Rain began to fall before they reached the next town. It wasn't heavy — just a slow, relentless drizzle that blurred the world into shades of gray. The road stretched on endlessly ahead, slick and gleaming beneath the dying light.
Ezra sat in the passenger seat this time, one hand pressed against his ribs, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. The world outside felt unreal, like something he was moving through rather than living in.
Kai drove. Silent as always, though Ezra could see the tension in his knuckles gripping the steering wheel — white, strained, alive with anger barely contained.
Behind them, in the backseat, Mara and Jace whispered. Their voices were low, urgent, threaded with words that didn't reach the front of the car. But Ezra didn't need to hear them to know what they were saying.
Trust was cracking. And in their world, cracks meant blood.
"Say it," Ezra murmured finally.
Kai didn't look away from the road. "Say what?"
"You think one of them's the leak."
Kai's jaw tightened. "I don't think. I know."
Ezra frowned. "And you haven't told me because?"
"Because the truth changes everything."
Ezra turned to him fully now, his voice cold. "You don't get to decide what I can handle."
Kai's eyes flicked toward him then, sharp and tired. "I'm trying to keep you alive."
"And I'm trying to be part of this, not another secret you carry like a wound."
The words landed harder than Ezra expected. He saw it in the flicker of Kai's gaze — the brief sting before the mask fell back into place.
From the backseat, Mara's voice broke the silence. "You both do realize we can hear you, right?"
Jace chuckled dryly. "Yeah, but they're having one of their moments again. Let them burn out the tension before someone gets shot."
Ezra shot him a look over his shoulder. "You've got a death wish, don't you?"
Jace grinned, cigarette dangling between his lips. "Depends who's holding the gun."
Mara swatted his arm. "You never know when to shut up."
The car veered off the highway, down a dirt road swallowed by forest. The old motel appeared like a ghost — neon sign flickering weakly, paint peeling from the siding, one light glowing faintly behind the reception desk.
Kai parked near the back, where the shadows ran thickest.
"This'll do," he said simply.
Ezra raised an eyebrow. "This place looks like it's one scream away from collapsing."
"Exactly," Kai replied. "No one comes here unless they're running."
Jace smirked. "Perfect. We're all professionals at that."
Inside, the motel smelled of mildew and stale smoke. The wallpaper was peeling, the floorboards creaked with every step. Kai checked them in under fake names — muscle memory by now — while the others waited near the vending machine.
Mara eyed the flickering hallway light. "This feels wrong. Too quiet. Too easy."
Ezra nodded slightly. "He knows," he said softly, glancing at Kai. "He's waiting for the noise before he moves."
When Kai returned with two keys, his expression was unreadable. "Two rooms. Ezra, with me. Mara, you and Jace take the other."
Jace raised an eyebrow. "Of course."
Mara rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
Their room was small — one bed, one chair, and a cracked window overlooking the forest. The rain tapped against the glass like restless fingers.
Ezra sat on the edge of the bed, watching Kai as he checked his weapon for the third time.
"You really think it's one of them," Ezra said.
Kai didn't answer immediately. Then, finally, he said, "Mara's been making too many calls. Always stepping away, saying it's about supplies or contacts. But every time she does, they find us within hours."
Ezra frowned. "You've known this long?"
"I needed proof."
"And now?"
Kai's gaze lifted, steady. "Now I'm done waiting."
Ezra's stomach knotted. "You're going to confront her."
"I'm going to end this," Kai said simply.
Ezra stood, stepping in front of him. "You don't know that it's her. You've both bled for each other. You think she'd just throw that away?"
Kai's silence was his answer.
Ezra's voice dropped. "You're letting the fear control you."
Kai's eyes snapped to his. "You think this is fear?"
"I think it's guilt," Ezra said quietly. "For all the people you couldn't save. For thinking you have to decide who dies next to make up for it."
The air between them pulsed — thick, electric.
Kai's breath came slower. "You're wrong."
Ezra's voice softened. "Then prove it."
For a long moment, Kai said nothing. Then, finally, he turned away, running a hand through his hair. "You're going to be the death of me."
Ezra almost smiled. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Later that night, the storm grew stronger. Wind howled against the windows, and thunder rolled across the valley.
Ezra couldn't sleep. He sat upright in bed, watching the faint lightning dance across the ceiling. Kai was at the desk, rifle disassembled before him, every movement deliberate.
A knock came — soft, urgent.
Kai's hand went to his gun immediately. Ezra rose, signaling him to wait. He opened the door a crack.
Mara stood there, drenched, eyes wild. "They found us."
In an instant, the silence shattered.
Kai was already moving, snapping the rifle together with practiced speed. "How?"
"They were already in the forest. Two trucks. I saw headlights."
"Jace?"
"He's covering the back," Mara said, her breath uneven. "But there's too many—"
Gunfire split the night.
Ezra grabbed Mara, pulling her down as bullets ripped through the door. Kai returned fire through the window, his face hard and focused. The room filled with smoke, thunder, and chaos.
"Mara, go!" Kai barked.
"I'm not leaving you—"
"Now!"
Ezra shoved her toward the bathroom door just as another round tore through the wall. He fired back, hands shaking.
Then, through the roar, he heard it — a sound that froze him cold.
Jace screaming.
Ezra's heart slammed. "Kai—!"
"I heard it!" Kai shouted, diving for the door.
They burst into the hallway, gunfire echoing from every direction. The air was thick with dust and plaster, the flickering lights turning it all surreal.
At the far end of the hall, Jace was pinned, dragging himself behind a vending machine. Blood slicked the floor beneath him.
"Go!" he shouted, raising his pistol with a shaky grin. "I'll buy you time—"
Kai fired over his shoulder, covering him, but Ezra's eyes caught something else — movement outside the broken window.
A flash of a familiar silhouette — small, fast, holding a radio.
Mara.
Ezra's stomach dropped.
"Kai!" he shouted, pointing.
Kai turned just in time to see Mara disappearing into the storm.
For a heartbeat, disbelief crossed his face. Then came something worse.
Cold understanding.
Kai's expression hardened, his voice breaking as he said the words neither of them wanted to hear.
"It was her."
Ezra felt his world tilt. "No…"
Kai's eyes met his, steady, burning. "Run after her. I'll get Jace."
Ezra hesitated, rain and gunfire mixing into a blur around him.
"Kai—"
"Go!"
Ezra bolted through the shattered window, the cold night slapping him full in the face. He landed in the mud, breath ragged, heart tearing itself apart as he ran into the forest after the one person who had just betrayed them all.
?