They heard it before they saw it.
A crackling voice echoing through the stillness.
"…repeat — if you are alive, proceed to designated emergency zones. Military
presence confirmed at Grid Sectors Three and Seven. Avoid underground transit
systems…"
The sound came from mounted emergency speakers along the street.
Backup power.
Still functioning.
Aden slowed.
Ibrahim looked up.
"They're alive," Ibrahim said, hope creeping into his voice.
Aden didn't respond immediately.
Alive didn't mean safe.
The broadcast repeated.
"Bring identification if available. Remain calm. Do not approach individuals
exhibiting abnormal neurological behavior."
Abnormal neurological behavior.
Understatement.
Aden scanned the rooftops.
No sign of the thin figure.
No immediate web convergence.
But something felt different.
Organized.
If the military had established zones, that meant:
They understood something.
Or they thought they did.
"Sector Three is west," Aden said.
"That's closer."
Ibrahim nodded quickly.
They moved carefully, avoiding main intersections.
The further west they went, the more signs of resistance appeared.
Burned Hollow corpses.
Bullet casings scattered.
Makeshift barricades overturned.
And then—
Floodlights.
Temporary military barriers blocking an intersection.
Armored vehicles.
Soldiers in tactical gear.
Rifles raised.
Aden stopped several meters away.
A soldier immediately aimed.
"Hands where I can see them!"
Aden complied calmly.
Ibrahim followed.
Two more soldiers approached cautiously.
One scanned them with a handheld device.
A black tablet-like instrument emitting faint blue pulses.
It hovered briefly near Aden's head.
Paused.
The soldier frowned slightly.
Then moved it away.
The tablet emitted a soft tone.
Green.
"Clear," the soldier said.
Ibrahim was scanned next.
Another pause.
Shorter.
Green.
"Proceed to checkpoint tent. Medical evaluation required."
Aden lowered his hands slowly.
"What's happening?" he asked evenly.
The soldier didn't answer directly.
"Containment protocols are in place. Hollows show organized response patterns.
We are securing viable survivors."
Viable.
The word landed cold.
Aden's eyes sharpened.
The presence inside him pulsed faintly.
Recognition.
They stepped inside the perimeter.
More survivors gathered in clusters.
Shaken.
Some injured.
Some silent.
Military personnel moved efficiently.
Disciplined.
But tense.
A large digital map glowed inside the main operations tent.
Sections of the city were marked in red.
Others in yellow.
Very few in green.
Aden stepped closer subtly.
The red zones weren't random.
They formed expanding circles.
Centered around the impact site.
But there were smaller red pockets too.
Disconnected clusters.
Like secondary nodes.
A woman in a lab coat approached them.
Not military.
Civilian scientist.
Her eyes were sharp.
Focused.
"You were outside during initial exposure?" she asked.
"Yes," Aden replied calmly.
"Did you lose consciousness?"
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"I don't know."
She studied him carefully.
"Any auditory hallucinations?"
Aden paused half a second.
"No."
The presence inside him remained silent.
She nodded, but didn't look fully convinced.
Another technician passed behind her, speaking quietly:
"Web convergence increased near Sector Nine after Core activity spike."
Core activity spike.
Aden's pulse did not change.
But inside—
The presence reacted.
Detection capability confirmed.
They were measuring it.
Somehow.
The scientist glanced toward the map, then back at Aden.
"You're not injured?"
"No."
She looked at Ibrahim.
"And you?"
Ibrahim hesitated.
"…I see things sometimes."
Aden's head turned slightly.
The scientist's interest sharpened instantly.
"What kind of things?"
Ibrahim looked at Aden uncertainly.
Aden gave a subtle nod.
"Thin shapes," Ibrahim said quietly. "On rooftops. Watching."
The scientist froze.
Just slightly.
Then masked it.
"How often?"
"Twice."
She looked toward the command table.
Then back to them.
"You'll both remain for further evaluation."
That wasn't a suggestion.
Two soldiers shifted subtly closer.
Aden noticed immediately.
Containment protocols.
Viable survivors.
Core activity spike.
Web convergence.
They weren't just rescuing.
They were studying.
And sorting.
Across the tent—
A loud alarm blared suddenly.
One of the digital red zones pulsed violently.
Rapid expansion.
"Sector Three perimeter breach!" someone shouted.
Gunfire erupted outside the barricades.
Not scattered.
Concentrated.
Synchronized Hollow movement.
The web had located the checkpoint.
Aden's eyes shifted to the western skyline.
He felt it before he saw anything.
A deep pulse.
Stronger than before.
Closer.
The presence inside him whispered:
Response initiated.
The thin figure from earlier stood on a distant rooftop.
Visible now.
Watching the checkpoint.
Watching the soldiers.
Watching him.
The Hollows surged from three streets at once.
Not mindless.
Directed.
The military returned fire.
Floodlights flared.
Screams mixed with gunshots.
The scientist grabbed a tablet urgently.
"Get the anomalous readings inside!" she shouted.
Anomalous readings.
A soldier grabbed Aden's arm.
"You're coming with us!"
Not to protect him.
To secure him.
Aden pulled his arm back slightly.
Calm.
Measured.
The web wasn't attacking randomly.
It was reacting to something here.
Something active.
The presence inside him pulsed sharply.
Core resonance detected within perimeter.
Not his.
Another.
Inside the checkpoint.
Someone here had evolved.
And the web had responded.
The thin figure on the rooftop tilted its head.
Then—
It stepped forward.
Descending impossibly fast toward the battlefield below.
Phase Two was no longer observing.
It was entering.