RUN

Chapter 2

"Oh no," Christina groaned the second she saw my face. "Of course I get stuck with Kristen—the perfect soccer star. And her little boyfriend too. Can this day get any worse?"

Fantastic. The worst person in the entire school had to show up here. Why couldn't someone just shoot me and put me out of my misery?

I hated her. Christina had never said a kind word to me, never done a single decent thing. What was she even doing here?

William, somehow, read my mind.

"Yeah," he muttered, deadpan. "She's stuck with us too."

I gave him a look.

"She's the other person from our school?" I asked. He winced like he wished he could change the answer.

I ruffled his hair, more to reassure him than anything. "I can live with it. She probably won't kill me."

We both glanced back at Christina, now sitting alone with a thundercloud of a frown on her face.

"I think," I added.

William chuckled, and for a moment, I forgot where we were. The cold concrete was starting to make my legs ache. I stood, stretching, and William followed.

"Let's find out why we're here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was having the best dream."

I smirked as we jogged over to the man who'd dropped me into this whole mess. William was the first to speak.

"Excuse me, sir," he began, doing his best to sound confident, "we were wondering why we're here."

The man barely glanced at him, but when his eyes landed on me, I swear he almost smiled. Without a word, he offered me his hand.

"Hello," he said, shaking mine and then William's. "I never introduced myself. I'm Mr. Gardner. And I'd like to speak with all three of you in my office."

William and I exchanged a look.

"Three?" he asked cautiously.

"Christina," Gardner replied. "I assumed you knew her. She'll be joining us shortly. We'll wait in the foyer—though I've heard she's... unwell. Might take her a little time."

He turned and walked inside the building without waiting for us.

The structure was towering—at least ten floors—and looked more like a luxury hotel than anything else. Inside, the lobby was massive, bustling with people, mostly men, rushing from one hallway to another. Couches lined the space, and elevators dinged constantly.

Gardner motioned for us to sit. "Wait here. I'll check on Tina. She should've arrived before us."

Then he vanished.

I leaned in closer to William, whispering, "Do we trust him?"

William hesitated, but I didn't.

"Yes," I said quickly. "He's the one who got me out alive. William, it was terrifying back at my house. I woke up with this huge, black, furry thing—green glowing eyes—and it was about to eat me. Mr. Gardner shot it. I would've died."

My voice was firm. I could feel the seriousness in my own expression, but William just looked at me, unreadable.

Before he could respond, Mr. Gardner returned.

With Christina.

She was in handcuffs.

"It seems your friend here is a bit... reluctant to cooperate," Gardner said calmly.

Christina struggled against the cuffs, her bleach-blonde hair swinging wildly. Her clothes, like ours, were tattered—ripped at the sleeves, threads hanging loose. Something was clearly wrong. Maybe it was her family. Maybe it was her.

I tried to steer us away from whatever drama Christina was silently radiating.

"So... why are we here?" I asked.

Gardner smiled. That same unsettling grin again.

"Well," he began, "it started in the 90s. When everyone was just beginning to embrace technology."

We nodded, unsure where this was going.

"A group of kids discovered a substance—one that could alter the physical and chemical nature of animals. They thought it was harmless. They used it on their pets."

We all made faces. Who does that?

"Fools," Christina muttered under her breath.

Gardner went on, unfazed. "Each child had a different pet—spider, dog, cat, mouse, snake. But the pets changed. They became something else. Black, monstrous creatures called Siasms. Their eyes glowed in unnatural colors. Kristen and Christina, you've seen them."

I nodded. Christina said nothing, but her jaw clenched. She looked furious. At Gardner? At herself? I wasn't sure.

"Before the kids could stop the transformation, the Siasms turned on their families. Killed their parents. Left them orphans. The children didn't know how to destroy what they'd created, so they let the creatures go."

He paused. The room felt colder.

"Those orphans are now grown and scattered across the world, trying to track their mutated pets. But animals multiply. And the Siasms... they multiply faster. They're everywhere now. And when deadly things are everywhere—well, you can guess what happens."

I was already shaking my head. "What do you want us to do about it?"

Gardner's grin returned, wider than ever. "Destroy them. As a team."

William and I stared.

"But we don't know how to fight those things," I said.

"I have trainers," Gardner replied smoothly. "Missions. More recruits. You'll build your skills. Build your team. But—" he held up a hand, stopping any further protest "—you don't have a choice. It's this... or survive alone. Starving. Hunted. Homeless."

My stomach turned. He was right. As terrifying as it was... this might be the only option we had.

William spoke again, quieter this time. "Can we get some rest first? Before we start... anything?"

Gardner studied us, then nodded. "Training begins tomorrow at noon."

He turned toward the elevators, pressing a button.

"You're not coming?" he asked over his shoulder.

We jumped to our feet and hurried after him.

"I'm taking you to your sleeping chambers," he said.

And just like that—we were off.