Zubair moved around the living room, folding blankets and clearing the last signs of their presence as the rest of the n and Sera got ready to leave the house.
He did it out of habit rather than fear of being tracked; Region T had nothing capable of following them for long. Even so, leaving a clean space felt right. It reminded him of the man he was before the world shattered.
Alexei checked the doorfra while Lachlan tightened the last strap on a backpack he had found in a closet. Aerenyx remained by the front window, his posture relaxed as his slight smirk stayed on his face. He looked calm and relaxed, but Zubair could see that his gaze sharp enough to cut glass.
Luci stood by the front door quietly as he waited for Sera to co downstairs. His yellow eyes flicking toward each sound outside as though categorizing which noises mattered and which were beneath attention.
"Think the neighbors will miss us?" Lachlan asked. His tone carried more amusent than curiosity as he nodded toward the street.
"They didn’t know enough to be afraid," Zubair said. He closed a second bag he had found and tested the shoulder strap before tossing it over to Alexei. He knew that everything could easily go in Sera’s space, but not having sothing on their backs would just be asking for trouble. "And ignorance rarely misses what it can’t understand."
Aerenyx shifted the curtain with one long finger. His expression didn’t change, but his voice made his assessnt clear. "They are watching," he said. "Poorly. But watching."
Zubair joined him and scanned the row of houses. Curtains twitched in uneven intervals, so too fast to be accidental. A few residents lingered openly on porches, their eyes flicking between the street and their group as if trying to fit pieces of a puzzle together without knowing the shape of the finished picture.
"They’re unsettled," Alexei said. His tone remained even, but his jaw had tightened. "They don’t know what to make of last night."
"They don’t know what to make of us," Zubair corrected. "From what I can see, we are the only strange thing to have happened to them lately."
The stairs creaked softly as Sera ca down. Zubair wasn’t the only one to almost snap his neck as he turned to look at her. She was wearing a simple pair of black leggings and a purple hoodie, her long white hair streaming down behind her with every step that she took. On her feet were a pair of black boots that he hadn’t seen before.
The mont she glanced toward the window, he, too, turned to see what was going on outside. "They’re louder this morning," he said at last, trying to break the silence.
"They are desperately trying not to be," Lachlan interjected with a nod. "Which makes them louder."
Sera’s creature surged closer beneath her skin as she finally landed on the last step.
Zubair sensed the ripple of it through the space, a warm, steady pressure that shifted the air like heat from a fire. She didn’t need to look directly at the street to understand the unease brewing there.
"We should move," Zubair continued. He didn’t raise his voice, but the others shifted subtly toward the door. "Region T doesn’t handle its dead well, and the patrols aren’t consistent."
"People are attentive today," Alexei added. "More than yesterday."
Sera nodded once, acknowledging the assessnt without urgency. "Let them watch," she said. "As long as they stay out of our way."
Zubair opened the door and stepped onto the porch. The air held the scent of dust, dried blood, and the faint iron tang of recent gunfire. Civilians paused their movents the mont Sera appeared behind him.
So looked wary. Others looked fascinated. A few took an unconscious step back.
Luci moved ahead with asured steps, his tail moving back and forth like this was just part of his daily walks. But his presence alone changed the energy of the street; the civilians closest to them retreated behind fences or half-closed blinds.
They began walking toward the end of the block. Their formation shifted naturally—Zubair and Alexei at the front, Sera behind them, Lachlan and Aerenyx covering the rear. No one spoke about it because this was how they were ant to move. It was instinct, not strategy.
A soldier appeared at the corner, a clipboard dangling from one hand and an energy drink in his other. Even his gun was hanging loosely from his side like it wasn’t even worth the effort of lifting it.
When he saw them, his steps faltered, and he approached with more caution than confidence.
"Morning," he said. His eyes skipped past Zubair and landed on Sera before he caught himself. "You’re the group from the brick house?"
Lachlan stepped forward with his gawatt smile on his face, "Yup! That would be us," but he didn’t elaborate any more.
Zubair kept his voice even. "We stayed there last night."
The soldier adjusted his grip on the clipboard. "Right. Just making sure occupants are accounted for. We’ve had... incidents."
"We noticed," Alexei said. His tone was neutral, but the soldier took a half-step back anyway.
"If any of you feel sick—fever, shaking, dizziness—you need to report it imdiately," the man said. His eyes flicked again toward Sera, studying her too long before looking away.
Zubair didn’t bother hiding his disdain. "None of us are sick."
The soldier swallowed and nodded quickly. "Good. Good. The next district’s tighter. Higher infection numbers. More patrols. Be careful if you’re heading through."
"We’re aware," Zubair said.
The soldier hesitated as if expecting a further response. When none ca, he stepped aside and gestured weakly. "Safe travels."
They walked past him without slowing. Lachlan waited until the soldier was out of earshot before speaking. "He stared like he expected us to start glowing."
"He sensed the creature," Aerenyx said. "Primitive instinct, but occasionally useful. He’s a lot more advanced that most of his species."
Sera’s attention stayed on the buildings ahead. "He won’t be a problem," she said. "None of them will. We aren’t staying, after all."
Zubair felt her creature stretch again, soaking in the city as though tasting it.
The civilians watched from behind their fences while the patrols tightened further down the street. No one stopped them. No one dared.
Region T didn’t know what it had let inside its borders.
Zubair lifted his gaze toward the hazy horizon. "Let’s see what waits past the district line," he said. "This region is already unraveling."
Sera stepped past him with the sa unhurried ease she carried into every ruined place they’d survived. Her creature pressed warm amusent through her chest, tasting the city like it expected to be entertained.
"Then we’ll keep going until sothing interesting happens," she said with a shrug.
Zubair could only shake his head when he saw the delighted smile on Lachlan’s face at that idea.
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