—the world went silent.

Emma's ears rang as the chaos unfolded around her, but the sounds felt distant, muffled, as if she were underwater. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move. Time seemed to slow, her vision narrowing to the sight of Sasha standing there, gun raised, the muzzle still smoking.

Ryan had reacted in an instant, his training kicking in as he dove toward Sasha, trying to disarm her. Jackson was shouting something into his radio, his voice frantic, but the words didn't reach her. All Emma could focus on was Sasha—her old friend—standing there with that cold, eerie smile that had haunted her dreams.

Why? The question echoed in her mind over and over again. Why was Sasha here? Why had she drawn a gun on her? The Sasha she had known wasn't capable of this—she had been kind, trustworthy. Had she been wrong about her all along?

She watched in stunned silence as Ryan wrestled with Sasha, the two locked in a deadly struggle. Felix meowed softly from the carrier, his tiny voice the only sound Emma could focus on in the cacophony. Her mind screamed at her to move, to do something, but her body refused to cooperate.

A second gunshot rang out, louder than the first, and Emma flinched. She saw Sasha stagger back, a look of shock crossing his face before he collapsed to the ground. Ryan stood over her, his chest heaving, the gun still in his hand.

"Emma!" Ryan's voice cut through the fog in her mind. "Emma, are you okay?"

She blinked, slowly coming back to reality. Her hands were shaking, her breath coming in shallow gasps. She forced herself to nod, though she wasn't sure if she was okay. Nothing felt real anymore.

Ryan moved quickly, checking Sasha's pulse before turning back to Emma. "We need to get you out of here. Now."

Emma didn't argue. She didn't ask if Sasha was alive or dead. She didn't want to know. All she could think about was the gun, the gunfire, and the look on Sasha's face before he fell.

Jackson was already on the radio, calling for backup, his voice tense but controlled. Daniels appeared at the edge of the property, her gun drawn, scanning the perimeter for any other threats. Everything moved in a blur around Emma as Ryan pulled her to her feet and guided her into the car.

Felix's carrier was placed in the back seat beside her, the cat's wide eyes mirroring Emma's fear. She clutched the handle of the carrier, her knuckles white, as the car sped away from the safe house.

Ryan sat beside her, his hand on his radio, issuing orders and updating his team. But Emma didn't hear any of it. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, none of them making sense. Sasha. The gun. The safe house. The betrayal. It all spun together in a dizzying blur, threatening to pull her under.

They drove in silence for what felt like hours, though Emma knew it was only minutes. Her heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing with questions that had no answers. She wanted to scream, to cry, to demand that someone explain what had just happened. But she couldn't. The words were stuck in her throat, trapped by the fear that had taken root inside her.

Finally, the car pulled to a stop in front of an unmarked building. Ryan opened the door and helped her out, his hand steady on her arm as he guided her inside. Felix's carrier swung lightly in her grip, the only solid thing she could focus on in the chaos.

"This way," Ryan said softly, leading her down a narrow hallway to a small room with a single bed and a chair. "You'll be safe here."

Emma sank onto the bed, her legs feeling like jelly beneath her. She placed Felix's carrier on the floor and opened the door, letting the cat out. Felix immediately jumped onto the bed, curling up beside her, his presence a small comfort in the storm.

Ryan crouched down in front of her, his expression softening. "We're going to figure this out, Emma. I promise you. But for now, I need you to rest. I'll be right outside if you need anything."

She nodded, though the idea of rest felt impossible. How could she sleep when everything she thought she knew was crumbling around her? Sasha's face flashed in her mind again, that eerie smile, the coldness in her eyes. What had happened to her? How had she gone from being her friend to pointing a gun at her?

Ryan stood and gave her one last reassuring nod before stepping out of the room. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Emma alone with Felix and her thoughts.

She lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as her mind raced. Everything felt wrong. Nothing made sense. And the more she thought about it, the more questions she had. Why had Sasha come for her? How had she known where to find her? And most importantly, what had she wanted?

Emma closed her eyes, trying to block out the images that flashed behind her eyelids. She couldn't keep reliving the moment when Sasha had drawn the gun, the moment when everything had changed.

But no matter how hard she tried, the fear wouldn't let go. The sense that something far darker was at play here gnawed at her, refusing to be ignored.

Outside the room, the sounds of the city were distant but ever-present. Life was moving on, as if nothing had happened, as if the world wasn't crashing down around her. But for Emma, everything had changed. And deep down, she knew there was no going back.

As the hours stretched on and the night deepened, Emma felt the weight of exhaustion finally pull her under. Her eyes grew heavy, her thoughts slower. Felix curled up closer to her, his soft purring the only sound in the room. For a brief moment, Emma allowed herself to drift into sleep, hoping that when she woke, the nightmare would be over.

But even as sleep claimed her, she knew the truth: the nightmare was only just beginning.