They were heavy, dark, stretched tight, like a wire ready to snap.
Aisha set the item down.
You're looking at me like something big is about to happen.
Her voice was soft, but she could not hide her unease.
Mason moved closer, keeping enough distance not to overwhelm her, but close enough for her to feel the weight in his breath.
Aisha.
He paused half a second to make sure he chose the right words.
You have to leave this city now.
Aisha froze, eyes widening.
Why?
That system is not finished, Mason said each word heavy.
Grady is only a small link.
And now the ones behind him know you are alive.
They know you are a witness.
They will not let that continue.
The air in the store suddenly felt cold.
Malik looked up, still weak, but sensing the tension flooding in.
Aisha looked at her brother, then back at Mason.
Fear, confusion, and the instinctive resistance of someone who had fought too hard for her life all clashing in her eyes.
I cannot leave Malik.
I cannot leave my job.
I cannot, Aisha.
Mason cut in, his voice low and sad.
If you stay, they will come.
Not to threaten.
To end things in the way they do best.
She bit her lip, gripping Malik's hand so tightly his wrist turned pale.
The tiles beneath her feet felt like they were sliding away as she tried to find a reason to stay.
But every reason collapsed under fear.
The room fell silent.
At that moment, a soft sound echoed from the street outside.
A familiar sound.
The silver car Mason had seen earlier in the afternoon slowly approached the front of Breitmart.
The last light of day had vanished, leaving a thin layer of mist on the windows.
Then, as if someone had given a signal, the car switched on its headlights.
The white beam shot through the store's glass, cutting straight to where Aisha and Malik stood, like a giant eye opening in the dark.
Aisha froze, her hand tightening around her brother's, and Mason in that instant lunged toward the door.