The sky dimmed into a deeper shade of gray, a twilight that never fully surrendered to night, but was dark enough to cloak movement in shadow.
Jack watched the camp from his perch atop the broken concrete slab, eyes sharp, body still. The two armed guards paced lazily around the perimeter, their routines predictable, their steps heavy with boredom. The third figure — the hooded one — remained by the fire, fiddling with something Jack couldn't quite make out. A small metal box, pulsing faintly with a dim red light.
Lena crouched beside him, pipe in hand, knuckles white.
> "What's that thing they're guarding?" she whispered.
Jack squinted, trying to decipher the object's nature. Whatever it was, the guards kept glancing at it nervously, like they feared it more than they understood it.
> "Don't know," Jack muttered. "But it's important to them. Which means it's dangerous."
Lena bit her lip, but didn't argue. Hunger and desperation had tempered her fear into something harder, more focused.
Jack laid out the plan in a low voice.
> "When the first guard turns his back to the east side, we move. We slip between the gaps in the metal walls. I'll handle the two outside. You grab whatever you can carry — food, water, anything. But don't touch that box."
> "What about the third one?"
Jack's eyes narrowed on the hooded figure.
> "Leave that one to me."
Lena nodded, her face pale but determined.
When the moment came, Jack moved like a shadow — swift and silent. He darted across the cracked asphalt, Lena close behind, both slipping through a jagged tear in the metal barrier.
Inside, the air was warmer, the fire's glow casting long, restless shadows against the walls. The smell of cooked meat lingered, making Lena's stomach growl audibly.
Jack ignored it, eyes locked on the nearest guard — a burly man with a dented helmet, rifle slung lazily over his shoulder. One quick movement — Jack slid behind him, dagger flashing. The blade slipped cleanly between the ribs, a muffled gasp the only sound before the body crumpled.
The second guard heard the fall and turned, eyes widening — too late.
Jack's second dagger buried itself in his throat, cutting off his shout before it could even begin.
Lena was already moving, rummaging through the nearest pile of supplies. She grabbed a bag, stuffing it with whatever edible she could find — canned goods, water flasks, dried meat wrapped in cloth. Her hands trembled, but she worked fast.
Jack's attention turned to the hooded figure by the fire.
The man hadn't moved. As if he hadn't noticed his companions fall. Or... didn't care.
Jack approached cautiously.
> "That's a lot of noise to ignore," Jack said coldly. "You deaf or just stupid?"
The hooded figure chuckled — low, raspy, like dry leaves crumbling underfoot.
> "Neither," the man replied. His voice was rough, but tinged with something else — amusement. "I was waiting for you."
Jack's grip tightened on his dagger.
> "You knew we were here?"
The man slowly stood, lifting his head just enough for the firelight to catch his face — pale, sickly skin, eyes like dying embers.
> "You carry it," the man whispered, his gaze boring into Jack. "The Echo of the Eclipse."
Jack frowned.
> "What the hell are you talking about?"
> "You'll see soon enough."
Without warning, the man raised his hand — and the red-lit box at his feet glowed brighter, humming with power.
Jack reacted instinctively, throwing his dagger. The blade spun through the air, but before it could hit, the box erupted in a flash of red light, and the figure vanished, disintegrated into mist and shadow.
The hum faded. The box's glow dimmed to nothing.
Jack stood there, breathing hard, dagger still aimed where the man had stood.
> "What the..."
> "Jack!" Lena called from behind. "We need to go!"
He snapped out of it, rushing back to her side. She'd filled the bag and slung it over her shoulder, eyes wide with fear.
> "We're not staying here," she insisted. "That thing... that wasn't normal."
Jack grabbed the bag, slinging it across his back.
> "You're right. Let's move."
They slipped back through the tear in the wall, escaping into the wasteland beyond just as the red glow on the box blinked weakly one last time — as if watching them leave.
Once they were far enough, Jack finally stopped. The ruins loomed behind them, the camp a distant silhouette.
Lena collapsed to her knees, panting, but smiling faintly at the food she'd managed to grab.
> "We made it," she whispered. "We're alive."
Jack didn't answer. His mind replayed the stranger's words.
> You carry it... the Echo of the Eclipse.
What did that mean? Was it just madness? Or something worse?
He shook his head. Questions could wait. For now, they had supplies — a chance to live another day. And east... the Ashen Citadel still awaited.
But Jack knew one thing for sure now — the path ahead was going to get much stranger than he ever imagined.