Chapter Four, The Crack's Whisper
Mara's boots slapped the pavement, her heart racing as she sprinted down the broken street. Shadows skittered behind her, darting along the glowing fissures like smoke-filled spiders.
Jonah kept up, his staff shining with pale light. Each swing left a trail of silver in the air, the creatures hissing as if the glow hurt them.
"Do these things have an off switch?" Mara gasped.
"Not one you'd survive!" Jonah shouted back.
The crack beneath them pulsed, and Mara stumbled, catching herself on a lamppost. For a moment, the world flickered around her, the sky rippling like a bad TV signal. She saw flashes: a ruined city skyline, the same street submerged in water, and people frozen mid-step like mannequins. Then it snapped back, leaving her breathless.
"What the hell was that?" she yelled.
Jonah grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. "Echoes. The fracture is leaking other timelines through. Keep moving!"
Another shadow lunged at Mara from the side. Instinct screamed louder than fear, and before she knew it, she flicked open the Chronometer.
Click.
The world froze. Not everything—just the shadows mid-leap, their forms stretched like tar stuck in glass. The street continued moving, the sound muted as if she were underwater.
Mara's chest heaved. Time itself bent around her like she stood in the eye of a storm.
Jonah turned, his eyes wide. "I told you not to use it!"
"I panicked!" Mara yelled, her voice sharp with adrenaline. "Forgive me for not being a trained—whatever you are!"
Cracks of light spread across the Chronometer's glass face, faint but real. The hum deepened, vibrating through her bones.
"Mara, listen to me." Jonah's voice was urgent and controlled but tinged with desperation. "You can't hold it long. Release it before it—"
The Chronometer snapped shut with a metallic clink.
Time lurched back into motion. The shadows lunged forward, but Jonah was already there, his staff sweeping in a wide arc. Light flared, and the creatures hissed before evaporating into oily smoke that sank back into the pavement's cracks.
Silence rushed in like a breath held too long.
Mara doubled over, clutching her knees. "Okay… note to self… magical watch comes with side effects. Like feeling my insides try to implode."
Jonah's face was grim, but his shoulders relaxed slightly. "That was reckless. But… effective."
Mara glared at him between gasps. "Oh, great. Gold star for effort. Where do I trade it in for a normal life?"
Jonah didn't reply right away. He just studied her—the way she still held the Chronometer, the faint glow lingering under her skin, like veins lit by moonlight.
Finally, he said, "We can't stay on the streets. They'll keep coming."
"Fine," Mara huffed. "But next time, I'm picking a hideout with pizza and Wi-Fi."
Jonah actually smirked—just a moment, but enough to catch her off guard. Then he turned and led her toward the subway entrance yawning at the end of the block, its darkness promising only more questions.
Mara sighed, rubbing her temple. Great. From cosmic eyeballs to underground horror movie settings. My life really is a cracked snow globe now.
And still, in the corner of her mind, the Chronometer ticked—steady and insistent, like it wasn't finished with her yet.