The Safe Zone - Reckoning (Book 2)

Chapter 9: The Forgotten City

Ethan:

The sky above us had darkened into a bruised purple, the last rays of sunlight bleeding into the horizon as we approached what remained of the so-called "Forgotten City." I kept my rifle slung low, my finger hovering just above the trigger as we crept through the ruins. The wind howled between the skeletal remains of buildings, carrying the faint scent of smoke and decay. The city was a ghost of its former self—forgotten, abandoned, and overrun by the Enforcers.

I glanced at Lena, who was crouched beside me, her eyes scanning the streets ahead. She hadn't said much since we left the camp, her face set in hard lines, but I knew she was thinking about the same thing I was: Zara.

Her betrayal was still a fresh wound, the kind of wound that plagued the longer you left it untreated. We had trusted her—let her lead us into the heart of the resistance—only to discover she had been working with the Enforcers all along. The attack on the camp had been a calculated, coordinated strike. And Zara had been their inside agent.

We were in this forgotten ruin, chasing rumors of a hidden laboratory, chasing anything that might give us an edge against the Enforcers. Callum had insisted there was something worth risking our lives for here. But as we picked our way through the crumbling streets, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were walking into another trap.

"We're close," Lena whispered, pulling me out of my thoughts. She pointed toward a massive, dilapidated building that loomed ahead of us like a sentinel. "That's it. The old research facility."

I nodded, my gut tightening with anticipation. This was it—the place Callum had told us about. The forgotten city was a myth, long since off the maps, a city where no one ventured. But now, here we were, standing on the edge of its secrets, hoping to uncover something that could change everything.

"Let's move," I said, signaling Lena to follow.

We crept toward the building, staying low and close to the shadows. The facility had seen better days—its windows were shattered, its walls cracked and covered in dirt and grime. But beneath the layers of decay, I could see what it had once been: a stronghold of knowledge, a place where people had come to build a future.

I felt a twinge of bitterness as I imagined what this city must have been like before the world collapsed. It wasn't hard to picture bustling streets, towering skyscrapers, and people who still believed in the promise of progress. Now, all that was left was dust and bones.

When we reached the entrance, I pressed my back against the wall, motioning for Lena to take the other side. She nodded, her face taut with concentration, and we waited, listening. The city was eerily quiet, the only sound the faint creak of metal and the distant hum of wind.

No movement. No Enforcers. I am still waiting.

"I'll take a point," I whispered, pulling my rifle close as I opened the door.

The inside of the building was as ruined as the outside, the air thick with dust and the faint smell of mold. The floors were littered with debris—broken glass, old furniture, and discarded papers that had long since yellowed with age. But beyond the surface-level decay, I could see the remnants of something more—equipment, machines, the faint glow of consoles buried beneath layers of grime.

"This was more than a research facility," Lena said quietly, eyes scanning the room as she stepped in behind me. "Look at the tech. This place was built to last."

I nodded, moving carefully through the room as I inspected the remnants of what had once been advanced technology. "Callum was right. This place is still operational, or at least some parts are."