Us
The night was heavy, weighed down by a tension that refused to dissipate. Margot stormed out of the room, her cheeks still stinging from Elias's slap, her mind a whirlwind of anger, betrayal, and confusion. The hallway felt colder, darker, as if the very walls of the building had turned against her.
She stopped at a broken window, leaning on the sill as she tried to steady her breathing. Her hands trembled as she pressed them against the cool metal frame. The city sprawled before her, its lights flickering like dying stars. But something felt... off.
A faint, low hum vibrated in the air. It wasn't natural. It wasn't the wind or the creaking of the old building. It was deeper, almost alive. Margot squinted into the darkness, her anger momentarily eclipsed by unease. In the distance, shadows moved unnaturally, twisting and stretching against the dim light.
"Margot."
She whipped around to see Caleb standing behind her. His face was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—worry, perhaps, or resignation.
"What do you want, Caleb?" she snapped, turning back to the window.
He stepped closer, his voice low. "You need to calm down. This isn't the time to lose control."
She let out a bitter laugh. "Calm down? Did you not see what just happened? Elias slapped me, Caleb. He—" Her voice broke, and she clenched her fists. "Lara, Maddie... they've all turned on me. And now you're here to tell me I'm the one in the wrong?"
"No," Caleb said firmly. "I'm here to remind you what's at stake. Maddie's right about one thing—the city is messing with us. Our memories, our decisions, even our emotions. It's not just about the fights or the alliances anymore. There's something bigger at play."
Margot turned to face him, her eyes searching his face. "What do you mean?"
Caleb hesitated, glancing around as if the walls themselves were listening. "After I left the room, I found something in the west wing. It's... hard to explain. I think you need to see it for yourself."
Margot's anger gave way to curiosity, though suspicion lingered in her gaze. "If this is another one of Elias's tricks—"
"It's not," Caleb interrupted. "Trust me on this."
With a reluctant nod, Margot followed him down the dim hallway, the humming noise growing louder with each step.
They entered the west wing, an area of the building that had been abandoned for months. Dust covered the floor, and the faint smell of mildew lingered in the air. Caleb led her to a room at the end of the corridor.
When Margot stepped inside, her breath hitched.
The room was massive, far larger than it should have been. The walls seemed to stretch endlessly, and the ceiling was dotted with faint, glowing symbols that pulsed like a heartbeat. In the center of the room was a large, circular platform with intricate carvings etched into its surface.
"What... is this?" Margot whispered, stepping closer.
"I don't know," Caleb admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But it's connected to everything we've been trying to figure out—the nexus, the sigils, the realms. I think this is where it all began."
Margot knelt by the platform, running her fingers over the carvings. They felt warm, almost alive. She recognized some of the symbols from the clues they'd found before, but others were entirely new.
"It's a map," she realized, tracing a line that spiraled toward the center. "Or... a guide."
Caleb nodded. "That's what I thought. But there's more."
He pointed to the far wall, where a massive mural loomed. It depicted a figure standing at the center of a chaotic storm, holding a key in one hand and a sigil in the other. Around them were shadowy shapes—some humanoid, others monstrous. Beneath the figure's feet was a broken city, its buildings crumbling into an abyss.
"This is us," Caleb said, his voice grim. "This is what's coming if we don't figure this out."
Margot stared at the mural, her anger and frustration replaced by a chilling sense of dread. "The city isn't just trying to destroy us," she said slowly. "It's trying to consume everything."
As they stood there, the hum grew louder. Margot turned to Caleb, her voice urgent. "We need to bring the others here."
He hesitated. "After what just happened? Do you really think they'll listen to you?"
"They don't have to listen to me," Margot said, straightening. "They just need to see this. If this doesn't wake them up, nothing will."
Back in the main hall, Elias, Lara, and Maddie were still gathered, their argument reduced to simmering tension. Maddie was pacing, muttering under her breath, while Elias stood with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Lara sat quietly, staring at the floor.
When Margot and Caleb entered, the room fell silent.
"What do you want?" Elias asked coldly.
"We found something," Margot said, her tone firm. "Something that changes everything."
Elias raised an eyebrow. "And you think we'll believe you after everything you've done?"
"I don't care if you believe me or not," Margot shot back. "But if you want to survive, you'll come with me. All of you."
Lara looked up, her expression uncertain. "What did you find?"
"A piece of the puzzle we've been missing," Caleb said. "Something that might actually give us answers."
Maddie scoffed. "And why should we trust her?"
"Because if you don't, we're all dead," Margot said bluntly.
Her words hung in the air, heavy with truth. Slowly, reluctantly, the group followed her and Caleb to the west wing.
When they entered the room, the reactions were immediate.
Lara gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Maddie froze, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and awe. Even Elias, usually so composed, seemed shaken.
"What... is this place?" Lara whispered.
"The beginning of the end," Margot replied, her voice low.
As they approached the platform, the carvings began to glow brighter. The hum grew louder, almost deafening. The air felt charged, alive.
Maddie stepped closer to the mural, her fingers brushing the edge of the painting. "This... this is us," she murmured. "This is what we're fighting."
"And we're losing," Elias said grimly, his gaze fixed on the figure at the center of the mural.
Margot took a deep breath, turning to face the group. "We need to stop fighting each other and start fighting this. Whatever it is, it's been ahead of us every step of the way. But now we have a chance to catch up."
For the first time in what felt like forever, the group stood together, united by a shared purpose.
But as the symbols on the platform began to shift and change, Margot couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time.