jenna's lungs seized.

lucas stood at the bottom of the stairs, half-drowned in the flickering glow of the emergency lights. shadows carved hollows into his face, making the stark pallor of his skin even more unsettling. he was too pale—too still—except for the dried blood smeared down the side of his temple, cracked and peeling like old paint. it should have stood out against his skin, jarring and unnatural, but the eerie blankness in his expression swallowed all else.

he didn't seem to notice the blood. he didn't seem to notice anything at all.

then he took a step forward.

"jenna?" his voice was raw, hoarse, like it had been dragged across gravel. it sounded uncertain, hesitant... but beneath that hesitation, something worse festered. hope.

her fingers curled at her sides, nails biting into her palms.

he could see her.

he could actually see her.

lucas took another step, his brows knitting together, his breath shallow as his gaze dragged over her like he was trying to solve an equation that wouldn't add up. his lips parted slightly, and for a moment, he just stood there, taking her in, searching for an explanation. "but... you're—" his throat bobbed as he swallowed, his head shaking slightly, as though he could dispel the thought before it fully took shape. "no. that doesn't make sense. you're dead."

jenna's breath caught, and she stepped back, but it wasn't enough. the walls pressed in around her, the air too thick, the dim corridor too suffocating. she kept her eyes locked on him, heart hammering as her mind raced.

lucas let out a sharp, breathless laugh—empty, humorless. "this is some kind of prank, right?" his gaze darted around the room, searching for an answer that wasn't there. his jaw tightened, muscles feathering beneath his skin. "because i saw you, jenna." his voice dropped, the rasp in it deepening, darkening. "i saw your body."

a tremor ran through her like a live wire.

his features warped—not quite anger, not quite fear—something tangled in the cracks of his voice, something raw and unstable. "i know what happened."

inside the fallout shelter, wally's fists slammed against the metal door. the sound echoed down the corridor, sharp and urgent.

"jenna?!" his voice cracked, each syllable reverberating off the cold concrete walls. he pounded harder, the rhythmic thuds setting her nerves on edge. too quiet. too still. something was wrong.

"JENNA, WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

the words cut through the rising static in her mind, grounding her. she wanted to call back, to tell him she was right here, to beg him to hurry. the door was all that separated them.

but she couldn't move.

lucas was right there.

his head snapped toward the sound, the momentary flicker of confusion in his eyes shifting, morphing into something more insidious. his gaze swung back to her, sharp and unforgiving. his voice came low, clipped, each word laced with suspicion. "who is that?"

jenna flinched, but said nothing. her gaze flickered between him and the door, her pulse roaring in her ears.

from inside the shelter, more voices broke through. charley, then rhonda.

"ARE YOU OKAY?!"

"JENNA, OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

lucas's expression hardened, the tension in his jaw visible even in the dim light. his voice curled at the edges, thick with unease. "who's in there, jenna?"

the fallout shelter door rattled behind her, wally's voice breaking through the thick metal like a distant echo, but jenna could barely hear it over the blood pounding in her ears. every nerve in her body screamed at her to move, to run, to put as much distance between her and lucas as possible.

but before she could do anything, lucas had gone still.

the tension in his jaw looked as if it might shatter, his fingers curling into fists so tight that his knuckles turned bone-white. the vacant confusion in his expression had curdled into something darker, something sharp-edged and volatile. his shoulders squared, his breath slow, measured—too controlled, too forced.

then he exhaled through clenched teeth, his voice coming low, tight, tangled in something jenna couldn't name.

"what did you do?"

a sharp, gut-deep chill tore through her like she had been plunged into ice water. her chest constricted, every muscle seizing in pure, unfiltered terror.

she did the only thing she could think to do.

she bolted.

"JENNA!"

lucas's voice exploded through the air, raw and furious as he lunged after her.

jenna launched herself up the stairs, every footfall slamming against the wood with jarring force. pain jolted up her legs, but she didn't stop—she couldn't stop—not with the heavy thunder of lucas's footsteps pounding behind her, closing in too fast. her breath tore from her lungs in sharp, ragged gasps, but she kept running, her vision narrowing on the door just ahead. if she could just get outside and find the opening to the hatch, if she could just reach wally and the others—

a cold, iron-tight grip clamped around her ankle.

her body was ripped backward so violently she barely had time to process it before she hit the stairs. her knee slammed against the edge of a step, pain rocketing up her leg as she pitched forward, her palms scraping against the rough wood in a desperate attempt to catch herself. the world tipped sideways, her balance shattered, and then she was falling, her body crashing onto the stairs as she was dragged down.

a scream ripped from her before she could stop it.

raw, guttural, torn straight from the deepest part of her, it split through the air like a blade, bouncing off the walls, warping through the darkened stairwell. her ears rang from the force of it, the sound of something being hunted and caught.

the shelter door shook violently as her scream reverberated through the floor, the force of it rattling the rusted hinges.

jenna twisted, kicking wildly, her heart slamming against her ribs like it was trying to escape before the rest of her. lucas's grip tightened, his fingers pressing into her skin, solid, too strong. his breathing was harsh, but steady, like he was grounding himself with each pull, each second that he held her there, refusing to let go.

her hands clawed at the stair beneath her, nails splintering against the wood as she tried to lurch forward, tried to fight against the dead weight anchoring her down. she let out another strangled cry, her heel thrashing, catching against something solid. lucas let out a sharp grunt, his grip faltering just enough—

jenna wrenched herself free, her chest heaving as she scrambled forward, half crawling, half lunging up the steps, her legs burning, her vision spinning as she made her way back up the first floor.

lucas let out a sharp breath, shaking off the hit as he pushed himself upright. his head snapped up, eyes locking onto jenna as she stumbled through the upstairs door. his chest rose and fell in ragged bursts, but he didn't stop—he surged after her, relentless.

👻

wally barely heard the others over the rush of blood in his ears. the second jenna's scream tore through the shelter, everything else ceased to matter. his entire body locked up, then snapped into action, moving on pure instinct. he ran to the back hatch, gripping the metal edges so hard his fingers ached as he fought to pry it open.

"come on, come on—" his voice was a growl, low and tight with panic.

rhonda and charley hovered behind him, frozen for only a second before the hatch gave a rusty groan—metal straining, resisting. then, with a final wrench, the entire thing ripped free with a screech, nearly tearing from its hinges.

"let's get out of here," wally barked, grabbing rhonda's hand and helping her inside as quickly as possible. charley scuffed through a pile of scattered papers, grabbing anything he could before hopping in with them.

the inside of the hatch was like a damn maze—tunnels stretching in every direction, corridors vanishing into pitch black. the overhead bulbs flickered weakly, casting eerie shadows against the damp cement walls. wally didn't slow down. his body was running too hot, his heartbeat a rapid drum against his ribs.

"where does this even go?" charley panted from behind.

wally didn't answer. he had no fucking clue. but if jenna had gotten out from downstairs, if she was screaming like that, then he had to get to her.

his sneakers pounded against the metal grating beneath them, taking turns that felt right, ignoring paths that felt like dead ends. a horrible feeling slithered under his skin—the sense that they were running out of time.

and then—

a split-second of weightlessness. a stomach-lurching pull. a gut-wrenching shift.

then impact.

hard.

the breath wrenched from wally's lungs as he slammed into the ground, his body hitting the cold, wet grass like he'd been thrown from a moving car. the scent of dirt and sweat and iron filled his nostrils as his palms scraped against the earth. the world spun as he rolled onto his back, gasping.

the sky loomed over him, vast and wrong—thick clouds swallowing the moonlight, leaving only deep, suffocating darkness.

the fifty-yard line.

rhonda was thrown against a desk in mr. anderson's classroom, her shoulder crashing into the wood with enough force to bruise. she sucked in a breath, blinking against the dim classroom light, her pulse hammering in her throat. the chair she had been knocked into wobbled, teetering on its legs before falling onto its side.

she staggered to her feet, heart slamming against her ribs. her fingers curled into fists.

where the hell was jenna?

charley hit the cafeteria floor. his palms scraped against the tile as he landed, the scent of stale food and bleach hitting him like a gut-punch. he looked around, his brain short-circuiting. the same cracked linoleum. the same overturned chairs. the same damn cafeteria where he—

he pushed the thought away before it could swallow him whole.

"shit," charley whispered, scrambling to his feet. "shit, shit, shit—"

👻

jenna reached the main entrance doors, her hands flying to the cold metal bar as she shoved against it with all her strength. the doors barely rattled. locked.

"no," she gasped, her fingers scrambling for the handle. she yanked at it, but it didn't budge. "no, no, no—come on!" her breath came fast and shallow, panic clawing at her throat as she twisted the handle again, harder this time, but it still wouldn't give.

behind her, heavy footfalls slammed against the floor, growing louder, faster.

lucas was right there.

a force collided into her, arms wrapping around her waist as she was yanked back so violently that her feet left the ground for a second. she shrieked, twisting, her hands flying up to push at his chest, to shove him away—but he wasn't letting go.

"how—" lucas's breath was ragged as he turned her, his fingers digging into her shoulders. "how can i feel you?" his voice cracked, a sharp edge of hysteria laced into it. "what is happening? what is this?"

jenna thrashed against him, her heartbeat—if she even had one anymore—a wild, erratic thing slamming against her ribs. "get off of me!" her nails raked against his wrists, but his grip only tightened.

she barely had time to react before he spun her, slamming her back against the lockers so hard that the metal dented beneath her shoulder blades. the impact sent a bolt of pain rattling up her spine, her breath catching in a sharp, strangled gasp. if she wasn't already a ghost, she was sure she'd have died from the impact.

"not until you tell me what's going on!" his fingers curled harder around her arms, frustration, desperation bleeding through his voice. "i—i don't understand! i saw your body. we had a memorial for you! i was—bethany—" he cut himself off, sucking in a sharp breath like he couldn't get enough air. "and i can touch you."

jenna's chest constricted, something cold curling deep in her gut. he didn't get it yet.

"lucas," she choked out, her voice shaking.

his grip faltered, just slightly.

jenna's eyes locked onto his, wide and wild. "you're dead."

lucas's face twisted, his expression shattering into something raw and open and terrified. "no." his head shook, fast, sharp, like he could physically reject the words before they could settle in his mind. "no, i—i'm not." his breath hitched, his fingers twitching against her arms. "i'm standing right here."

jenna swallowed, her body rigid, every muscle screaming to run. "bethany," she whispered, her words barely audible over the pounding in her ears. "she hit you. she—she killed you."

lucas's breathing stuttered, his pupils blown wide as his fingers instinctively rose to touch the dried blood at his temple, his touch hesitant, disbelieving. he looked down at his fingertips, the red smear stark against his pale skin. something in his face flickered. but then, just as quickly, his expression hardened.

"no." his jaw clenched so tightly the muscle feathered beneath his skin. "no, that's not—" his eyes snapped back to her, sharper now, wild and spiraling, clinging to the only thing in front of him that made sense. "this is you. you did something. you did this."

"stop!" jenna shoved harder, but he wouldn't budge. "let go!"

his fingers curled tighter. "fix it!"

"i can't!" jenna's voice broke, frustration and fear twisting inside her like barbed wire. "this isn't me! i didn't do anything! you're—"

a flash of movement in the hall.

jenna's breath hitched as men in dark uniforms rushed past the corridor entrance, moving fast, their silhouettes sharp under the dim emergency lights.

his grip on her wavered, just for a second.

jenna didn't waste it—she drove her knee up, slamming it into his stomach.

lucas let out a strangled grunt, his hold on her slipping as he staggered back, clutching his abdomen. jenna didn't waste a second. she shoved past him, bolting down the hall, her pulse a roar in her ears.

👻

bethany sat on the curb, her entire body trembling as flashing red and blue lights reflected off the wet pavement. her hands were still sticky—still shaking. she could feel the ghost of the fire extinguisher's weight in her fingers, feel the sickening impact of it colliding with lucas's skull, over and over, until he had stopped moving.

her stomach twisted violently.

she clutched the space blanket someone had thrown over her shoulders, its crinkling plastic sound muffled under the blaring sirens. the radio chatter from the cops blurred together in the cold air, words like assault, head trauma, and self-defense slipping in and out of her consciousness.

self-defense.

bethany swallowed hard. it had been. it was.

her eyes flickered toward the front entrance of the school, where a team of paramedics was already rushing inside. she had told them where he was. that he was hurt. that he needed help.

but something gnawed at her, something deep and sour in her gut.

the paramedics were moving fast, but it wasn't fast enough.

👻

jenna hit the hallway doors at full speed, slamming her shoulder against the bar and shoving them open. behind her, lucas stormed through the doors, his footsteps hitting the ground like thunder.

and he didn't stop.

jenna sprinted down the hall, her breath coming fast and uneven. the fluorescent lights overhead blurred as she ran, her footsteps slapping against the tile. she turned a sharp corner, nearly slipping as she pushed herself forward.

the doors.

jenna locked onto them, her target, her way out. she didn't slow down. didn't stop.

she slammed into the bar, shoving her full weight against it, praying to whatever the hell was in the beyond that these would be unlocked. the doors burst open as jenna's feet hit the damp grass, her sneakers skidding slightly in the soft earth as she bolted onto the courtyard.

the marching band was still practicing—perfect, synchronized movements, trumpets and drums filling the air in a constant, mechanical loop. their eyes were fixed ahead, blank and vacant. they played on, unmoving, uncaring, like nothing was happening at all.

jenna weaved through the moving bodies, trying to put as many obstacles between her and lucas as possible. he hesitated for only a second, his movements faltering as the bodies closed around him—but it didn't last. he shoved through them, his shoulder colliding with a clarinet player so hard the girl staggered.

jenna's pulse slammed against her ribs, her arms pumping, her feet digging into the earth as she forced herself faster, as if she could outrun the impossible.

and then—

a shape broke through the dark ahead.

jenna's chest clenched.

wally.

he was sprinting toward her from the field, his face drawn in something close to panic, his shoulders tense with something deeper. his eyes locked onto hers for just a split second.

jenna barely had time to react before she collided into him, the impact jolting through her like hitting solid ground. wally's hands caught her instantly, steadying her as she nearly buckled. his grip was firm, grounding, his touch familiar in a way that made her chest ache.

she gasped, wrapping her arms around him without thinking. her body was still trembling, heart hammering against her ribs like it wanted to escape—but this was safe. this was real.

wally froze for only a second before his arms wrapped around her. "hey, hey—" his voice dropped lower, softer, something warm threading through the panic. "i got you. it's okay, i got you. what happened?"

it wasn't okay. nothing about this was okay. but for just a second—a single second—jenna let herself believe him.

then lucas's footsteps stopped.

wally looked up.

lucas stood a few feet away, his shoulders heaving, his entire body coiled like a live wire ready to snap. his expression was an unreadable mix of confusion and fury, his chest rising and falling in ragged bursts. his eyes flicked between them, unfocused, his mouth parting slightly, like somewhere in his mind, a realization was forming.

like he was starting to understand.

jenna's body locked up, and wally's grip on her arms shifted just slightly—like something inside him had snapped into place. like something he'd been waiting years for.

"luke," jenna's voice came out unsteady, a plea wrapped in the sharp edges of her fear. "just stop. please."

lucas's eyes snapped to hers, dark and wild. "no. no, you don't get to tell me to stop." he ran a hand through his hair, gripping it for a second like he was holding himself together by force. "you—" his voice shook as he pointed at her. "you have been fucking with me all night! first the