Now it's my turn to get confused. "What?"

  "Yeah," Theodore said. "We've already told them we were following the trail into the sewer."

  "Hmm, backtracking from that would raise all sorts of suspicion," Dr. Yap said. "But who were you following? What would you tell them you found?"

  "The haunteds," Theodore said. Then he glanced at all three of us. "But was met with unexpected resistance."

  He turned to Reina again. "Our intel suggested that there are some haunteds who managed to get away on their own."

  "It was me," Rustia said. "I called it in. Told them our guys died in a gunfight with the soldiers. Saw them start running away but managed to kill the remaining soldier with them. I told them the haunteds were on their own but that I couldn't pursue since I was shot in the leg. Which isn't a lie."

  "So we weren't expecting any resistance," Theodore continued. "But I'll tell them they were actually with some soldiers. We didn't see it coming. We've been ambushed. I was the only one alive. I'll blame them. Tell them that the intel they fed us got this guy,"—he said and stabbed a thumb at the dead body outside—"killed. He's one of the trusted leaders of Luca. One of his twelve."

  Dr. Yap mulled it over. "I suppose that works."

  "But," Theodore added. He looked around. "We're going to need to sell it."

  "What do you mean?" Bea said.

  "That guy," Theodore said. This time, he used he's head to motion towards the dead cultist outside. "Only has 1 gunshot wound. At the back of his head."

  "They'll know you killed them," Dr. Yap surmised. "Then they'll torture you until you break and confess."

  "Or die," Theodore said. "Whichever comes first."

  He looked at Reina. "Rest assured, Reina," he said, taking her hand in his. Surprisingly, Reina didn't recoil backward. She looked him straight in the eyes. "If they get to me, I will make sure that I will not be able to talk. My life will always be in the service of the true church. Of you, Reina."

  Then he pulled her hand into his forehead. I don't know what that means. Must be a cult thing.

  Reina pulled her hand away once he let go. "I cannot thank you enough for your loyalty," she said. "But I hope it doesn't have to come to that."

  "She's right," Dr. Yap said. "Because once they're done with you, they'll suspect the previous supporters of her father, like you are. And we all know what Luca is capable of."

  "Which is why we need to sell it," Theodore said. He looked at the bodies that were killed by the Rei-dians. "Do we just randomly shoot these two guys in the chest?"

  Dr. Yap joined him. "Not a bad place to start."

  I looked away.

  "Perhaps the kids can wait outside?" I heard Theodore say.

  Dr. Yap ordered Grayson to take us and wait outside the room. I couldn't wait to get out of that room. Not that the view here is any better. And I think the smell just got a whole lot worse because we are again closer to the sewer water."

  With the door open, I could clearly make out their words. I flinched when the gunshots finally continued. But this time, it was more controlled, rhythmic.

  I felt a hand hold mine tight. We stood in line, with me next to the door, then Cana, then Indigo, then Grayson so I didn't have to look to know that it was Cana. Suddenly, I wondered how Indigo was taking this. So I looked over Cana to where Indigo was and saw that Cana was holding Indigo's hand in her other hand.

  "That should do it," Dr. Yap said.

  Then they went outside and did the same with the dead guy here. This time, we weren't told to get further away but instead to just close our eyes. I guess there really isn't anywhere for us to go.

  I saw them move towards the body next to the door and started shooting again. Then Dr. Yap jumped over the canal and opened a closet on the other side. It was full of cleaning items.

  "So it makes sense that he was shot from the back of the head," she said.

  "You think they'll buy it?" Cana asked. "That someone hid inside the closet and ambushed them?"

  "I would," Indigo said with a nervous laugh.

  "Here's to hoping that they will, too," Dr. Yap said. "All right, time to get out of this sewer."

  "Up there?" I said. "I thought we were supposed to avoid the streets?"

  "They already know we're using the sewer," Dr. Yap said. "What if they decided to drop down a few blocks away at different exit points, all converging to this spot?"

  "We'll be trapped," I answered.

  "Exactly," Dr. Yap said. "We can't use the sewers anymore. At least, up there, we have plenty of options should we encounter them."

  She turned to Theodore. "Where did you come down from?"

  "Not far," Theodore said. We followed him as he took off and turned right. I was breathing hard now that I had no choice but to breathe in the sewer air. I tried to keep up because I don't want to be left behind. I have a feeling that if I somehow got separated from them, I would never get out of this place.

  Thankfully, it wasn't a long run before he stopped at a ladder, illuminated by pale moonlight. I don't know how long we've been under here but it was long enough for me to be sure that I no longer want to breathe sewer air for the rest of my life.

  I let out a sigh of relief when he started climbing up.

  "Rustia, Grayson," Dr. Yap said. The two immediately followed Theodore through the ladder.

  Immediately, a queue was formed. Before long, I was standing outside an empty street.

  "If they are 10 minutes away," Dr. Yap said. "They should be close to us by now. And why is it that your amulet is not reacting next to a haunted?"

  "It would appear that Azgarmoth no longer shares his powers indiscriminately," Theodore said. "Only to those who swears loyalty to the new leader."

  Indigo pointed at the Rei-dians. "They call them Lucarians."

  Theodore looked at Reina. "Is that right?" Reina replied with a smile.

  "Well, not all these Lucarians can call forth the same power," Theodore continued. "Some, like the guy downstairs, can track the haunteds with the shadow. Only the chosens—Dzungaria, can cover themselves up in the shadows. The shadows became both their weapons and their protection—"

  "Yes, we are familiar with the Shade," Cana interrupted.

  "Of course, you haunteds are," Theodore said. "But I bet you didn't know that they, the Lucarians, are the only ones capable of activating our amulets for us. Imposing any conditions they please. For example, when they die, well, so does our amulets."

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I looked down at my feet again. "So that's why shadows are no longer attached to us."

  "You see that white SUV?" Theodore continued, pointing at the vehicle a building away, parked right next to the main street. "That's where our amulets reacted."

  "So there's a range..." Dr. Yap said.

  "Not very far, is it?" Bea observed. "What's that? 12 feet?"

  "And our penthouse is 38 floors up," Grayson said.

  I gritted my teeth. They were right. We should have stayed up. We never should have come down.

  Our hands were forced...

  Dr. Yap's words replayed in my mind. There really was no need for any of these to happen. I...we've caused yet another unnecessary—

  "Bu-but...we were right!" Cana yelled. The sudden noise in the otherwise silent street snapped me out of my brooding mind before it spiraled any further. "They can track us. And who's to say the range won't get longer and longer as the night gets deeper? Yo-You said—"

  Dr. Yap turned to Cana and look at her straight in her eyes.

  Cana took a step back. "W-what?"

  "You were right," Dr. Yap simply said. "Good call."

  Cana looked to the ground. I don't know if Dr. Yap really believed it was a good call or that she was simply pacifying Cana with a white lie. Either way, Cana didn't looked happy being told she was correct.

  "Considering not one of you turned into a Shade," I said, changing the subject. "Does that mean that the guy downstairs didn't have that power?"

  "Correct," Theodore said. "Again, our teams were created to track down you kids and call for back-up right away, not for fighting. So whatever you're plan is, wherever you're going," Theodore said. "You must go now."

  "But how can we leave?" Indigo said. "We don't have a car. They will catch up to us."

  "Yeah, won't we just run into them now?" Cana said. There was a slight quiver in her voice. "E-especially with their Shade Amulets?"

  No one offered any answer. Dr. Yap turned to Theodore. "Suggestion?"

  "There's a hotel at that corner," Theodore said. "Get the highest room available. I'll give them a false lead," Theodore continued. "Let's see..."

  Theodore pondered for a bit. "How about I tell them that I heard you talking about going to this place but you are actually going in the opposite direction or somewhere not even remotely near this place?"

  "That could work," Dr. Yap said. "Tell them you overheard us taking the kids to our safe house near the border to Manila."

  Theodore nodded.

  "You'll be taking a lot of risks." The doctor said. "You know that right?"

  Theodore turned to Reina. "Anything for Reina," he said.

  "Grayson," Dr. Yap said. "Collect everyone's weapons. Stash it somewhere and then give me a call."

  Indigo was the first to hand over hers. She handed it over as if she was giving out a rotten fish. She must be really relieved now that she has no chance of using it. Can't say I feel the same. I guess I fear losing my protection.

  "All right," Dr. Yap said. "Let's go."

  It wasn't long till we saw the hotel. A beautiful, tall building bathed in the yellow lights it produces. Through the glass walls, we can see that business is slow. I breathe out a sigh of relief, seeing how lucky we are.

  The automatic glass doors slid separately as we approached the entrance. Cold air welcomed us. As well as the polite security guards smiling at us as we walked through the metal detector.

  The lemon scent is a welcome change from the rotten egg smell of the sewer. Although I can still smell the sewer on my clothes. I wonder if the guards smelt it too. They didn't say anything. And it didn't show on their faces if they did smell it. That's hotel staff for you, I guess.

  The guards had them open their bags on the table to inspect them. Come to think of it, even I don't know the contents of the back-pack they've brought from their penthouse. I took a quick look. I saw clothes. A first aid bag. Other, smaller bags. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as I can see.

  And apparently, the security guards thought the same because they didn't say anything and gestured for us to the reception desk.

  "Welcome to Bastillio Grand Hotel," The neat, fully make-upped receptionist asked. "How can I help you?"

  "Hi," Dr. Yap greeted back with a smile. "Please tell me you have a room available big enough to accommodate us. We had a plumbing issue with our Airbnb..."

  Nice! I thought. That would explain the smell.

  "And now my family has nowhere to spend the night," Dr. Yap finished.

  "May I recommend..." The receptionist started but I turned around, my eyes on the entrance. The tiled floor is free of any shadow attaching itself to my feet. I looked at the clock behind the reception desk. It was past 11 PM. I looked to the entrance again. The streets were quiet. No speeding cars full of cultists, hell-bent to capture us.

  "Any moment and they'd be here by now," Cana whispered.

  "I really hope they're stuck in traffic," Indigo said, a bit too hopeful.

  "It's almost midnight," I said.

  "Then I hope they got into a car accident," Indigo said. "For speeding all the way here."

  A comment like that, something I would expect from Cana and me. But the fact that it came from Indigo out of us three made me turn our heads and smirked, despite our current situation.

  Soon, we were escorted to our room. Which was just 2 floors away from the top floor and the sky bar.

  "First, the lobby was empty," Indigo said. "Now, there was a room available at one of the top floors. It's insane."

  "What's insane is the price," Rustia said. "50,000 pesos a night."

  "A night!?" Indigo said.

  I mean, the room is nice. It's everything that comes to mind when you think of a hotel room. Except that, it's like a house. A narrow, modern house with 2 floors. 1 full bed and 1 sofa bed here on the first floor. A large LED TV was installed on the wall. We passed by two, expensive-looking bottles of water. That's right. It's not wine. Or any type of alcohol, so they told me. Just water. If it's healing water then I would understand.

  But no. Apparently, it's just water taken from some mountain or whatever. A French mountain maybe because it has a French name I don't know how to pronounce so I guess that makes it premium? How premium? It costs my entire day's allowance in school for a single bottle. It makes as much sense as spending 50,000 pesos a night in this hotel room. No wonder the lobby was empty.

  "Who stays in this place?" Cana said.

  "People like us," Rustia said. I don't know when it happened. But somewhere between me shooting him in the leg and their cultists friends shooting us, Rustia is the one I considered I got close with. At least, that's what I feel.

  "Lee," Dr. Yap said. "You'll be relieving Grayson. So I suggest you get some sleep now."

  Lee nodded and prepared for bed. Exactly how he's going to sleep under these conditions is a mystery.

  "We need eyes on Theodore—" Dr. Yap continued.

  "I'll do it," Reina volunteered.

  "Is that safe?" I asked as I watched Reina draw the curtains closed. "Wouldn't they spot us? Especially when they started looking for us?"

  "We're on the 58th floor. And it's night," Dr. Yap said. "Theodore is also going to lead them away from us, so I highly doubt they'd be looking for us in a luxury hotel near them."

  While the rest of us settled in, Indigo collapsed on the sofa bed.

  Cana immediately went over. "Are you okay?" she asked.

  "Just...tired," Indigo said. "My head...it's"—she squeezed her eyes and her hand went up to the bandage on her head"—getting tight."

  "Dr. Yap!" Cana whipped around and called. But Dr. Yap was already on her side.

  "Don't worry," Dr. Yap assured. She knelt down beside Cana in front of the sofa bed. "It's normal to feel tightness in your stitches. Lie on your back."

  Indigo complied. Dr. Yap opened her backpack and brought out a smaller bag with a red cross on it. She took out a rectangular box, punched a hole in the middle, and put on a pair of white, plastic gloves.

  "You've been running on adrenaline for a while now," Dr. Yap said. Indigo winced as soon as Dr. Yap started to peel off the bandage on Indigo's wound.

  "Now that you no longer feel in danger, the adrenaline is starting to wear off," Dr. Yap continued in a low voice, the type of voice I find myself using whenever I'm focused on my homework while mom is talking with me. Oh mom...

  Dr. Yap tossed the old dressing on the plastic bag she had laid on the sofa bed. "That," Dr. Yap said. "And the painkillers."

  Indigo's face soon relaxes.

  "Speaking of painkillers," Rustia said. He was seated on the bed next to the window. The hem of the right leg of his pants was rolled up. The blood-soaked bandage was revealed.

  "I'll get right to you," Dr. Yap said.

  This is the first time I've seen the stitches on Indigo's head. It...wasn't a pretty sight. And to think she'd been running around with us this entire time.

  "Can I help?" Cana asked.

  Dr. Yap smiled. "Do you know how to change the bandages?"

  "No," Cana said. She lowered her head. "Even though, my dad is our school Dr. Yap..."

  "Well, you can learn now." Dr. Yap said. Then she removed her plastic gloves and put on a new pair. She told Cana to do the same. Dr. Yap begins to bring Cana step by step of the process.

  "They're here," Reina said.

  "Keep me posted," Dr. Yap said.

  Wanting to be helpful too, I walked over to Reina. She was peeking through the edge of the curtain she was holding open.

  Reina turned her head towards me for a bit. "Stay low."

  So I crouched beside her and watched through the small opening. "What are they doing?"

  Reina didn't reply. So I just watched in silence.

  We were so high up that we had an unobstructed view of Theodore. And the crowd he's with. They were wearing either wearing casual clothes or police uniforms. They made a circle around Theodore.

  "They have an awful lot of men inside local law enforcement," I noted.

  "It's the perfect cover," Reina said. "Who else but the police can go around the city at night without drawing suspicion?"

  Theodore was making gestures and then pointed down the manhole. He was talking to one man in particular. Who is probably the boss or something because the rest were keeping a bit of distance from him.

  And sure enough, the man pointed at three people in the crowd and then went down the hole. The rest dispersed back to their vehicles. I guess Theodore also was included because he turned his back towards the leader and positioned himself down the hole.

  "They're going away," I reported. I turned around and looked at Dr. Yap and Cana, who were still busy treating Indigo. "They're going down the sewer. The rest are driving away."

  I turned around again. Just in time to see the leader draw out his gun and shot Theodore at the back of his head with his body halfway down the hole.