The pulse in my chest synchronized with the approaching footsteps
Xiao Zhous prosthetic fingers dug into my arm drawing blood
Old Zhao welded the last armor plate with sparks flying
Aunt Wang loaded explosive rounds into antique rifle chambers
The children formed a silent circle their eyes flickering red
The transmitter under my scar activated ancient programming
Not Zhou Peiengs
Not Lin Weis
Something older
Something buried deep in the ruins
The first mechanized foot crushed the gate
The last delivery began
Not for them
For me
The final protocol unlocked
Ding
The sound came from everywhere
From nowhere
From the ruins beneath our feet
From the device fused to my ribs
The children moved first
Not attacking
Not fleeing
Forming a delivery line
Passing something unseen
Hand to hand
Until the smallest one pressed cold metal into my palm
A rusted courier bell
Its clapper missing
The approaching machines froze
The pulse in my chest stopped
For the first time in 380 days
Silence
Then the bell rang anyway
Ding
Without being touched
Without existing at all