The howl faded, but the city remained unnaturally still. Rian’s instincts kicked in immediately, signaling Zara to take point. Devika’s fingertips pulsed faintly, a sign that the Essentia surge was near, and milo was just beside her.

“What was that?” Milo whispered, his eyes wide.

“Not human,” Rian replied. “And too close.”

Zara scanned the shadows, her hand tight on the makeshift spear. “Should we move or stay low?”

Rian glanced upward. “Higher ground. We’ll see it coming. Zara, take the fire escape.”

They moved swiftly but cautiously, climbing to the rooftop of an old warehouse. From there, the city looked fractured — roads bending at unnatural angles, fog warping around the edges of buildings like ghostly tendrils.

Milo took a deep breath, forcing his hands to stop shaking. Devika noticed, giving him a reassuring nod. “You did good earlier. Quick thinking.”

He managed a faint smile. “Just didn’t want to get caught.”

Rian crouched by the ledge, his gauntlet sparking faintly. He winced and flexed his fingers, trying to suppress the surge. Zara noticed. “Still giving you trouble?”

“Just temperamental,” Rian muttered. “Might need recalibration.”

Zara smirked. “You’re temperamental.”

A noise cut through the rooftop silence — scraping, metallic, like a claw on stone. Rian signaled for quiet, motioning to the edge. He peeked over cautiously.

Below, a creature moved through the debris — humanoid but elongated, its limbs stretching unnaturally as it sniffed the air. Its skin shimmered with a dark, oily sheen, and it moved with a twitching, fluid grace.

Devika’s eyes widened. “That’s not like the last one.”

“It’s evolving,” Rian whispered. “Smarter. More alert.”

Milo ducked down, whispering, “Why does it look like it’s made of oil?”

"It’s like the energy warped it," Devika explained.

The creature paused, its head twitching unnaturally as it looked directly toward their building. Rian held his breath. The thing let out a distorted growl, its body shifting, as if trying to decide whether to attack or move on.

Zara nudged Rian. “If it gets up here, we’re cornered.”

Milo pulled out a small slingshot from his pack, loaded with a metal nut. “If I hit that trash can, maybe it’ll move that way.”

Rian hesitated but nodded. “Go for it. Quietly.”

Milo aimed carefully, then let the nut fly. It struck the can with a faint clink, and the creature’s head snapped toward the sound. In an instant, it leapt over the fence and scurried toward the noise.

Zara raised a brow. “Not bad, kid.”

Milo shrugged. “Used to scare raccoons off our roof with it.”

Rian smirked, motioning for them to move. “We’ll follow the roofline north. Central grid’s our best shot for finding answers.”

As they moved, Devika felt a faint tremor through the building — a subtle vibration that pulsed through her feet. She whispered, “Something's changing. It’s like the ground’s humming.”

Rian frowned. “We’re getting closer to something. Maybe the grid itself.”

They moved along the rooftops, staying low. Occasionally, flickers of light darted through the fog below — faint glimpses of movement, but nothing definite. Zara kept her eyes sharp, occasionally glancing at Milo to make sure he kept pace.

When they finally reached the end of the row of buildings, they spotted it — the remains of a power hub. The central grid building loomed ahead, half-collapsed but still faintly humming with energy. Around it, the air shimmered with translucent waves, like heat off pavement.

Devika squinted. “It’s not just power. That’s pure energy.”

Zara muttered, “Great. So we’re walking into a light show that might fry us.”

Rian glanced at the gauntlet, which hummed in response. “We can’t avoid it. That broadcast came from there.”

Before anyone could respond, a distorted scream echoed from the street. They looked down to see another group of survivors — this one engaged in a brutal fight with a pair of mutated creatures. One of the monsters thrashed wildly, its limbs elongating and whipping around like tendrils. The scavengers fought back with makeshift weapons, but they were clearly losing.

Rian hesitated. “If we help, we risk being spotted. If we don’t…”

Devika looked at him. “They’ll die.”

Zara tightened her grip on her spear. “They look rough. Might not be worth it.”

Milo spoke up, quieter but firm. “But they’re still people.”

Rian made the call. “We’ll move down the side, see if we can help without drawing attention. Be ready to bolt if it goes wrong.”

They descended cautiously, sticking to the shadows. As they reached the edge of the lot, the remaining people caught sight of them, eyes wide with fear and desperation. The creature lunged — but as the creature lunged, Rian reflexively raised the gauntlet, and a sudden surge sparked from it, sending a shockwave that knocked the creature back. Rian stared at it in surprise, unsure how he triggered the effect.

Zara and Devika moved in swiftly — Zara piercing its torso with the spear while Devika, reacting instinctively, pushed her palm forward, and a faint surge of energy flickered along the spear, surprising her as much as the creature, which convulsed and collapsed.

The surviving guy panted, bloodied but alive. “Th-thank you…”

Rian gave a curt nod. “Get out of here before more show up.”

The man stumbled away, not needing to be told twice.

Zara glanced at Rian. “One good deed for the day.”

He nodded, eyes still wary. “Let’s get to the grid before anything else crawls out.”

End of Chapter 7.