The first crack was thin—barely a hairline fracture running down the glass.
The second split it wide open.
I didn't even have time to breathe before the cylinder exploded. Shards of glass whirled outward like a cyclone, catching the blue light as they spun.
Lena was already moving. She yanked me sideways behind a row of rusted consoles just as the shards hit the floor like rain on steel.
The hum dropped in pitch, deep enough to rattle my teeth.
Then she stepped out.
The woman moved like she wasn't touching the ground, her bare feet silent against the metal. The black strands threading her body writhed lazily, pulsing with that same slow rhythm.
Her white eyes locked on us immediately.
"You don't belong here," she said—not out loud, but in my head, the words slithering into my thoughts.
I flinched, shaking my head hard. "Lena—"
"I know," Lena said, her voice tight. "Don't let her in."
The woman tilted her head. Her lips didn't move, but her voice was still there, curling around my brain like smoke.
"Why fight? You've been running so long. You could rest here."
Lena stood, spear ready. "We're leaving."
The woman smiled without warmth. "No. You're not."
The strands on her arms uncoiled, snapping out like whips.
One hit the console next to me—it split in half like it was made of cardboard. Sparks flew, the smell of burning plastic filling the air.
Lena lunged forward, her spear stabbing straight for the woman's chest. The black strands caught it mid-thrust, wrapping tight around the shaft.
Lena gritted her teeth and yanked back, but the spear didn't budge.
The woman's pale hand rose slowly, palm facing Lena. A wave of pressure slammed into the room, knocking me onto my back.
Lena slid a few feet, boots screeching against the floor, but she stayed upright.
I scrambled to my feet, searching for anything I could use. My eyes caught a length of heavy cable hanging loose from the ceiling.
Without thinking, I grabbed it and swung, aiming for the strands. The impact made a wet snapping sound—the strand holding Lena's spear recoiled, twitching like a severed worm.
Lena seized the moment. She drove the spear forward again—this time it connected. The tip pierced the woman's shoulder, sinking in halfway before stopping.
The woman didn't scream.
She laughed.
A sudden pulse shot down the spear into Lena's hands—she jerked back, hissing in pain. Her palms were smoking.
The woman stepped forward, the spear sliding out of her shoulder with no blood. The wound closed instantly, the skin knitting together like it had never been there.
"Flesh is temporary," her voice whispered in my skull. "You are temporary."
The black strands lashed out again—two aimed at Lena, one at me.
I dove, rolling behind another console. Metal groaned as the strand punched straight through it.
Lena vaulted onto a nearby cabinet, flipping over the next attack. She landed in a crouch, eyes darting to me. "Adam! Left wall—panel with a red mark!"
I turned, spotting it—a small hatch with a faded crimson stripe. I bolted for it, yanking it open. Inside was a lever so old it looked fused to the wall.
"Pull it!" she shouted.
The woman's head snapped toward me.
I grabbed the lever with both hands and pulled. It resisted—then gave way with a scream of metal.
The lights in the room went out.
The blue glow in the woman's skin dimmed instantly, her movements slowing.
Lena didn't waste the opening. She charged, driving the spear straight into the center of the woman's chest this time. The tip went all the way through, hitting the wall behind her.
The woman staggered but didn't fall. Her white eyes flicked to me one last time.
"This isn't over," she whispered.
Then the black strands unraveled from her body, collapsing into ash on the floor. Her form followed a moment later, disintegrating into a fine gray dust.
The hum was gone.
Only the sound of my breathing—and Lena's—filled the silence.
I was shaking. "What the hell was that?"
Lena pulled the spear free, her face shadowed. "A Weaver."
"And that means?"
She looked at me for a long moment. "It means the world's worse than I told you."
Somewhere in the dark corridor beyond the chamber, something else moved.
And it was coming closer.