Tangled

Unshift 271

Unshift 271

271 Lisa: To Safety

LISA

Eventually, there's nothing else I can help the nurses with, and I wander back to the table. It's been hours. We came to the farmhouse in the early morning, and now it's well past noon. Aside from a few packages of crackers and some water from the sink, my belly's empty.

My stomach growls. The crackers and water did little to satisfy my hunger.

The Grand Sage speaks to Ryder, his voice low but clear. "The problem isn't with the individual phones. They're fine, but the networks are all corrupted. They aren't communicating properly. From what I can tell, it's all hacked. Someone's taken control.

"So..." Ryder takes his phone with a sigh. "It won't be fixed anytime soon.

"Correct.

The Grand Sage hands Chloe and Mia back their phones. The two women exchange a glance before leaving after a brief word from Ryder. Something about their interaction feels off, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

While the Grand Sage and Ryder continue discussing, curiosity gets the better of me. I slip outside, thankful that I'm not particularly noticeable.

A cool breeze brushes against my cheeks as I watch Chloe part ways with Mia. To my surprise, Chloe doesn't head back to wherever she came from. Instead, she steps behind a nearby building. I frown, inching closer. What is she doing?

From my vantage point, I can see Chloe tapping away at her phone. It's strange-didn't the Grand Sage just explain that no cell phones are getting a signal? Yet here she is, acting like everything's normal.

My heart races as I watch her bring the phone to her ear. I strain to hear what she's saying, but she's too far away. I take a step closer, leaves crunching under my feet.

Chloe's head snaps up, and I duck behind a bush. When I peek out again, she's ending the call, her movements quick and furtive.

Something's not right here.

I make my way back to the farmhouse, my mind whirling. As soon as I spot the Grand Sage, I sidle up to him, keeping my voice low. "I just saw something strange, I murmur, relaying what I witnessed outside. The Grand Sage nods, his expression tense. "I've already reported the matter to the delta," he says, his eyes darting around the room.

the first time that Ryder's no longer here.

again, tapping on his wrist. I glance down

C

271 Lisa: To Safety

confusion clouding my thoughts. What

runs cold as I recognize the sound-a sound

y veins.

twists, fear and

arms, and I'm being hustled out the back door of the farmhouse. "That was faster than I expected," he mutters. "I thought

"You expected this?"

I saw her

barn, our fect pounding against the

are locked in combat with a seemingly endless stream of attackers. But it's not their opponents that make my breath catch in my throat -it's

contorted with rage. It's like watching the world tear at the seams,

moving!" Elverly's voice snaps me back

my eyes away from the battle and focus on putting one foot in front

as I push my legs to their limit, sprinting towards the barn. The Grand Sage and Elverly flank me, their urgency palpable in the air. We burst through the barn doors, and for a split second,

I hear it. The Grand Sage's sharp intake of breath, followed by a string of muttered curses. I whirl around, my eyes widening in horror as I see

racing towards us with inhuman speed. Their faces are twisted into snarls, fangs

whip, snapping me out of my terrified trance. "Into the safe

The inside of the safe room is

I mutter, my eyes fixed on the opening. Where's the Grand Sage? He was right behind us, wasn't

271 Lisa:

to claw my throat, I see his face appear. He's panting heavily, his eyes

their snarls. They're completely feral. My whole body trembles, and I have to bite my lip to keep from screaming. This is

back

fly over the control panel, fingers dancing across buttons and levers. I don't understand what

begins to

red eyes

breath catches in my throat, and I squeeze my eyes shut, unable