April walked fast, gripping her jacket tightly.
Her mind was spinning.
Someone had been waiting for her at the hospital.
Not the police. Not the doctors.
People who knew.
People who were hunting her.
April needed to get home.
Then—
A shift in the air.
April froze.
Footsteps.
Not loud. Not rushed.
But controlled.
April wasn't alone.
April turned sharply, listening, feeling.
And then she heard it—three heartbeats.
Surrounding her.
One behind. One to her left. One ahead.
Trapping her.
A voice cut through the night.
"You've been busy."
April clenched her fists.
"Who are you?"
A pause.
Then—
"We're not your enemies."
Lies.
April took a step back, ready to run.
"Wait," another voice said. Softer.
Not a threat. But cautious.
"We know what's inside you. We know what they did."
April's breath caught.
"You have no idea what you are, do you?"
April hated that they were right.
But April wasn't going with them.
April spun, ready to escape—
But the third person was already behind her.
Fast.
Too fast.
A hand gripped her wrist.
Firm. Not violent.
"We're here to protect you."
April wanted to fight. Wanted to break free.
But something about them felt... different.
Not like the men in the hospital.
Not like hunters.
Like people who understood.
Her mind screamed at her to run.
But for the first time since waking up in that hospital, April hesitated.
And that hesitation changed everything