The electric hum of the Grid seemed to pulse louder as Liam followed his new companion through the warped streets. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the eyes of this strange world were on him, though every corner they turned revealed only the same desolation: shattered code oozing from cracks, broken structures, and the faint, ever-present blue glow.
As they approached what looked like an old park, Liam stopped. Among the jagged, angular remnants of a bench and a flickering lamppost, something caught his eye. It was small and dull, an object barely noticeable against the surreal backdrop of the Grid. But there was something off about it—a feeling, a pull he couldn’t explain.
“Wait,” Liam said, stepping toward the object.
“What are you doing?” the woman hissed, her eyes darting nervously around. “We don’t have time for this!”
Ignoring her protests, Liam crouched and picked up the object. It was no larger than a pebble, smooth but unremarkable. As soon as his fingers closed around it, a sudden burst of sound erupted, a melodic sequence of notes that filled the air for less than three seconds. Before he could even process the music, the object disappeared in a small, bright poof, vanishing into his hand.
Liam froze, his body stiffening as a wave of energy coursed through him. His vision blurred, and for a moment, the world around him seemed to stretch and ripple. He blinked, shaking his head, but the sensation lingered—a strange, disorienting awareness that left him feeling out of sync with reality.
“Liam, move!” the woman shouted, yanking him upright and dragging him away.
“What just happened?” Liam stammered, stumbling alongside her.
“You just set off a beacon,” she snapped, her tone frantic. “The Dread Swarm is coming. We have to get out of here, now!”
The Dread Swarm
Liam barely had time to process her words before a low, ominous rumble echoed through the air. Glancing over his shoulder as they ran, he saw them: the Dread Swarm. At least twenty figures emerged from the horizon, moving with terrifying precision. Their forms were humanoid but distorted, their bodies composed of jagged, shifting code that glowed faintly red. Their faces were featureless, save for two blazing white eyes that scanned the environment like searchlights. Each carried a long, staff-like weapon that emitted a low hum, the air around them vibrating ominously.
The figures didn’t run but advanced with an unnatural, mechanical efficiency, fanning out as they approached the park. Several of them paused, raising their staffs, which emitted beams of light that swept the ground in wide arcs. Others bent low, their hands touching the ground as if to feel the residual energy left behind by whatever had just happened.
“What are they doing?” Liam asked, his voice barely above a whisper as they ducked into an alleyway.
“Scanning for you,” the woman replied, her breathing steady despite their frantic pace. “That thing you picked up? It’s what they’re after. No one knows why, but every time someone finds one, the Swarm is summoned. And they don’t leave until they’ve scoured the entire area.”
Liam’s chest tightened. “What happens if they find you?”
Her expression darkened. “You don’t want to know.”
A Narrow Escape
They pressed on, weaving through the maze-like streets of the Grid. Liam could hear the distant, rhythmic thudding of the Swarm’s footsteps growing fainter but never disappearing entirely. At last, they ducked into a small alcove beneath what looked like a ruined overpass, its structure flickering as though it might dissolve at any moment.
The woman leaned against the wall, her hand resting on the glowing device strapped to her wrist. She adjusted a dial, and a faint shield-like field appeared around their hiding spot, shimmering faintly before blending into the environment.
“This should keep us hidden,” she said, exhaling deeply. “For now.”
Liam slumped against the opposite wall, his mind racing. “What was that thing?” he asked, staring at his hand as if expecting the object to reappear.
“Nobody knows exactly what they are,” the woman replied. “We call them Relics. They’ve been appearing in the Grid for a while now, always in places you wouldn’t expect. People who find them… well, most don’t survive long enough to figure out their purpose. The Swarm doesn’t leave witnesses.”
Liam’s stomach churned. “Great. So, what does that mean for me?”
“It means you’re in even deeper trouble than you already were,” she said bluntly. “But it also means you’re important. The Relics don’t choose just anyone.”
Liam frowned. “Choose? What are you talking about? It’s just a… rock or something.”
“It’s not ‘just’ anything,” she said, her voice firm. “The Relics hold power. Enough power to change the Grid—or destroy it. Whatever you did back there, it’s going to put you on Null’s radar. If he wasn’t already interested in you, he will be now.”
Liam’s head spun. The Grid, the Swarm, the Relics—it was too much to take in. He felt like he was drowning in a sea of questions with no clear answers in sight.
“So, what now?” he asked, his voice barely steady.
The woman gave him a small, grim smile. “Now, we keep running. And we figure out why the hell you were chosen.”