead, one house had its lights on.
Why?
I stared for minutes.
Then turned and descended the stairs.
Second Floor – One Minute Later
As soon as I stepped onto the second floor—hissss!
A liquid sprayed into my face. Blinding heat stung my eyes.
Before I could react—CRACK!
A fist slammed into my jaw, and I hit the floor hard.
"You STUPID IDIOT!"
Tessa's voice.
She stood over me, fists clenched, eyes blazing.
"Who the hell do you think you are—breaking locks and putting everyone at risk!?"
I coughed, groaning on the floor.
The other residents gathered around, murmuring, judging. Their eyes filled with fear and frustration.
To them, I wasn't a survivor. I was a problem.
And maybe… I looked like one. Pale. Hollow. Eyes like a ghost. White streaks in my hair. Arms trembling. Lips dry.
A psycho.
Silas made the decision.
"Ash stays locked in the storage room. He gets food from his own group—no sharing from ours. This is non-negotiable."
No one argued.
Two Days Later
I sat on the cold floor of the tiny storage room, back against the wall, shotgun beside me, eyes staring into nothing.
Sometimes Yuki came by. Sometimes Kai.
They brought food. Said nothing.
I didn't blame them.
I'd become something else in their eyes—something unpredictable.
But all I could think about was the shapeshifter.
Where had it come from?
The basement cars?
A secret passage?
Or worse—someone was helping it.
And what about that house? The one with its lights on?
None of it made sense.
But I would find the answers.
I had already decided.
Tonight, when Silas and the others are asleep…
I'm breaking out.