Chapter 216: Shadows in Motion

Night draped the city in a suffocating cloak, its once vibrant streets now deserted battlegrounds. Under the cover of darkness, Amelia and Vincent crouched in a narrow alleyway, their eyes narrowed against the faint moonlight filtering through the smog-choked sky. Across the street, a dilapidated warehouse loomed like a skeletal giant, its windows boarded shut and a heavy padlock securing its only entrance. It was here, according to whispers within the resistance, that The Rat held court, conducting his nefarious business with a network of equally unsavory characters. "This doesn't feel right," Amelia whispered, her voice tense. "It's too quiet." Vincent nodded, his hand resting on the holster at his hip. "Could be a trap. Maybe The Shepherd caught wind of the leak." A prickle of unease ran down Amelia's spine. The plan hinged on secrecy, on luring The Rat out without alerting The Shepherd's forces. The silence was deafening, broken only by the distant wail of a siren and the ev