Ampelius lit the final candle, as its wavering flame pushed the darkness back just enough to make the room feel less like a darkened tomb. He scavenged what little supplies remained. The flickering light stretched the shadows across the walls as if the room itself was sharing his unease.

  His thoughts drifted back to Mount Nerva. That mountain had once been everything the city no longer was, open, unrestrained, a place where his lungs could be filled with cool air instead of smoke and fear. Here, in Vetera, there was no such freedom. Only the stifling weight of imperial control and the ever-present scent of violence pressing in from all sides.

  A sharp sound from the street below snapped him back to reality.

  Bella was pacing again, her footsteps a constant rhythm on the floorboards. Her movements were quick, jerky, as though her body refused to let her rest. She chewed her lip raw as her eyes darted to the window each time a voice or clatter echoed outside. Worry was eating her alive every passing minute. Emmett was still out there somewhere, and every moment she stayed inside made her feel useless and trapped. She wanted to run, to tear through the city until she found him, but that fear of what could be waiting in the streets was what kept her anchored here.

  Desperation continued to simmer beneath her forced composure until it finally cracked.

  “We need to find him! Why are we still here? What if he’s hurt, what if he needs us?” Bella’s voice rose higher with each question, the words tumbling out faster than she could control. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, then opened again, restless, unable to find release. She turned toward the window as though she might fling it open and bolt into the streets herself. Fear had already taken hold; it was only a matter of time before it drove her past reason.

  Ampelius stepped forward and rested a calm gentle hand on her shoulder. “Bella, just… breathe, in and out.” he said, keeping his voice firm but gentle. He met her frantic eyes and held them until she steadied, even if only for a heartbeat. “Running out there blind won’t help him. It’ll just put us in the same mess or worse. We need to know what’s waiting before we make a move. If he needs us, we’ll find him. But the only way we can help is if we keep our heads.”

  Her eyes searched his face for reassurance and gave a small nod before sinking onto the couch. Her hands trembled as she drew in shaky breaths, trying to calm the wild hammer of her heartbeat.

  Ampelius turned toward the window. From somewhere out in the dark, he heard a scream that carried through the streets in an echo that cut straight into him. He closed his eyes for a moment and thought of the trips to Mount Nerva. The open trails, the clean wind, the trees and animals, such beauty, all the kind of freedom Vetera could never give as a city. Remembering it only made the city feel heavier as the blue explosion really tore apart any illusion of safety. And whatever came next, they had to be ready.

  Ampelius stood in silence a moment, forcing his thoughts into order. The mountains lingered at the edge of his mind, but he pushed them aside. Now wasn’t the time.

  He drew a slow breath and turned back to Bella. “We don’t know what’s happening out there,” he said, keeping his voice steady. “The city’s dark, I could see few fires burning. It isn’t safe. If we rush out blind, we’ll only make things worse. We need to be ready first.”

  Bella looked up at him and gave a small nod, her hands still trembling but her breathing beginning to slow. “Okay,” she whispered. “What do we need to do?”

  Ampelius gathered what they’d need, such as water, food, flashlights, batteries, and a first aid kit. He packed anything that might give them an edge if the worst came to pass. Bella moved alongside him, her hands still shaky but steadier with each item tucked away. He kept glancing at her, ready to step in if the panic crept back into her eyes.

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  Fear couldn’t rule them now; they had to stay sharp, clear-headed and ready.

  When the bags were packed, Ampelius pressed his ear to the door. The silence beyond felt wrong, as if the whole building was waiting for him to make the first move. He knew it wouldn’t last. When he turned back, Bella was already there by the door, her fear hardening into something closer to resolve.

  “I want you to stay here; let me see what’s going on first,” Ampelius said firmly.

  Bella nodded reluctantly, gripping the strap of her bag tightly. “Alright, but be careful.”

  With a final deep breath, Ampelius opened the door and stepped out into the darkened hallway. He glanced back at Bella, giving her a reassuring nod before closing the door behind him.

  Ampelius moved cautiously down the hallway, taking each step slow, while his ears listened for the faintest sound. The beam of his flashlight slid across peeling paint and dark doorframes, while shadows stretched and shifted with every movement.

  At the stairwell, he paused and took a moment to listen. Nothing. He tightened his grip on the flashlight and began the descent down.

  When he finally reached the ground floor, he stopped at the front entrance. For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at the dark glass, bracing himself. Then, with a careful breath, he edged forward and peered outside.

  The city lay drowned in darkness. Every streetlight was dead, and the buildings stood as hollow silhouettes against the night sky. Only the moon and a few distant fires broke the black, their faint light washing the streets in a thin, uneasy glow.

  Vehicles littered the streets and sidewalks as if they’d all lost control at the same time. Some had crumpled into each other, others into poles, while a few just sat stranded in the middle of the road. What had once been neat lines of traffic was now a graveyard of abandoned machines, many doors hanging open, some windows smashed, but everything unnervingly still.

  Even in ruin, these cars still bore Rome’s signature design. The sleek frames were trimmed in chrome, while the tailfins had the shape of a miniature rocket, which was a strange echo of the last century using a style reborn through Imperial taste. Rome had a love of grandeur, which still clung to every design, as if even they needed to use the streets to remind people of its reach. Now those same machines sat twisted and broken, their once-proud lines reduced to wreckage.

  Ampelius caught movement in the street, there were figures picking their way through the wreckage, their outlines faint in the moonlight. Somewhere farther off, glass shattered, which reminded him of the danger waiting in the dark.

  He drew a slow breath, steeling himself for what could lay ahead. The streets of Vetera had turned into a battlefield of confusion, and every step he took could be his last, so he needed to be careful if they hoped to find Emmett and survive the night.

  All around him, people were beginning to spill into the open. Some knelt beside the injured near the wrecked cars, their voices low and frantic as they tried to help. Others sat behind useless steering wheels, turning keys again and again as if sheer will might bring their machines back to life. A few just stood motionless in the street, faces pale, their eyes lifted to the sky as though it might hold an explanation for the terror unfolding below. Ampelius could feel the desperation, as the city’s order was unraveling one broken piece at a time.

  He slowly opened the main doors of the apartment and stepped outside. As he ventured further, the loud crash of breaking glass across the street startled him. With telephone communications down and no light beyond the moon, people seized the opportunity to loot. Windows shattered as they broke into stores and businesses, fueling the growing sense of desperation that was rapidly taking hold of the city.

  Ampelius flinched as glass burst somewhere nearby, the sharp crack slicing through the night. A pack of looters stormed past him, shoes pounding against the pavement, the stench of sweat and fear clinging in their wake. Their ragged breathing and desperate gasps were from people driven as much by panic as greed. His instincts screamed at him to run, to get clear of the danger, but his body refused to move. The sheer weight of everything pressed him down, leaving him rooted in place, just as a witness to the city’s unraveling.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed several people tilting their heads skyward. Curiosity got the best of him, so he followed their gaze. That great blue explosion that had split the heavens was now little more than a fading smear. What kind of weapon could do this? he wondered, the thought gnawing at the edges of his fear.

  Another shatter rang out, louder and closer, the sound scattering across the empty streets. It echoed as if the city itself was breaking apart, piece by piece, glass by glass, until nothing would be left standing.