Episode 82 — The Depth of Shadows
Raian's breathing was calm now, his eyes half-closed as Aria helped him sip water. Every motion was slow, every muscle aching, but he held himself up for a few seconds longer than he could the day before.
"You're healing faster than I expected," Aria murmured, brushing damp hair away from his brow.
"Maybe because you're near," he whispered with a cracked smile.
She looked away quickly, but not fast enough to hide the soft flicker of emotion. "Don't flirt while you're half-dead."
"Not flirting. Stating facts."
He leaned back against the pillow, eyes closing. But before he drifted, he added softly, "Your blood saved me. Again."
Aria stood silently by the cot for a moment longer before stepping outside into the cool, dark hallway of the warehouse. Her mind raced. Jin had turned Raian into something beyond human. His blood was unstable without hers. That meant she wasn't just his doctor or his wife—she was the anchor to his existence. That terrifying knowledge weighed on her, somewhere between guilt and something deeper.
Saira was waiting at the far end of the corridor, loading rounds into a handgun. Her sharp eyes met Aria's.
"He's stronger?" she asked.
Aria nodded. "Physically. But he told me everything. About what Jin did to him."
Saira raised a brow. "You mean the part where he's half-experiment?"
"You knew?"
"Suspected. Jin has a long history of playing God." She clicked the magazine into place. "But what matters is that Raian turned his back on that. He chose you."
"I didn't ask for that choice."
"Doesn't matter. You have it now."
A soft vibration pulsed in Saira's pocket. She pulled out her burner phone and frowned at the message.
"They found the trail," she muttered. "One of Jin's lieutenants spotted movement near the docks. They'll be here in hours, maybe less."
Aria's spine stiffened. "Then we have to move him."
"Not yet. We'll hold them off long enough for him to walk out on his own."
"We can't risk that."
"You'd rather we carry a half-conscious Raian into the open, while Jin's dogs are sniffing around every exit?"
Aria didn't answer. She hated the logic in Saira's words.
Suddenly, a sound echoed from the far end of the building—a faint tap, then silence. Both women stiffened.
"Stay here," Saira whispered, already moving with trained precision toward the noise.
Aria slipped back inside the room, locking the door behind her. Raian was still resting, his brow furrowed as if he sensed the tension outside.
She kneeled beside him, her hand instinctively finding his.
His voice came out as a low murmur. "What's wrong?"
"Just... shadows moving," she said. "Rest."
He didn't argue. But his hand tightened slightly, as if bracing for war.
Minutes passed. Then a single gunshot cracked through the silence.
Aria flinched.
Two more followed. Then footsteps. Fast. Urgent.
Saira burst in, blood splattered on her sleeve, her gun still raised.
"They're inside."
Aria stood, heart pounding. "How many?"
"Three down. More outside. We need to go."
Raian stirred, groaning. "What's happening?"
"No time to explain," Aria said, moving to his side. "We're getting you out of here."
He tried to sit up. Failed.
Saira grabbed a second gun from her belt and tossed it to Aria. "We have thirty seconds before they breach."
Aria didn't hesitate. She looped Raian's arm around her shoulders and heaved him up.
"I'll cover left," Saira said, eyes sharp. "You get to the truck. It's still parked by the south gate."
With Raian half-limp beside her, Aria moved fast. She ignored the trembling in her knees, the sting in her arms. His weight didn't matter. His survival did.
Gunfire erupted behind them. Shouts. Another scream.
Saira was holding them off—alone.
They made it to the gate. The truck was there, engine already humming.
Aria threw open the door, shoved Raian inside, and jumped behind the wheel.
She reversed hard, tires screeching, just as a masked man appeared from behind a crate. She didn't think—she slammed the accelerator and clipped him with the bumper, sending him sprawling.
Raian winced beside her. "Remind me never to make you angry."
"Not the time."
She swerved through the alleyway, dodging debris. The world blurred past, a storm of steel and shadows.
A moment later, Saira appeared in the rearview mirror, sprinting full speed toward the truck. Aria slowed just enough, yanked the door open, and Saira dove in.
"Go!" she barked.
Aria drove.
For ten minutes, no one spoke.
Then, finally, when the chaos faded into distance and the roads turned empty again, Aria glanced at the woman beside her.
"Did you get the files?"
Saira nodded, pulling a USB from her vest. "Everything. Jin's entire program. Locations, test subjects, backups."
Raian's eyes opened slowly. "Then we know where he'll go next."
"We do," Saira confirmed. "And we're going to end him."
Aria kept her eyes on the road. "Not yet. First, we hide. Regroup. Then we strike."
Raian touched her arm weakly. "And after?"
She looked at him, eyes heavy with resolve. "Then we bury the past."