Ashen Requiem

Somewhere in the rear courtyard...

The streetlamps were dead. The cameras, blind. The fugitives held their breath.

In the dark, shadows scattered, each carving its own path—branches of the same tree, splitting off into the night.

Saya and Scott crept along the northern perimeter wall, barely daring to breathe.

— "Did you see that jump back there? I’ve never run that fast in my life." Scott whispered, a wild grin tugging at his lips.

Saya didn’t answer. Her eyes stayed locked on the horizon.

A chill raced down her spine.

She looked up.

— "Someone’s flying above us."

Scott didn’t reply at first. He looked skyward too, jaw tight.

Above them, a silhouette cut through the sky like a comet poised to strike.