Chapter 11
The sudden, violent explosion of light from the marble table shattered every remaining glass and window in the dining room, sending a cascading wave of crystal shrapnel across the floor. The concussive wave broke the static paralyzation gripping Elena's body, sending her crashing hard onto her knees amidst the glittering debris.
Elena gasped for air, her chest heaving as she scrambled forward, her hands scraping against the sharp glass shards. "Lily! Julian!" she screamed, her voice raw and cracked.
She crawled toward the shattered double doors, pulling herself up by the ruined doorframe. Outside, the dense fog had turned an unnatural, glowing shade of pale emerald. The black vehicles were already gone, their taillights blinking like distant, indifferent stars disappearing down the winding country road.
The estate gates stood wide open, the automated security system flashing a continuous amber warning that clicked rhythmically in the damp air. Elena stepped out onto the gravel driveway, her silver silk dress torn and stained with dust and crystal splinters. She didn't feel the sharp stones biting into her bare feet; the overwhelming numbness of shock had completely overtaken her physical senses.
"You can't have them," Elena whispered into the empty, fog-choked night, her hands trembling as she clenched them into tight fists. "You hear me? You can't have them!"
She turned back toward the sprawling mansion. The exterior lights were flickering erratically, spelling out a complex, repeating alphanumeric code in Morse format across the property's automated architectural lighting system. Elena didn't need to be a tech expert to know what the house was doing—it was transmitting.
Her smartphone lay abandoned on the dining table inside, glowing with a persistent, steady green light. Elena walked back through the ruined doorway, ignoring the glass crunching beneath her feet, and picked up Julian's device.
The screen was no longer displaying notifications or stock updates. It was a live-streamed architectural schematic of the entire county, showing dozens of other estates lighting up with the exact same emerald pulse that had infected her own home.
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Elena stared at the screen, her heart hammering against her ribs as she realized the nightmare wasn't isolated to their family. It was happening everywhere.
Before she could swipe to close the application, a new incoming video call flashed across the display, featuring an unfamiliar face with glowing green eyes.
