I studied the alley carefully with my enhanced vision. She was right—it appeared to be empty of infected presence, probably because it was too narrow and uninteresting to attract their attention. But narrow also meant confined space with limited maneuverability if we did encounter threats inside it.
"Alright, I'll lead the way through and—"
I froze mid-sentence, every muscle in my body locking up simultaneously as a sudden presence prickled at the very edge of my enhanced awareness. That same sensation from earlier—being watched, being targeted—but amplified a thousandfold, screaming danger with primal urgency that bypassed conscious thought and triggered pure survival instinct.
My head snapped to the side, enhanced reflexes responding to a threat I hadn't consciously identified yet.
BANG!
