*****
The silence in the hideout was unsettling. Dust floated lazily in the air, the place reeking of rust, mold, and something far more metallic, blood. The dim light from a broken overhead bulb flickered, casting sharp shadows against the cracked concrete walls. In the center of it all, written in jagged, dripping strokes across the far wall, was a single, chilling message:
THE WAR IS ALMOST HERE.
Felix stared at it, his breath hitching. His fists clenched by his sides.
Adrian took a few cautious steps closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied the writing. "What war are they talking about?" he muttered, voice hushed like the walls themselves might whisper back.
Felix's eyes scanned the abandoned space again, mangled chairs, empty bottles, shattered pieces of what once were tables. A dark symbol had been etched into the floor, faint but unmistakable, a wolf skull dripping with fangs.
"I don't know," Felix finally answered, "but whatever it is… it's coming."
