The silence in the ruined lab felt heavy, almost choking. It was the kind of silence that came after something terrible. A silence filled with shock and a strange new fear. Where Victoria Walker had stood just seconds earlier, there was now only a large pool of thick, dark liquid. It glowed slightly and moved like it was alive, slowly crawling across the clean floor. The black substance twisted and pulled inward, shrinking into a single, glowing mass. It was Elias. Or what remained of him. Maybe Victoria was in there too; whatever was left of her.

Jason and Leah stood side by side. Their bodies were tense, their guns...