When voices whisper at dawn, is it already too late to ignore them?
"Run. Run, Sophie… and whatever you do, DON'T stop…"
Her feet slammed the concrete of the skybridge. Inside her sneakers, blood left thin streaks. Her breath came short—almost animal. Her heart was pounding way too fast.
She was running. For how long? An hour? All night?
No way to tell.
They were still there. The spirits.
Their voices drove into her skull like shards of glass. Blurry shapes drifted around her—unstable, alive.
"HELP!"
Her voice shattered into emptiness.
No one.
The city of Biel held its breath, suspended between ruins and technology. The first light of dawn slid over ripped-open facades, stretching twisted shadows. Far away, beyond the Wall, above the primeval forest, a few drones were already buzzing.
Still there.
Sophie ran.
Nineteen. Scraped up, covered in dust, hair plastered to her forehead—her face still young, but her eyes… her eyes were eaten up by fear.
"Open your eyes…"
"Look through mine…"
"You're nothing but an empty shell…"
"Come home…"
The nature spirits were talking to her. That's what she called them. And this time… they were closer than ever.
The sun rose slowly over the earthquake's remains. The skybridge connected "Groundward" zones to the elevated districts of "Skyward." A collapsed metro line curled like a metal skeleton, and damp fog crept up from the cracks.
"HELP ME!"
Her voice bounced off the walls again.
NOTHING…
She stumbled.
"Just… one second…"
Her legs gave out. She dropped to her knees, her hand crushed against her chest. Her heart hammered so hard it felt like it wanted to rip out of its cage.
But them… still there.
She clamped her hands over her ears so tightly her nails cut her skin.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Around her, the silhouettes thickened. Distorted faces. Open mouths. Empty eyes. Some floated in the air, others crawled along the ground.
"Remember…"
"Save me…"
"Wake up…"
A flash crossed her eyes.
No.
She forced herself up and ran. Again, again and faster.
"Toward Skyward… Maybe they'll let me go…"
But spirits never let go.
She tripped again. Her vision blurred.
"I'd rather take Kaissa patrols… At least they're human…"
After minutes of wandering, she burst into a wide plaza.
Glass towers. Cold light. Silence.
Giant screens displayed:
ALERT: RESPECT THE LOCKDOWN. IMMEDIATE SANCTIONS.
She stopped too late. Two police officers a few yards away—smooth helmets, rifles on their shoulders—had already spotted her.
A direct stare.
"Hey… rookie… you take this but go easy. I'll check over there."
"Don't worry. I got it."
The officer approached.
"You. Come here."
Sophie froze. The spirits still circled her.
Then she saw them, around him too. Darker. Bigger. Heavier. Like they were clinging to his shoulders.
He doesn't even see them…
"I… I'm being chased… by nature spirits. Help me…"
A laugh.
"Seriously?"
He shook his head.
"Drones keep them outside the Wall."
"They're here… you don't see them, don't feel them?"
"Another freak from Groundward… You got your insert?"
Silence.
She didn't. Her hand trembled and she thought of Jazz.
Jazz… where are you…
His voice echoed in her head, almost mocking:
Sophie… if lying were a sport, you'd be a champion…
A fleeting smile touched her lips.
The officer lost patience.
"Who are you talking to?"
He raised his weapon.
"Show me your wrist. Now."
She obeyed.
"I… I'm waiting… medical issue…"
Doubt flickered in his eyes.
Then suspicion.
"Get out of here or I shoot. You don't belong here!"
"Please…"
"Last warning."
A voice crackled in his earpiece:
"Drop it. I'm coming."
"No. I got it."
He shouted:
"GET OUT!"
Sophie backed up, tears in her eyes.
"I didn't do anything…"
"ENOUGH!"
She spun around, screaming:
"YOU SICK BASTARD!"
The shot snapped—clean and precise. The bullet tore through her shoulder.
Pain exploded, pure and violent. Her body flew backward. The ground hit her like a wall.
The world tilted. Her breath broke. Her vision smeared and blood was already spreading beneath her. It was hot.
Then something changed.
Light, not dawn light, but something else, golden and alive. It appeared without warning, like it had always been there. It wrapped around her body, slid under her skin, rushed into her veins.
Sophie sucked in a sharp breath.
The pain stopped instantly.
Her blood slowed… then stopped flowing.
The officer stumbled back. His hands were shaking.
"It's her…"
"This isn't normal…"
His superior ran up, then stopped dead.
They could see it. This time, they could see a light pulsing like a heart. Like a presence.
Sophie stared at the sky. But her eyes… weren't really seeing this world anymore.
I… I'm not dying… ?
A beat. Something moved inside her.
Not pain. Not fear.
Something older and deeper. Her breathing calmed. Silence fell heavy, unreal.
Then something like a mechanical breath rang out. Not hers.
"Finally…"
Her eyelids trembled. Her eyes slid shut. But this time… she heard something.
The Guardian Angel: A man who kills while knowing he is destroying life strips himself of his humanity. At that point, he is possessed by very dark forces… forces that have nothing to do with the realm of man… and even less with the realm of the Angel.
To be continued… 🔥
Thank you for reading
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Elea 🤩