The relentless wind howled against the mansion's fortified walls, a chilling reminder of the unforgiving world beyond. Daniel stood at the control panel, the cold blue glow of the monitors casting shadows across his androgynously beautiful features. His heart pounded as he scanned the perimeter, taking in the shivering figures huddled just outside the gate. The snow clung to their thick coats, turning them into ghostly silhouettes. They had survived the cold this long, but desperation hung in the air, more tangible than the frost.
"You need to know what's coming," said the woman who had stepped forward. Her voice crackled through the intercom, carried on the gusts of icy wind. Dark eyes, fierce and unwavering, peered out from beneath her hood, frost catching in the fine lines of her face. She was older than he'd first thought, battle-hardened and unafraid.
Daniel's fingers flexed on the console, but he didn't unlock the gates. Not yet. He couldn't afford weakness—not when the stakes were this high.
"Talk," he said, his voice sharp and commanding. The echo of it made Claire's eyes flicker with approval. She stood a few feet behind him, arms crossed over her chest, a living embodiment of barely contained power. Her gaze swept over the group outside, assessing, calculating.
The woman shifted, glancing back at her companions before continuing. "There are factions," she began, each word clipped as if the cold tried to steal them away. "They're not just survivors. They've been preparing for this apocalypse long before it started. They're coming for anyone with systems—to use, control, or eliminate."
Daniel's jaw clenched, the implications crashing over him like a wave. He'd assumed that his knowledge from the previous timeline made him untouchable, a ghost moving through the chaos. But this? His pulse quickened, fingers tightening on the edge of the console until the tips turned white.
"Names," he demanded, cutting through the brief silence. The woman's eyes flicked to the gate, and she took a cautious step closer. Claire shifted, her muscles coiling, ready to spring at the first hint of deception.
"They don't go by names," the woman—Tessa—responded, her voice steady despite the cold leeching the color from her lips. "But they have symbols, networks. They've been tracking the anomalies, collecting data on those like you. They knew The Great Evolution would come, and now, they're positioning themselves to seize control."
Daniel's eyes narrowed, fingers tightening on the edge of the console until the tips turned white. The room seemed to shrink around him, the sound of the wind and Tessa's words mingling in a dissonant hum. He wasn't invisible. He wasn't safe.
"Why come here?" he asked, his tone more dangerous now. "Why tell me?"
Tessa glanced at the others behind her, shadows shifting in the storm. One man held his arm to his chest, blood seeping through the bandages, while another scanned the trees, eyes wide with the paranoia of prey hunted too long.
"Because we need sanctuary," Tessa admitted, her voice dropping to a raw, desperate pitch. "We know what we know, and that makes us targets. But we can help you. We can show you how to stay ahead of them. Just let us in."
"No," Claire's voice was a whip crack. The finality in her tone made Daniel pause. She stepped forward, her eyes cold, lips pressing into a thin line. "They stay outside. We don't owe them anything."
Tessa's gaze darted to Claire, a spark of recognition, perhaps fear, igniting in her eyes. "You're making a mistake," she said, but the words lacked defiance; they were heavy, burdened with the weight of truth.
Daniel's brow furrowed, the lines deepening with frustration. Every instinct screamed at him to keep the gates closed, to protect what he had built, but the paranoia gnawed at him. If Tessa was right, if they were being hunted, then there was no safety—not really.
Before he could respond, a sharp, percussive crack split the air. Time seemed to stutter and then lurch forward. The bullet struck the gate, sending a spray of splintered metal and ice into the air. The group outside shouted, diving for cover. Daniel's heart slammed against his ribcage as he caught the glint of the rifle scope through the swirling snow, perched on the ridge like a viper poised to strike.
"Get down!" Claire's voice thundered, her body already in motion, pulling Daniel to the floor as another shot rang out, missing them by inches. The metal shuddered under the impact, reverberating through the bunker's cold steel frame.
"They found us," Daniel whispered, the realization clawing at his mind. The real attack was starting.
Tessa's voice rose, urgent and pleading. "Let us in, or we're all dead!"
Daniel's eyes met Claire's, a silent war passing between them. Her jaw clenched, but she nodded, the fight simmering just behind her eyes. He hit the release button, the gate grinding open as snow whipped into the entryway.
"Get inside," he shouted, voice tight with adrenaline. The group scrambled in, their faces a mix of relief and terror.
"We're not safe," Claire said, eyes snapping to the window. The sniper's scope glimmered again, a pinpoint of death among the white. "Not yet."
Another bullet struck, this time shattering the edge of a window, sending shards skittering across the floor. The cold bit into the room, sharp and biting, and Daniel felt the hair on his arms stand on end. He glanced at Tessa, who was crouched low, her eyes wide with a mix of gratitude and fear.
"They're coordinated," Tessa said breathlessly. "They won't stop until they breach your defenses."
"Then they'll die trying," Claire snapped, her eyes alight with fury. She moved with the lethal grace of a predator, muscles taut and ready.
Daniel swallowed hard, forcing his mind into focus. "We need to take out that sniper," he said, fingers already flying over the console. "And we need to know who we're dealing with."
Tessa met his gaze, her eyes narrowing. "We're dealing with the kind of people who think the world belongs to them now. They have resources, power, and no conscience."
The bunker shuddered as an explosion erupted somewhere outside, the shockwave rattling the reinforced walls. The sound was deafening, making Daniel's heart race with the urgency of a cornered animal. He exchanged a glance with Claire, whose expression had shifted from rage to grim determination.