The night didn't end it only thinned.
By the time the first light bled through the blinds, Liam hadn't closed his eyes once. He sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, eyes locked on the vent across the room. It looked harmless now, quiet metal and shadows but he could still feel it. That faint vibration deep in the walls, the echo of something that had touched him without ever showing its face.
The note lay beside him on the floor.Don't trust him.
He'd read it so many times that the words had started to blur, smearing into one another until they looked like veins beneath skin.
From the other side of the apartment, Liam heard the soft sound of running water Noah's morning routine. Normal. Predictable. Grounding.
He stood, trying to steady his breath, and walked toward the kitchenette. The early light cast long bars across the table, turning the silver streaks on his shoes almost invisible. But his wrist that was harder to hide.
The skin there had changed overnight. What had started as a faint shimmer was now something else entirely. A thin, translucent patch ran from the base of his palm halfway to his forearm, the veins beneath it faintly luminous, pulsing in sync with the rhythm he couldn't stop hearing.
He pressed his thumb to it.
It was warm. Too warm.
"Liam?"
He jerked his hand back. Noah stood in the doorway, damp hair dripping onto his T-shirt, towel hanging loosely around his neck.
"You okay?" Noah asked carefully. His eyes flicked toward Liam's wrist just for a second, but long enough.
Liam shoved his hands into his pockets. "Didn't sleep."
"I can tell." Noah walked past him, opening the fridge. The light inside flickered. "You should've taken something. Melatonin, or"
"I don't need pills," Liam snapped. Too fast. Too sharp.
Noah froze for a heartbeat, then closed the fridge. "Right. Okay."
Silence swelled between them. Only the low hum of the refrigerator filled the room and for Liam, beneath it, the other hum lingered too, softer now but never gone.
Noah broke the quiet. "You were talking in your sleep again."
Liam frowned. "What?"
"Just before dawn. You said something about… the field."
Liam's stomach turned. "What did I say exactly?"
"Not much. Just… 'It's under us.'" Noah looked uneasy now, studying him like a specimen he didn't recognize anymore. "You really don't remember?"
Liam shook his head, trying to keep his voice steady. "I don't."
Noah sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Man, you've gotta tell me what's happening. You keep zoning out, sneaking off, saying someone's after you and now this…"
He gestured vaguely toward Liam's arm.
Liam's pulse jumped. "What about my arm?"
"You were holding it weird earlier," Noah said, tone cautious. "Like it hurt."
Liam forced a laugh. "Just muscle strain."
But Noah didn't laugh. His eyes lingered on the faint light beneath Liam's skin, visible now in the dim morning haze. "That doesn't look like muscle strain."
Before Liam could respond, a knock rattled the door sharp, urgent, three quick taps. Both of them froze.
Noah frowned. "You expecting someone?"
Liam shook his head. His throat went dry.
Another three knocks.
Harder this time.
Noah moved first, crossing the floor. "It's probably maintenance. The light in the hallway's been"
"Don't open it," Liam said suddenly.
Noah turned, hand hovering over the latch. "What?"
Liam's voice dropped. "Just… don't."
But Noah was already peering through the peephole. "No one's there."
That made Liam's skin crawl. He stood up slowly, eyes darting to the vent again. The vibration had returned faint but distinct.
Noah backed away from the door. "Okay, that's weird."
The knock came again this time from inside the apartment.
Both of them spun.
The sound had come from under the floorboards, right beneath the kitchen table.
Noah whispered, "Tell me you heard that."
Liam's breath came shallow. "Yeah."
Something shifted in the walls. A creak, then a scraping sound, slow and deliberate. The hum deepened.
Noah grabbed his phone. "I'm calling"
"No!" Liam lunged forward and snatched the phone from his hand. "They'll think I'm insane."
"Liam, this is insane!" Noah shouted. "Listen to yourself!"
A faint hiss filled the air like steam escaping a pipe. Then a single drop of silver liquid slid from the vent and splashed onto the tile between them.
Both men froze.
Noah whispered, "What is that?"
Liam didn't answer. His gaze locked on the drop as it began to move, spreading across the tile, reaching toward his foot like it was alive.
Noah stumbled backward, panic rising. "Don't touch it"
Liam crouched, almost mesmerized. The hum inside his chest synced with the rhythm of the liquid's movement. It wasn't random. It was breathing. It was calling.
"Liam!" Noah's voice cracked. "Step back, man!"
But he couldn't. His wrist burned where the strange light pulsed beneath his skin. He reached out without realizing it his fingers trembling inches above the liquid.
And then the door burst open.
Both men jumped.
It was Ryan.
He stood in the doorway, out of breath, hoodie damp from the mist outside. "What the hell is going on here?"
Noah spun toward him. "How did you"
"The door was unlocked," Ryan interrupted, eyes darting between them. "You guys okay? I've been calling both of you."
Liam rose slowly. His voice came out hoarse. "Why are you here?"
Ryan hesitated, his gaze flicking briefly to the floor to where the silver drop had been.
It was gone.
"I just wanted to check in," Ryan said carefully. "Coach said you missed practice. Thought I'd"
"Practice?" Liam echoed, dazed. The word sounded meaningless. "It's morning already?"
Ryan frowned. "You look like hell, man. You both do."
Noah crossed his arms, still tense. "Yeah, well, there's been some weird"
Liam cut him off. "It's fine."
Noah turned to him, incredulous. "Fine? Are you kidding me?"
But Liam didn't look at him. His eyes were locked on Ryan now not with anger, but suspicion. Something about the way Ryan's shoes left faint damp marks on the linoleum. The same pattern as the footprints that had been outside his door last night.
Ryan followed his stare and gave a small, uneasy smile. "Rain," he said. "It's pouring out there."
Liam said nothing.
He could still hear the faintest hum under the floor but now it was slower, softer. Like it was listening.
Noah looked between them. "Someone tell me what's happening."
Neither of them spoke.
Ryan sighed and stepped closer, clapping a hand on Liam's shoulder. "You're losing it, bro. Get some rest, yeah?"
The moment his hand touched him, Liam flinched. His wrist flared with heat, and for a second just a second he thought he saw the same faint silver glint beneath Ryan's sleeve.
Ryan pulled back, his smile stiff. "See you at practice tomorrow."
He left without another word.
The door shut softly.
Liam stood there, breathing hard. His skin itched. His wrist pulsed. The hum in his head grew sharper again, twisting like static.
Noah stared at him. "What was that about?"
Liam didn't answer. His gaze drifted to the floor where the silver drop had disappeared.
Only a faint shimmer remained shaped almost like a fingerprint.
He whispered, "It's spreading."
Noah swallowed hard. "What is?"
Liam looked up, eyes glassy, voice barely a breath.
"Whatever's under us."