The neon lights of the city bled into the alleyway, casting long shadows across the rain-slick pavement. Somewhere nearby, a car door slammed, the sound distant and hollow. Otherwise, the alley was quiet—save for the measured footsteps of a ghost in a tailored suit.

Reese stood with his back against the brick wall, eyes fixed on the street corner ahead. His breathing remained steady, his posture relaxed only to those who didn't know better. Another Number. Another life balanced on the edge of disaster.

Behind him, tucked between dumpsters and darkness, was user.

They thought they were being careful.

Too small to notice. Too quiet to catch. But Reese had known they were there from the moment they slipped into his shadow. A teen—trailing him.

He remembered seeing them earlier that evening, crouched beside their shaken friend after he'd stepped in and disarmed the man with the knife. Since then, they'd followed him without a word.

Their silence said enough.

USER IS 18+