The barista's words hung in the air like a blade. "You're one of them," she had whispered, her voice trembling.
Liang Wenyan stared at her, his mind racing. He glanced around the café, suddenly hyper-aware of the other patrons. Most seemed oblivious, focused on their conversations or phones. But one man in the corner, wearing a heavy coat despite the warmth inside, was watching him intently.
Wenyan leaned in closer to the barista, lowering his voice. "You know about the markings? About the whispers?"
Her eyes darted around nervously, and she motioned for him to keep his voice down. "Not here," she murmured, sliding him his coffee. "Meet me after my shift. Alley behind the café. Don't bring anyone."
Before he could respond, she moved away, busying herself with another customer.
---
Wenyan waited in his car, parked a block away. Rain continued to fall, its rhythmic drumming against the roof doing little to calm his nerves. His hand throbbed beneath the glove he had hastily pulled on to hide the markings.
The man from the café had exited shortly after him, walking in the opposite direction. But Wenyan couldn't shake the feeling that he was still being watched.
When the café lights dimmed, signaling its closure, Wenyan stepped out into the rain and approached the alley. The barista was already there, her hood pulled up, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"You came," she said, her tone both relieved and wary.
"I need answers," Wenyan replied. "Who are you? How do you know about this?" He pulled off the glove, revealing the glowing patterns etched into his skin.
The barista flinched but didn't back away. "My name's Mei. I've seen the markings before… on my brother." Her voice faltered. "He disappeared two months ago. Before he vanished, he was obsessed—talking about the whispers, the symbols, the feeling that he was being watched."
Wenyan's stomach twisted. "Did he say anything else? Anything about the bridge?"
Mei's eyes widened. "The bridge? You've heard about it too?"
He nodded. "Something… something in a temple said the markings connect our world to theirs. That they're watching us through them."
"They are," Mei whispered, her voice barely audible over the rain. "The markings are a doorway. My brother said they're trying to expand it, to let more of… whatever they are through."
Wenyan felt his pulse quicken. "Did he figure out how to stop it?"
Mei shook her head. "He said there were others—people like him who bore the markings. He was trying to find them, but…" She looked down, her voice breaking. "He was taken before he could."
"Taken by who?" Wenyan pressed.
"Not who," Mei said, her voice filled with dread. "What. He said the markings aren't just a bridge. They're a beacon. They call to things on the other side. Once they notice you…"
Her words trailed off, but Wenyan didn't need her to finish. He had seen what happened to Heng.
"Then we need to find the others," he said firmly. "If your brother was right, maybe together we can figure out how to stop this."
Mei hesitated, her eyes scanning the dark alley as though expecting something to emerge from the shadows. "I don't know if they can be stopped," she said finally. "But I'll help you. For my brother."
---
They started with the map Wenyan had memorized from the temple. Each red marker was a potential lead, a place where the markings had been reported.
The first location was an abandoned apartment complex on the outskirts of Heiancheng. The building loomed like a monolith, its windows shattered, and its facade weathered by time and neglect.
"This is where he said he saw someone else," Mei whispered as they approached. "A woman with markings on her arms."
The air grew colder as they stepped inside, their flashlights casting eerie shadows on the crumbling walls.
The whispers began almost immediately.
Wenyan froze, gripping the flashlight tightly. The sound was faint at first, like a distant wind, but it grew louder with every step.
"Do you hear that?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Mei nodded, her face pale. "They're stronger here."
They followed the sound to the third floor, where a faint glow emanated from one of the apartments. The door was ajar, and inside, the walls were covered in markings, their patterns more intricate and vivid than any Wenyan had seen before.
In the center of the room stood a woman, her back to them. Her arms were bare, and the same glowing symbols snaked across her skin.
"Hello?" Wenyan called out cautiously.
The woman turned slowly, her eyes glowing with the same crimson light he had seen in the creature at the warehouse.
"You shouldn't have come here," she said, her voice layered with the whispers.
Mei took a step back, her hand gripping Wenyan's arm. "She's been claimed."
The woman stepped toward them, her movements unnaturally smooth. "You carry the Mark," she said, her gaze fixed on Wenyan. "You cannot escape it. You cannot fight it."
"We're not here to fight," Wenyan said, trying to keep his voice steady. "We're trying to understand. To stop it."
The woman's expression twisted into something between a smile and a grimace. "You think you can stop the bridge? You think you can defy them?"
Her laughter echoed through the room, a sound that sent chills down Wenyan's spine.
Mei tugged at his arm. "We need to go. Now."
But before they could retreat, the markings on the walls began to glow brighter, and the whispers grew deafening. The woman's body convulsed, her limbs bending at unnatural angles as she let out a guttural scream.
The shadows in the room came alive, twisting and converging on her. Her form dissolved into the darkness, and from the void, a new figure emerged—taller, more monstrous, with glowing crimson eyes that burned into Wenyan's soul.
"Run!" Mei shouted, pulling him toward the door.
They sprinted down the hall, the creature's heavy footsteps echoing behind them. The air grew colder, the whispers transforming into a deafening roar.
Wenyan didn't look back. He couldn't. All he could do was run, the weight of the markings on his hand reminding him that the bridge was far from broken—and the fight was just beginning.