1 — MORNING SHIFT
Cold metal. Bleach and ammonia.
Selene clocks in at the morgue at 7:02 AM — two minutes late. The receptionist, Marla, gives her a sideways glance but says nothing.
Selene's hair is damp from the rain. There's a faint bruise under her collarbone — a leftover kiss from the Butcher's last cut. She hides it with her ID badge.
Danny, the rookie, is already there — perched on a rolling stool by the main exam table, rambling to himself as he flips through paperwork. He's got too much energy for this place. Cheap cologne, sneakers that squeak, a permanent grin that tries too hard.
Danny (grinning, waving a file):
"Hey, hey — you see this guy? Pulled from the river last night. Whole spine crushed like an accordion. You ever see something like that? I mean, who does that to a guy? A truck? A train? Or like, you know, the Raven?!"
Selene slides past him, grabs a fresh pair of gloves, and snaps them on.
Selene (flat):
"Maybe it was just the river."
Danny doesn't get the hint. He wheels after her as she pulls the sheet off the John Doe. His sneakers squeak on the polished floor.
Danny:
"You think she's real? The Raven? I mean, you work nights, right? Probably see all the weird stuff. I got a buddy who says he saw her once — on top of the Starlight Theater, just standing there like Batman or some—"
Selene turns — fixes him with a look so cold he finally shuts up.
Selene:
"Get me the bone saw, Danny."
He blinks — swallows — nods.
Danny:
"Right. Saw. Cool. Yep. Right away."
---
2 — COFFEE WITH JESS
Break room. Dingy, stale pastries, burnt coffee that's been reheated twice.
Jess sits at the small round table, sleeves rolled up, tapping at her phone. Her fingers hover over a half-finished text — to someone she'll never send it to.
Selene sits across from her. They sip in silence. The TV in the corner flickers — another talk show segment: "Is the Raven a hero, or just a new kind of serial killer?"
Jess finally breaks the quiet.
Jess:
"They're gonna spin this forever, huh? You kill a man who carves people open and the city wants your head too."
Selene watches the steam rise from her cup. The edge of her mouth twitches — almost a smile, almost a wound.
Selene:
"They'll always need a monster. If I'm useful, I'm the right one."
Jess reaches across the table — fingers brushing Selene's knuckles. There's warmth there — a promise that hasn't yet found the right shape.
---
3 — RAFI'S PUSH
Outside the morgue, Rafi waits in the alley, hoodie up, drone in his lap like a pet. He's muttering to himself, tapping on a battered phone.
He edits a clip — the last fight, the Butcher's fall, the glimpse of Selene's mask in the flicker of lightning. He knows he shouldn't post it — she promised she'd bury him if he did.
But the Nest — the tiny online swarm of fans he's built — they're hungry.
Rafi (to himself, half-guilty):
"Just a teaser. Just enough. They deserve to see it, right? Heroes don't hide. Heroes don't threaten kids. Right?"
He hits upload. The bar creeps across the cracked screen. Too late to take it back.
---
4 — MICAH CONNECTS THE DOTS
At The Nest — the old dockyard warehouse that's more safehouse than home — Micah sits cross-legged on the concrete, six screens buzzing. He's got three energy drinks cracked open, the tabs scattered like spent casings.
He mutters to himself between mouthfuls of cold fries.
Micah:
"Okay, Crow's shipments. Same shell company, Gallowgate Industries. Chemical markers trace back to a medical supply hub in Tijuana — black market antivirals, smallpox samples. But it's not just drugs. He's stockpiling something to spread it. Delivery systems — drone parts, aerosol pumps, fertilizer for a dirty bomb?"
He taps a folder — PANACEA. A fake charity with too much real power.
Micah (comms):
"Selene, you still on comm? We got a real rat's nest. Crow's been planning this since before your old man bled out on that street. This isn't just a gang. This is a plague wrapped in wings."
---
5 — WARD'S TEETH
Outside the morgue, Ward's car idles by the curb. He watches Selene through the cracked windshield — sees her slip out the side entrance, hair damp, a plastic bag with stale lunch in her hand.
He flicks the safety off his sidearm — just to feel the weight of the threat he can't quite make.
His radio crackles — a dispatcher calls his name, but he kills the feed. All he sees is the back of Selene's hooded coat as she walks deeper into the city's guts.
Ward (to himself, low growl):
"One more. One more. Then you're mine, Arlen."
---
6 — THE BULL KING'S MESSAGE
A scream cuts through an abandoned underpass that night. City workers find what's left by dawn — a pair of men strung up under the iron bridge, throats slit, an old crime boss's tattoo carved out and nailed to a pillar.
Spray-painted above them, fresh, dripping red: "THE FLOCK FEEDS."
A witness says they saw horns in the dark. A brute, bigger than any man, moving on all fours before standing up to smile at the headlights. Moloch Horn — the Bull King. Crow's living nightmare. A message to every gang, every cop, every vigilante.
---
7 — AT THE NEST
Selene returns to the Nest near midnight. She peels off her coat, the scent of bleach clinging to her hair. Micah spins in his chair — eyes wide, manic from too much caffeine.
Micah:
"They killed two of Adair's old rivals. Gutted them like cattle. Guess who's climbing in the polls tomorrow? Crow's candidate. The plan's rolling faster now — we're running out of time, boss."
Selene doesn't answer. She stares at Rafi's new video playing on Micah's side screen — her mask, blood splatter, a blurry glimpse of the Butcher's corpse.
Micah (soft, like he's trying to be funny but isn't):
"Hey, uh… maybe you wanna kill the kid tonight too? Just to keep the body count consistent?"
Selene's eyes flicker — cold shadow in the flickering Nest lights.
---
8 — HER CHOICE
She finds Rafi in the corner — curled up on an old mattress, phone clutched like a shield. He sees her. He flinches.
She kneels. Pulls the phone from his hands.
Selene (quiet, sharper than a blade):
"You think this makes you part of it? You think this is a game?"
Rafi tries to look brave — but his voice cracks.
Rafi:
"I'm helping. People need to see. You're saving the city — they should see it."
She leans close — so close her shadow swallows his face.
Selene:
"One more video. One more leak. And I'll show you how I bury secrets, Rafi. You understand me?"
He nods. He doesn't — but he will.
---
9 — THE CITY BREATHES
At the edge of the docks, the city pulses — neon arteries, whispering news. A new broadcast: "Councilman Adair promises new curfews, new raids, a new city purified of vigilantes and gang scum alike…"
Crow's silhouette stands behind the podium — the puppet master no one's seen up close. His grin hidden, his eyes everywhere.
---
10 — HISTORY WAITS
Somewhere in the dark, Moloch Horn wipes blood from his knuckles. He hums an old lullaby he can't remember the words to. He thinks of the next name on his list — maybe a cop, maybe a journalist, maybe someone closer to the Raven than she knows.
---
END OF CHAPTER SIXTEEN