Fragments of Dawn

The world felt different now. Even the air seemed thick, heavy with the burden of everything that had happened. Kai hadn’t been back to the city since the Moon had exploded. There were no familiar landmarks anymore, only the skeletal remains of structures, twisted metal, and buildings that had once been symbols of progress and ambition. The streets that had once been filled with life were now hollow—silent. The few survivors that remained had scattered, trying to survive in this new reality.

But Kai wasn’t here to survive.

He was here to stop it.

“Think we’re being followed?” Ava’s voice broke through the silence, bringing Kai’s attention back to the present. She was walking a few steps ahead, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, always alert. She had become sharper, more wary since the explosion, and Kai could see the strain in her movements. This wasn’t the world they had known; it was something darker. And Ava wasn’t one to take risks.

Kai’s hand rested on the fragment embedded deep within his arm. It was more than just a physical object—it had become a part of him. The power it granted him was both a gift and a curse. A temptation he fought daily. Each day without using it felt like a small victory. But today… today might be different.

“I don’t know. I feel like we’re being watched,” Kai replied, his voice steady but with an underlying edge. “We should keep moving.”

Ava nodded, but the slight twitch of her hand on the gun at her side showed she didn’t entirely agree. “You don’t need to use that power again, Kai. We’re not there yet.”

Kai’s jaw tightened, and he clenched his fist, feeling the fragment pulse beneath his skin. She didn’t understand. Every time they took another step forward, every time they ventured further into the heart of the chaos, it became harder to resist. The fragment was more than just a source of power. It was a constant, aching pull that threatened to break him with every passing second.

“I know,” he muttered under his breath, though it wasn’t directed at her. The city was alive with danger—an invisible threat in the shadows. It felt like every corner hid a watcher, every broken streetlamp a hiding place for someone waiting for them to slip up.

As they walked further into the decaying city, the tension in the air grew thicker. They passed through alleyways lined with forgotten debris, remnants of a world long gone. The buildings stretched far above them, towering yet hollow, their windows empty and dark. There was no sound, no sign of life except for the wind whispering through the rubble. It was as though the city had been abandoned to the past, left to decay and wither away in the wake of the Moon’s destruction.

Ava stopped in front of a shattered storefront. The sign, once bright and welcoming, was now little more than a rusted frame hanging loosely from the wall. A few faint traces of the word "Market" could still be seen on the remnants of the sign, but everything beneath it had been consumed by dust. She examined the entrance carefully before turning back to Kai. “We’re close. According to the maps, there’s a safehouse not far from here.”

Kai nodded but didn’t reply. He couldn’t focus on the safehouse, not right now. There was a deeper, more urgent feeling gnawing at him, one that didn’t stem from hunger or fatigue. It was the pull of the fragment, urging him to use it. He could feel it deep in his bones, a quiet hum beneath his skin that threatened to escalate into a roar.

He glanced at Ava, who was inspecting the area, clearly unaware of the war that was waging inside him. He wished he could tell her, but he knew that she wouldn’t understand. She couldn’t. None of them could. Not unless they had felt the power firsthand, unless they had the fragment embedded deep inside them, begging to be used.

The last time Kai had used the fragment to alter time, the world had almost folded in on itself. He had been able to save a few innocent lives, but at what cost? The very fabric of reality had rippled in response to his actions, bending and twisting, creating a rift that had left him physically drained and emotionally torn. And with each passing day, the power only seemed to grow stronger, more difficult to control.

“I’ll be right behind you,” Kai said, shaking off the unease that had been rising in him. “Let’s get to the safehouse.”

Ava didn’t argue. She turned and entered the building, moving quickly and silently. Kai followed, staying a few steps behind, his eyes scanning the space around him for any signs of movement. The interior of the safehouse was nothing more than an abandoned store with makeshift barricades, but it had once served as a refuge for survivors. It smelled of mildew and decay, but it was shelter, and for the moment, that was all that mattered.

The flickering of a light bulb overhead did little to dispel the shadows in the room, and Kai’s eyes narrowed as he crossed the threshold. His senses were on high alert. The place felt off, but there was no time to waste.

“Anyone here?” Ava’s voice echoed through the empty building, but no answer came. Her hand hovered near her gun, ready for anything. She stepped further into the room, her boots clicking softly on the concrete floor.@@novelbin@@

Kai moved to a corner, his back against the wall as he let his gaze drift across the room. The safehouse was eerily quiet. The few pieces of furniture that had once provided comfort to its occupants were now overturned or broken, left as the last remnants of a once-functional world. Kai had seen places like this before, abandoned by survivors in the face of greater threats. The problem with a world like theirs was that no safe place was ever truly safe for long.

Then, a voice broke the silence. Low. Cold. Unfamiliar.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Kai’s heart skipped a beat, and instinctively, he reached for the fragment embedded in his arm. The power pulsed stronger now, urging him to act. To use it. His fingers curled tighter around the shard of stone lodged deep in his flesh, but he held back. This wasn’t the time.

“Who are you?” Ava demanded, her voice sharp. She moved into a defensive stance, her gun raised.

The figure stepped from the shadows. The man was tall, his face obscured by a hood and scarf, his posture threatening but composed. His eyes, cold and calculating, fixed on Kai.

“Does it matter?” The figure’s voice was gravelly, almost as if he had not spoken in years. “What matters is that you’re too late.”

Kai felt the air grow thick with tension. The man wasn’t alone. There were others hidden in the shadows, just out of sight. They hadn’t heard him coming, and now he realized that they had walked right into a trap.

Ava’s eyes flicked to Kai. “We need to go. Now.”

But it was already too late.

The man took a step forward, his hand lifting to reveal a fragment of the Moon. It gleamed darkly in his palm, reflecting the broken light from above. The sight of it made Kai’s chest tighten. He wasn’t the only one with this power. The others were hunting the fragments too.

Kai didn’t wait. In one swift motion, he grabbed Ava’s arm and pulled her toward the back exit. His heart pounded in his chest, and his breath came in ragged gasps as the world around him seemed to bend. The fragment pulsed again, harder this time, and he felt the pressure building—time wanted to break free. But there was no time to use it, no time to risk it.

“Run!” he yelled, pushing Ava toward the door. “We don’t have time!”

They didn’t look back as they burst through the door and into the dark alley behind the building, but Kai could hear the footsteps echoing behind them. The chase had begun.