Chapter 4 — Flight and Capture

Ivy

The streets of the Suppressed District closed in on Ivy like a tightening noose, the monochrome hues of grime and decay blurring as she sprinted through the labyrinthine alleys. Her breath came in shallow gasps, the cold air burning her lungs while the faint hum of surveillance drones grew louder, a predator's growl in the distance. Her thoughts were fractured, a cacophony of fear, guilt, and the steady drumbeat of survival. The memory of the young girl’s tear-streaked face haunted her, a brutal reminder of her mistake. She hadn’t meant to unleash her gift like that—not there, not then—but it had happened, and now the regime was hunting her.