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Nicholas Boothman
Chapter 4: The First Truth
The heavy door groaned as it swung open.
Claire stepped inside, shrugging off the cold. Her apron was streaked with broth. Her face pale with exhaustion. She tied back a loose strand of red hair beneath her faded blue bandana and leaned against the wall.
“We’re overrun,” she said. “And it’s not just numbers. Something’s shifting out there. People feel it. Like a storm that won’t break.”
She crossed the room and dropped into a chair. Her eyes flicked between Vincent’s restless pacing and Jinji’s quiet concentration behind her laptop.
“It’s chaos,” Claire added. “The soup’s the only thing keeping it together. People are... raw.”
Vincent stopped pacing. He turned slowly, his attention settling on Jinji.
“Same friction,” he said. “What we are, versus what made us human.”
“You mean when the lights flickered on?” 53