By morning, the whispers had turned into plans.
But Lys had vanished.
Her room, abandoned. Her wrist-tracker—smashed. She hadn't run. She had disappeared.
Aria searched the camp with growing dread. Lys wasn't just a survivor—she was a link. A key to understanding what the other "enhanced" subjects might become.
"She knew something," Kael said grimly. "Or someone took her to keep her quiet."
A scream shattered the air.
They ran toward the source—to the edge of the perimeter fence.
There, in the snow, was a fresh scar on the earth. A tunnel. Jagged. Melting. Something had come up from beneath.
No signs of Lys.
Only her scarf—caught on the broken gate, still warm.
As the wind howled across the camp, Aria stared into the dark mouth of the tunnel.
Something else had awakened.
And it wasn't alone.