Jessa's world blazed crimson, her scream choking off as a pale hand clamped around her throat, its grip tightening with a slow, deliberate cruelty that sent icy tendrils snaking through her blood. Those long, death-cold fingers pressed harder, stealing her breath, frosting her skin with a chill so sharp it felt like needles piercing down to her bones.
"Watch… me…" came the whisper, a slithering, venomous hiss that coiled into her mind, dripping with malice as frost bloomed across her neck, biting deeper with every passing second. She thrashed, clawing at the hand with desperate, trembling fingers, her lungs burning as the air slipped away, her vision dimming at the edges.
With a wild, frantic twist of her wrist, she smashed her thumb against the containment orb's button, unleashing a pulse of green light that sliced through the suffocating dark like a razor cutting through silk. The hand recoiled fast, a piercing shriek exploding inside her skull, sharp and jagged, as if the sound itself clawed at her thoughts.
The mirror before her shattered down its center, jagged cracks spiderwebbing across the glass while shadows writhed within, twisting and melting into a thick, oily mist that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. Jessa stabbed the button again, her heart hammering, and another blinding flash erupted, searing the air, driving the mist back into the fractured depths where it hissed and faded.
The hand was gone, swallowed into the mirror's broken heart, and she crumpled to her knees, gasping hard, each breath scraping her raw throat as the frost-burn throbbed angrily across her neck. Her hands shook violently, pressed against the cold floor, and she felt the weight of that touch lingering, a cruel imprint that wouldn't let her forget.
Marcus dropped to one knee beside her, his scarred face tight with focus, his rough hand steadying her shoulder as he searched her eyes with a gruff, "Still with me, Initiate?" She managed a shaky nod, her pulse racing wild, her body trembling from the cold that still gnawed at her core, but his presence anchored her just enough to keep going.
His sharp gaze flicked to the splintered mirror, narrowing as he muttered low, "It's trapped in there, not gone for good—we've got to seal it now, so move fast." He yanked the Veil stabilizer from his belt, its hum rising steady and low, and a web of blue light spilled out, wrapping the mirror tight, thickening the air with a mournful, resonant song that seemed to echo from somewhere far beyond. The
Jessa coughed hard, her voice rasping weak as she forced out, "Will that hold it, Marcus, or are we just delaying the inevitable?" He grunted, his tone clipped but certain, "It'll hold long enough—get to Med bay now, you're no use if you collapse."
Her legs wobbled like a newborn colt's as she hauled herself up, the cold still sinking its teeth into her bones, but she followed him, each step unsteady, fear clinging to her like a shadow that refused to let go.
Site-09's corridors loomed long and frigid, their steel walls stretching endlessly before her, buzzing faintly with a hum that vibrated under her boots and set her teeth on edge. Jessa's every step echoed sharp, a jolt of pain shooting up her legs, and she kept her eyes fixed ahead, avoiding the walls' polished gleam where reflections now felt like threats lurking just out of sight.
The air hung heavy, tasting of bitter metal that coated her tongue, and she pressed on, her breath shallow, the frost-burn pulsing hot and cold against her scarf-wrapped neck. She pushed through it all, driven by the need to escape that suffocating moment, her boots striking the floor in a rhythm that matched her racing heart.
Med bay emerged ahead, its sterile white glow flooding the hall, the lights so bright they stabbed at her eyes and made her squint against their unforgiving glare. A medic stood ready, gloved hands poised with clinical precision, his voice flat as he pointed and said, "Sit there, let's see the damage."
Jessa eased herself onto the table, wincing as pain flared sharp across her neck, and the medic peeled back her scarf, revealing frost-burn that glowed an angry red with black veins threading beneath like cracks in frozen earth. He pressed cold gel against it, the sting hitting fast before melting into a soothing calm, and he spoke evenly, "Severe frost-burn, but you're lucky—breathing's a win with this."
"Does it ever stop?" she murmured soft, her voice barely above a whisper, "That feeling of it watching me, waiting for me to slip?" He shook his head, wrapping bandages tight around her neck, and said matter-of-fact, "No, you just learn to tune it out—rest now, you'll need it."
She slid off the table, the bandage stiff against her skin, the pain dulled to a low ache, and she muttered a quiet, "Thanks," though he didn't look up, already turning to his next task.
The debriefing room closed around her like a gray stone tomb, its walls pressing in tight, a single flickering lamp overhead casting weak, trembling shadows across the table where she sat. Jessa gripped her hands together, the bandage itching fierce, her mind replaying that crimson haze and the whisper that wouldn't fade.
Marcus stepped in, the door sealing behind him with a hiss that cut the silence, and he fixed her with a steady look, saying, "You held up out there—most Initiates shatter their first run-in with something like that." Her voice quivered as she replied, "It didn't feel like holding up—it showed me everything, my family, my failures, every pain I've ever buried."
He leaned closer, the lamp's light catching the scars that carved his face, and his voice turned hard, "Echo-Classanomalies dig deep, claw at your soul—that's their game." Then he straightened, adding firm, "But you fought it off, pushed back when it mattered—that's what counts, so hold onto it."
"It's still out there," she whispered, her throat tightening as the words spilled out, "lurking in that mirror, waiting for me to look again, to falter." She shivered hard, and for a moment, that faint watch… me… echoed in her ears, a ghost of sound that made her skin crawl.
"We hit it harder next time," Marcus said, his tone like iron, "The Veil's thinning fast—30% worse this cycle, anomalies breaking through more every day." He met her gaze, unyielding, and added, "We don't win against this—we endure it, keep it locked down as long as we can."
She nodded slow, the whisper fading just a touch, and she said, "I'll try that, keep my eyes on the now—I think I can do it." Her voice steadied, and the idea of rest sank in deep, a need she couldn't ignore after the hell she'd faced.
"Rest up then," Marcus ordered, rising to his full height, his shadow stretching long, "Training's at 0600 sharp, Initiate—be there, ready to keep fighting." He turned and left, the door hissing shut behind him, leaving her alone with the quiet and her resolve.
Her quarters were a cold steel cage, the walls pulsing faint with a mechanical heartbeat that thrummed through the floor and into her aching bones. Jessa sank onto her bunk, exhaustion crashing over her like a wave, her body heavy, her mind frayed from the day's relentless terror.
Sweat stung her eyes as she kept going, her muscles burning, but she reloaded fast, her hands sure now, every motion a defiance against the fear that had nearly swallowed her. Marcus strode in, his boots thudding heavy, and his gruff voice cut through, "Early again, Initiate—good, keep that edge honed sharp."
"I won't let it win," she declared, her voice ringing solid, a steel thread woven through it as she lined up her next shot and fired, dropping the target clean. He nodded, his scarred face unreadable, and warned, "The Veil's weaker every day, anomalies stacking up—stay ready, always, because it's only getting worse."
Jessa exhaled slow, her jaw tight, and squeezed the trigger again, the recoil steadying her resolve as the target fell—she'd face whatever broke through next, no matter how dark it got.