"We already changed everything."
The words left my lips like a final sentence, the weight of them pressing down on my chest. I kept my eyes on the screen, watching the world unravel from the choices we made.
Then—
"I feel your pain, Jamal."
The voice struck me like a gunshot in the dark.
I inhaled sharply, my body locking up as the room around me twisted. The air grew heavier, pressing in. My ears rang. My pulse pounded in my skull.
I turned sharply, scanning the dimly lit room, searching. My eyes flicked over the walls, the corners, the doorway. Nothing.
But someone had spoken.
I swore I heard it. Clear. Distinct. Too real to be my own thoughts.
I took a slow step back, my breath hitching. My fingers curled into fists as I scanned the room again.
"Still looking for me?"
I flinched. My gaze darted toward the ceiling, then the floor, then back to Eliana, who still stood by the screen, unaware. My skin prickled.
"You won't find me there."
I squeezed my eyes shut for half a second before snapping them open again. What the hell is happening?
Then, like a blade slipping between my ribs, the voice said,
"It's me. The same voice from the cell. You remember now, don't you?"
The realization hit like a slap.
I staggered a step back, my heart hammering.
"No," I muttered under my breath. "No, you—You're not real."
"Oh, I'm real, Jamal. As real as the blood on your hands."
My fists clenched, my teeth grinding together.
"I don't have time for this."
"You sure? Because I have something you'll want to hear."
"Jamal?"
Eliana's voice snapped me back to the moment.
I turned to find her staring at me, concern deep in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice careful, measured.
I realized I had been standing there, tense, looking around the room like a paranoid lunatic.
I forced a breath, trying to shake the feeling of being watched, of being invaded.
"Yeah," I lied. "Just… thinking."
She frowned. "Thinking or seeing something?"
The voice chuckled. "Sharp girl."
I ignored it.
Eliana took a step closer. "Jamal. What's going on?"
I hesitated, then exhaled slowly. No point in pretending.
"I've been hearing a voice in my head."
Her frown deepened. "What kind of voice?"
Before I could answer, the voice cut in smoothly,
"Your friends. I know where they are."
I stiffened.
"Scott and Maggie. Michelle and Steven. They're alive, Jamal."
I turned fully to Eliana, my voice low but steady.
"I know where they are."
She blinked, her breath catching slightly. "Who?"
"Steven and the others."
A beat of silence stretched between us. The weight of those names settled over her like a crushing force, the tension in her posture sharpening. Her fingers twitched at her sides, her throat bobbing with a hard swallow.
Her voice came firm, unwavering. "No time to waste, Jamal. Let's go."
Malik was in the middle of a strategy meeting when we stormed in. He sat at the head of the table, maps and schematics spread before him, his lieutenants standing tense around him. Their conversation cut off the moment we entered.
"There are other facilities," I announced, my voice sharp. "Holding more of our kind."
Malik exhaled through his nose. "I know."
"Then why the hell are we still sitting here?" I snapped.
He shot me a look. "Because I don't know where they are."
I held his gaze. "I do."
The silence in the room stretched. Malik's brow furrowed. "How?"
I hesitated. "It's one of my abilities."
It wasn't a lie. Not exactly.
Malik studied me, his jaw tightening. Then, without another word, he grabbed a radio and started barking orders.
"We move now. Gather the squads."
"If you leave now, you'll all die."
The voice cut through the war room like a blade, halting me mid-step. I clenched my jaw, inhaling sharply. Not now.
"Tomorrow is your best bet," it pressed on. "Go tonight, and none of you make it out alive."
My fists curled. My pulse pounded. "And how the hell do you know that?" I hissed under my breath.
Eliana's gaze snapped to me, her eyes narrowing. "The voice again, isn't it?"
I turned to her, swallowing hard, and gave a stiff, terrified nod.
Her expression shifted—concern flickering behind her eyes—but she stayed quiet, waiting.
"Because I process probability faster than you breathe," the voice continued. "You storm in tonight, you die. You wait, you live. Simple math."
A cold weight settled in my chest. I hated that it made sense. Hated that, deep down, I already knew it was right.
Eliana's hand gripped my arm, grounding me. "Jamal, What's it saying?"
I exhaled through my nose, forcing myself to speak. " We aren't moving tonight."
She hesitated, but the weight in my voice must've been enough—she didn't push further.
I turned back to Malik, who was watching me like he was seconds from losing his patience.
"We wait until tomorrow," I said, voice steady. "That's our best shot."
His eyes narrowed. "The hell is this about?"
"A calculated risk," I muttered.
Malik's nostrils flared. He wasn't the type to stall once the wheels were turning. But he also wasn't reckless. He held my gaze, searching for a crack in my certainty.
When he found none, he exhaled sharply, dragging a hand over his jaw.
Then, finally— "Fine. Tomorrow."
The room remained tense, the weight of my words hanging thick in the air. Malik's lieutenants exchanged wary glances, their unease palpable. No one liked waiting, least of all Malik. But he had agreed.
"Tomorrow," he repeated, more to himself than anyone else. He turned to his men. "We use this time wisely. Prep the squads, map the routes, and set up contingencies. We go in, get our people, and get the hell out. No screw-ups."
His orders sent the room into motion. People moved with purpose, voices rising as the war map was adjusted, equipment lists updated, and communication lines secured.
Eliana tugged me aside, her grip firm. "This voice—" she lowered her tone, searching my face, "it told you to wait?"
I hesitated, then nodded.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "And you trust it?"
That was the real question, wasn't it? Did I?
"I don't know what it is," I admitted. "But it hasn't been wrong yet."
Her brows knit together. I could tell she wanted to argue, to push for an explanation I didn't have. Instead, she exhaled and ran a hand through her hair. "Fine. But if this goes south—"
"It won't," I cut in, though I wasn't sure if I was convincing her or myself.
A moment of silence stretched between us before she finally nodded.
Malik's voice boomed from across the room. "Jamal, Eliana—you're briefing with me. Now."
I stole one last glance at Eliana before following Malik toward the strategy table.
Tomorrow.
That gave us a handful of hours to prepare for what could be a massacre.
As the briefing wrapped up, exhaustion pressed heavy on my shoulders. The adrenaline had dulled, leaving behind the raw weight of everything—Steven, Michelle, Scott, Maggie. The war outside. The war inside.
Malik dismissed us with a sharp nod, already deep in conversation with his officers.
As the briefing wrapped up, exhaustion pressed heavy on my shoulders. The adrenaline had dulled, leaving behind the raw weight of everything—Steven, Michelle, Scott, Maggie. The war outside. The war inside.
Malik dismissed us with a sharp nod, already deep in conversation with his officers.
Eliana and I left together, silent as we navigated the dim corridors of the underground base. The air between us was thick, charged with unspoken things—grief, relief, longing.
The moment we stepped into the room, Eliana's fingers brushed against mine, hesitant at first, then curling around my hand. She turned to face me, pressing her body into me, her warmth melting into mine.
Then, suddenly, tears welled in her eyes. Silent at first, then spilling down her cheeks.
"It's been so long," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Those cells… those people are monsters."
I exhaled, wrapping my arms around her, my fingers running through her hair as she buried her face in my chest. She sobbed against me, her body shaking with the weight of everything she'd endured.
"I can only imagine what nightmare Scott and the others must be going through." Her grip tightened, clinging to me like she was afraid I'd disappear.
"They'll be fine," I murmured, my voice steady. "We'll get them back."
She let out a shaky breath, her sobs slowing, easing with my words.
Then she pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at me, her fingers grazing my jawline. A small, teary laugh escaped her.
"You finally shaved."
A smirk tugged at my lips. "Did I look that bad before?"
"Like a wild man lost in the woods," she teased, sniffing. "But now…" Her eyes traced my face, something soft and unreadable passing over her expression.
The moment stretched between us. My chest tightened.
"God, I've missed you," I breathed.
Eliana's eyes darkened, filling with fresh tears. "I mourned you, Jamal," she said, voice breaking. "I saw you die. How are you still alive?"
I swallowed, the weight of her words hitting deep. Slowly, I reached for her lips, tilting her chin up with my fingers.
"It's a long story," I murmured, my breath ghosting over her mouth. "But the good thing is that I'm here now."
She let out a shaky exhale, then—she closed the distance.
Our lips met, soft at first, tentative. But then something deeper took over, something raw and desperate. Her fingers curled into my shirt, pulling me closer. I felt the heat of her, the way her body pressed into mine, the way our breaths tangled.
There was no hesitation, no second-guessing. Just the undeniable truth of us, after everything.
And for now, that was all that mattered.