The world ended on a Tuesday.
Or at least, that's what people liked to say. One day, everything was normal—traffic jams, overpriced coffee, people rushing to their nine-to-fives. The next, the world split apart.
Mutations spread like wildfire. Some people gained superhuman strength. Others controlled fire, ice, or even minds. Society collapsed, governments scrambled, and chaos followed.
And then there was **Eliana Kade**.
No flames, no telekinesis, no invincibility. Just a touch that could heal anything—wounds, diseases, even things doctors said were impossible. The moment people found out, they started hunting her like a rare commodity.
Which was why she was currently running for her life.
---
### **The Chase**
Eliana ducked into a dark alley, pressing her back against a brick wall. Her breath came fast, fogging up in the cold night air. The city lights flickered above her, neon reds and blues bouncing off wet pavement.
*"They're getting faster,"* she muttered, adjusting her hood.
A voice crackled through the alley from a radio. "She went west! Don't lose her!"
Eliana cursed under her breath. The bastards were closing in. Five, maybe six of them. Military-grade boots hitting the ground in rhythm, weapons locked and loaded.
She didn't stop to think. She ran.
The alley narrowed ahead, leading to a tall chain-link fence. Her only exit.
"Shit."
Gunfire erupted behind her. She threw herself forward, dodging just as a bullet whizzed past her ear.
*"They want me alive,"* she reminded herself. *"No headshots. But legs? Arms? They won't hesitate."*
Ignoring the pain in her side, she jumped, grabbing onto the fence. Her fingers ached as she scrambled up, metal biting into her skin.
Another shot.
A sharp, burning sensation tore through her thigh. She hissed but kept climbing. By the time she reached the top, her body had already started healing. The bullet popped out of her flesh, clinking against the pavement below. The wound sealed shut.
It still hurt like hell.
A man shouted. "She's over the fence!"
No time to rest. Eliana dropped down on the other side, landing hard on her feet. Her knee buckled, but she pushed through, forcing herself into a sprint.
She needed cover. Now.
---
### **A New Shadow**
By the time Eliana reached the abandoned train station on the city's outskirts, her adrenaline was starting to fade. Her hoodie was damp with sweat, her jeans were bloodstained from the wound she had healed, and her limbs ached.
For now, at least, she was safe.
Or so she thought.
The moment she turned, a figure stepped out of the shadows.
Eliana's instincts flared. She stumbled back, cursing. The man was tall, dressed in black, arms crossed over his broad chest. His presence was suffocating, like standing too close to a knife.
Eliana pulled her hood lower, heart pounding. "Who the hell are you?"
The man tilted his head slightly, unreadable. "You need a bodyguard."
Eliana blinked. "What?"
"You're being hunted. You won't last long on your own."
Eliana let out a breathless laugh. "Oh, yeah? And you think I'm going to trust some random guy lurking in an abandoned train station?"
"You don't have to trust me," the man replied. "But if you want to stay free, you'll need me."
Eliana narrowed her eyes. "Who sent you? Government? Some rich bastard who wants to lock me up?"
"No one sent me."
"Then why are you here?"
A long pause.
And then—
"Because you interest me."
Eliana did not like the sound of that. Not one damn bit.
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