Chapter 19 — The Ghosts
By dawn, the storm had passed.
They reached an abandoned pier at the edge of the coast — wood soaked and splintered, waves whispering below. Adrian checked his weapon, jaw set. "They'll come by boat. It's how I'd do it."
Eli sat on a crate, shivering. "How do you fight ghosts, Adrian?"
"You don't." He turned to him. "You face them."
The wind carried the smell of salt and blood. Somewhere far off, the faint hum of an engine approached — steady, deliberate. Adrian stood, raising his gun.
Eli rose too. "You don't have to do this alone."
"Yes, I do," Adrian said quietly. "Because this ends with me."
Eli grabbed his arm. "No. It started with you. But it ends with us."
For a moment, neither spoke. Then Adrian smiled — small, broken, real. "You're impossible."
"Good," Eli said, stepping beside him. "So are you."
The first boat appeared through the mist — sleek, black, armed. Figures in tactical gear stepped onto the dock, weapons raised. One of them moved forward, face obscured beneath a mask.
"Cole," the voice called. "You can't keep running."
Adrian's smile vanished. "Then I won't."
Gunfire erupted.
The air exploded with sound — bullets hitting wood, sparks flying from metal. Adrian moved with deadly precision, each shot finding its mark. Eli ducked behind a crate, then grabbed a fallen pistol, firing back with shaking hands.
One of the men fell, another retreated. But the leader kept coming.
Then — silence.
The masked man lowered his gun and stepped forward. "Always knew you'd die protecting someone who doesn't even know what he is."
Eli's breath caught. "What does he mean?"
Adrian's eyes flicked toward him, pained. "Don't listen to him."
But the man laughed. "He didn't tell you? You're one of us, Eli. You were engineered — a prototype. The only successful one. That's why they wanted you dead."
Eli stared at him, trembling. "That's not true—"
"Ask him." The man's gaze shifted to Adrian. "He was your handler."
Eli turned, shock freezing him. "Adrian?"
Adrian's expression shattered. "It's not what you think—"
But before he could explain, a gunshot tore through the air. The masked man fell — blood blooming across his chest. Adrian's gun was smoking.
Eli's voice broke. "You killed him—"
"I saved you," Adrian said, stepping closer. "He would have—"
"Stop!" Eli stumbled back, tears blurring his vision. "I don't even know who you are anymore!"
Adrian's hand fell to his side. "I don't either."
The wind howled across the pier. The boat rocked against the dock, the sun breaking faintly through the clouds.
Finally, Eli whispered, "Then maybe we both need to find out."
He turned away — walking toward the rising light, trembling but free for the first time. Adrian didn't stop him. He just watched, bleeding, exhausted, as the only person who'd ever seen through his shadow disappeared into the dawn.