Phased out

Samuel and Nathan walked side by side, their boots lightly tapping against the smooth, eerily pristine pavement of Phase 11's empty streets.

The air was cool but still, and the morning sun bathed the city in gold.

But Samuel's mind was elsewhere.

He glanced at Nathan, frowning slightly.

"Hey, random thought—do you think this phase has only one entrance?"

Nathan, hands in his pockets, raised a brow.

"What?"

"I mean," Samuel continued, "everyone who gets here seems to appear at this one spot, right? Near this entrance?"

Nathan thought about it for a second before nodding.

"Yeah. I guess so."

Samuel smirked. "So, what? You never wondered if there were other entry points?"

Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "Man, I had enough to worry about just surviving. Didn't exactly have time to map out possible spawn points."

Samuel chuckled. "Fair."

The conversation drifted into silence as they continued walking.

But the question lingered.

Was this entrance the only way in?

Or were there others—ones they hadn't found yet?

As they neared the edge of the level, where the city's roads were starting to get covered in dense fog. Samuel noticed something.

Someone.

Two figures.

A guy. A mess.

Blood-soaked. Barely standing.

His body covered in wounds, his breathing uneven.

Beside him—a girl.

Dirt-covered. Shaken.

She was on her knees, trying to keep him steady, her hands gripping his arm as he swayed dangerously.

Samuel stopped walking.

Nathan did too.

Neither of them said a word.

For a moment, they just stared.

Because this—this wasn't normal.

Nobody had ever entered Phase 11 in this state before.

Samuel exhaled, his playful tone from earlier completely gone.

"Well, shit."

Nathan, his expression unreadable, simply muttered—

"Guess we're not alone anymore."

And just like that—

Phase 11 wasn't peaceful anymore.

The morning light poured through the massive window, casting a soft glow over the empty city.

Ethan and Alice sat side by side, their shoulders close but not touching, their gazes locked onto the world outside.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Behind them, Riley, Lena, and Milo were packing food, their small chatter filling the space. But Ethan barely registered it.

Jace was out with Owen. Zara, Harper, Derek, Noah, Toby, and Ivy sat near the dining table, talking amongst themselves.

And Victor?

Still missing.

But Ethan's focus wasn't on that.

His focus was on Alice.

Or more accurately—on the words stuck in his throat.

She hadn't brought it up. Last night.

And maybe she never would.

But Ethan knew if he didn't talk to her now, he wouldn't get another chance.

Because after this?

All his attention had to be on everyone else.

He exhaled slowly, his fingers tapping against his knee.

Alice glanced at him.

He felt it.

She wasn't saying anything, but he could tell she noticed his hesitation.

And that just made it worse.

Come on, Ethan. Just say something.

He swallowed hard, gripping his hands together.

"Alice, I…"

His voice trailed off.

Damn it.

Alice turned her head slightly, her expression unreadable.

Ethan forced himself to keep going.

"About last night—"

He hesitated again.

Alice just watched him.

Patient. Calm.

Waiting.

And somehow, that made it even harder to speak.

Ethan's fingers tensed against his knee.

His jaw clenched.

Why was this so damn hard?

It wasn't like he was bad with people.

He could talk. He could think. He wasn't an idiot.

But with girls?

He exhaled sharply, staring at the city outside.

I'm such a fucking pussy.

He wasn't unattractive. Fairly good-looking, above average in everything.

But this? This wasn't in his nature.

He had never been good with girls.

Not because he was ugly.

Not because he was awkward.

But because he was a goddamn coward.

He muttered under his breath. "How the hell am I supposed to be a leader when I can't even man up to talk to a girl?"

And then, his brain betrayed him.

Because suddenly, he remembered.

Last night.

Alice's warmth against his back.

Her fingers tracing his skin.

Her legs tucked against his.

Her voice."Shush."

Her soft hands playing with his hair.

Her breath against his skin.

Ethan swallowed hard.

A small blush crept near his cheek.

He quickly looked away, biting the inside of his cheek.

Goddamn it, Alice.

Milo, Lena, and Riley were gathered near the supplies, sorting through the food and packing everything into divided portions.

Or at least, Milo and Lena were.

Riley?

Riley kept stealing glances toward the window—toward Ethan and Alice.

His hands moved slower, his focus clearly somewhere else.

Milo, ever the observer, smirked to himself as he caught on.

After a moment, he finally said, "Y'know, Riley, the food's down here, not over there."

Riley snapped his attention back, brows furrowing.

"What?"

Milo grinned. "I mean, if you wanna pack imaginary food, be my guest. But you might wanna focus before you start shoving air into these bags."

Lena, watching silently, stifled a small laugh.

But Riley wasn't in the mood.

His eyes flicked to Alice and Ethan again.

Then he muttered, "Why isn't Alice working with us?"

Milo raised a brow, interested now. "What do you mean?"

Riley exhaled sharply, tossing a wrapped food ration into the bag a little too aggressively.

"I get it. Ethan's the leader. He's probably thinking about planning or whatever. Fine. But him just sitting with Alice like that? Doesn't look like planning to me. Looks more like a flirty couple moment."

Milo's grin widened.

"Oooooh… look who's jealous."

Lena's eyes flicked to Riley, noticing the slight shift in his tone.

Not just annoyance.

There was something more to it.

Toxic? Not exactly. But there was definitely bitterness.

She didn't interfere, though.

Riley, however, didn't take the tease lightly.

His jaw tightened, and he shot Milo a sharp glare.

A real one.

Milo, reading the shift immediately, held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright, I'll shut up." He chuckled, but he didn't push it further. "Damn, Riley, chill."

Riley didn't say anything else.

He just focused back on packing, his movements a little rougher now.

Lena exchanged a quick glance with Milo, but neither of them spoke again.

Milo knew when to back off.

And Riley?

He was genuinely pissed.

But whether it was at Ethan… or at himself—

Even he wasn't sure.

The door swung open, and Jace and Owen stepped inside, carrying the last of the supplies needed for the day.

Owen let out a small sigh, rolling his shoulders. "Damn, Jace. You really don't make this look hard, huh?"

Jace, ever the quiet type, simply gave a nod—not in arrogance, but in acknowledgment.

Owen smirked. "Seriously though, your help made things way easier. I'd probably still be out there hauling stuff if I was alone."

Jace nodded again, then added, "I'll contribute however I can." His deep, calm voice carried no hesitation.

As they moved further inside, Riley, Milo, and Lena greeted them.

Milo grinned. "Ah, our supply warriors return! And here I thought you'd ditched us."

Owen snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Be grateful, we brought you food instead of leaving you to starve."

Jace handed over his share of the supplies, stepping back as Owen started giving instructions on how they should distribute the rations.

But Jace?

His focus shifted to the group gathered near the dining table.

They were deep in conversation, their voices overlapping, tension and excitement blending together.

The tower.

The one that wasn't there this morning but would return at night.

Jace quietly walked over, taking a seat just as Ivy leaned forward, her voice low but firm.

Ivy: "We're stepping into something completely unknown. That much is obvious."

She tapped a finger against the table. "The real question is—what are we expecting?"

Zara: "A damn nightmare." She leaned back, crossing her arms. "We all know nothing in this world is normal. So why would this be?"

Derek: "Or maybe it's just a tall-ass building. Could be empty. Could just be a test of endurance."

Harper raised a brow. "And you believe that?"

Derek exhaled through his nose. "Hell no. I'm just saying, we should consider every possibility."

Noah: "It could be a puzzle-based phase."

Everyone turned to him.

He shrugged. "Think about it. A massive structure that only appears at night? Maybe it's designed to make us work through obstacles rather than just fight some creature."

Jace, silent until now, finally spoke.

"…Or it's both."

The table went quiet.

Everyone turned to him.

Jace looked calm as ever, but his next words carried weight.

"We assume danger first. Because if we don't, we die."

Noah adjusted his glasses. "Fair point."

Harper leaned forward. "So… what do we avoid?"

Toby: "Splitting up." His voice was quiet but absolute.

Ivy added, "We also watch our time. If that thing disappears with the sunrise, we can't afford to be inside when that happens."

Zara clenched her fists. "And if there's something in there?"

Silence.

Then Ethan, who had been listening quietly from his spot near the window, finally spoke.

"Then we deal with it."

No hesitation.

No doubt.

The group absorbed his words.

Because, really—what other choice did they have?

Ethan sat near the window, his gaze steady, focused.

For the first time since Phase 11 started, he wasn't doubting himself.

He wasn't hesitating.

And Alice noticed.

She watched him, the way his jaw tightened slightly, the way his eyes held a quiet intensity.

The Ethan from before—the one crumbling under the weight of expectations—

He wasn't gone.

But he was getting better.

That thought made her smile.

She leaned slightly toward him, her voice playful.

"Calm down, our beloved leader," she teased, her tone light but smooth. "No need to rush. We can take things slowly, right? Since it is my first time…"

She winked at him.

A subtle, double-meaning joke.

Ethan didn't get it.

At all.

He simply nodded, completely serious.

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

A brief silence.

Then—laughter.

Milo, who had been listening from the background, burst out laughing.

The others, overhearing, chuckled as well.

Ethan blinked, confused.

His brows furrowed slightly. "What? What's funny?"

Alice just giggled, shaking her head.

"Nothing, Ethan. Nothing at all."

And for the first time that morning, the group—despite everything that awaited them—felt a little lighter.

As the laughter settled, the energy of the room calmed.

The group continued with their preparations, shifting focus back to supplies, strategy, and the mission ahead.

But Ethan?

His mind was somewhere else.

He glanced at Alice, exhaling softly.

This was his chance.

If he didn't bring it up now, he wouldn't get another opportunity.

He turned slightly toward her, lowering his voice. "Alice… I wanted to talk about yesterday."

Alice's smile grew subtly, her eyes glinting with mischief as she tilted her head.

She had been waiting for this.

For him to finally bring it up.

And now that he was?

She decided to play it off innocently, acting as if she had no idea what he meant.

"Hmm? Yesterday?" She blinked at him, feigning confusion.

Ethan swallowed.

His palms felt strangely warm, and he instinctively rubbed them together, trying to shake off the nerves.

It was stupid.

Why was he nervous?

It wasn't like he was confessing to something bad.

And yet—he still felt uneasy.

He quickly scanned the room, making sure no one was paying attention to them.

The last thing he wanted was for Milo or Riley to overhear and start running their mouths.

Finally, with one last deep breath, he opened his mouth to speak—

SLAM.

The building door swung open violently, crashing against the wall.

Ethan's head snapped toward the entrance, along with everyone else in the room.

Samuel and Nathan stood in the doorway, both of them breathing hard—but they weren't alone.

With them were two figures.

A man, injured, his body nearly collapsing under his own weight.

And a woman, dirt-covered, exhaustion painted across her face.

Her hands were firmly gripping the injured man, trying to keep him steady, despite the fact that she barely had the strength to hold herself up.

The atmosphere shifted immediately.

Conversations died.

All eyes locked on the two strangers.

Samuel ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, so... we've got a situation."

Nathan exhaled. "We need medical supplies. Now."

And just like that—whatever Ethan had wanted to say to Alice?

Was completely forgotten. Cause he had recognized the two figures.

The moment Samuel and Nathan stepped inside, chaos erupted.

Everyone moved.

Jace, Milo, and Harper rushed forward to help.

Nathan stepped in, steadying the injured man, while Milo quickly moved to assist the exhausted woman.

Ethan and Alice weren't far behind, their eyes locked onto the two strangers.

And then—recognition hit.

Alice's breath caught, her eyes widening in shock.

"Johnathan? Kacey?!"

Her voice rose, filled with disbelief.

Ethan's chest tightened.

Now that he was closer, he saw it too.

It really was them.

Johnathan—barely able to stand, his body covered in wounds, his shirt torn and soaked in dried blood. His breathing was ragged, uneven.

Kacey—dirt-covered, trembling, barely holding herself up. Her hands were shaking as she tried to keep Johnathan from collapsing.

Ethan didn't waste another second.

He ran forward, grabbing Johnathan's other side, supporting his weight.

"We've got you," he said, steadying him.

Kacey's legs nearly buckled, but Milo quickly caught her.

Samuel exhaled sharply, his expression grim.

"Yeah. They're in bad shape."

Nathan nodded. "We need medical supplies. Fast."

Harper turned toward the rest of the group. "Ivy, Toby—get whatever we have. Now!"

And just like that—everything changed.

Because Johnathan and Kacey weren't just new arrivals.

They were survivors.