Jay POV
The car was silent.
Not the normal kind of quiet.
This was the heavy kind… the kind that pressed against your chest and made breathing feel harder.
Everyone sat still.
No one joked.
No one spoke.
The only sound was the engine humming as the car sped down the empty road.
I stared out the window, watching the dark trees pass by.
But my mind wasn't on the road.
It was replaying the moment again and again.
Counting faces.
Nathan.
Carlos.
Miguel.
Hannah.
Felix.
Ci-N.
Yuri.
Endrix
kit
mayo
David.
Rory.
Blaster.
Keifer.
And then…
Nothing.
No Hex.
My fingers slowly tightened into a fist.
"…Turn the car around."
my voice voice broke the silence.
Nathan looked at me through the mirror.
"You're serious?"
Keifer's eyes were sharp.
"Does she look like she's joking?"
The car slowed slightly.
Carlos leaned forward from the back seat.
"Guys… everyone's injured."
Miguel rubbed his arm.
"We barely escaped."
"That doesn't matter," Keifer said quietly.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried weight.
"We left someone behind."
No one answered.
Because everyone knew he was right.
Nathan looked toward me.
"Jay?"
The decision was mine.
The one who always thought ahead.
But right now my mind wasn't calculating strategies.
It was remembering Hex laughing earlier.
Remembering him standing beside Keifer.
Remembering him arguing with Ci-N five minutes before the escape.
And now he was gone.
My voice came out calm.
Too calm.
"…Turn the car around."
The car immediately slowed.
Nathan sighed and turned the wheel.
The vehicle made a sharp turn on the empty road.
Hannah looked worried.
"Jay… what if Kaiser caught him?"
The name alone made my jaw tighten.
Kaiser Watson
"That's exactly why we're going back," I said.
Silence returned.
Then I spoke quietly
"This is my fault."
keifer turned toward me
His hands were clenched.
"I should've checked," I continued. "I should've made sure everyone was—"
"Stop."
He looked at me.
"You didn't leave him," he said firmly.
"We were escaping a trap."
I didn't respond.
But he could see the anger in I eyes.
Not at him.
At Kaiser.
My gaze returned to the road ahead.
"Now we go get him."
Back at the Mansion
The cars stopped near the broken gates again.
The mansion stood exactly as we had left it.
Dark.
Silent.
No guards outside.
No lights.
The wind moved through the trees, making the place feel even emptier than before.
Nathan stepped out first.
"This is too quiet."
Felix muttered from behind him, "Yeah… horror movie quiet."
Ci-N nudged him.
"Not helping."
We moved quickly toward the entrance.
My boots echoed against the stone floor as we stepped back inside.
The hallway where the fight happened earlier was a mess.
Broken furniture.
Scattered ropes.
Water all over the floor.
But no guards.
No bodies.
No Kaiser.
"Where did everyone go?" Yuri whispered.
Nathan checked one of the side rooms.
"Empty."
Carlos looked toward the stairs.
"Maybe upstairs—"
"Wait."
I stepped forward slowly.
Something on the ground caught my eye.
A small metallic glint under the dim light.
My stomach dropped.
I crouched down.
My fingers picked it up carefully.
A thin silver bracelet.
Slightly scratched.
But unmistakable.
Hex's bracelet.
The one he always wore.
The room felt colder instantly.
Keifer walked closer.
"What did you find?"
I slowly held it up.
His expression hardened immediately.
"He was here."
Hannah's voice trembled slightly.
"…And now he's not."
I stood up slowly, gripping the bracelet in my hand.
The realization settled over everyone at the same time.
The mansion wasn't empty because Kaiser ran away.
It was empty because he had already moved.
And he took Hex with him.
Keifer's voice was quiet but dangerous.
"We're too late."
I stared at the bracelet in my palm.
Then I closed my hand around it.
"No."
Everyone looked at me.
I lifted my head slowly.
"We're just getting started." ⚡