The door opened a little from the outside. A thin line of light slid into the room.
Mara's heart crashed inside her chest. Nina grabbed Mara's hand. Theo held his camera tight, like it was the only thing keeping them real.
Mara looked at the two choices on her phone.
Bond (major) meant it would take a person from her life. A real bond. A real name. A real face.
Time (major) meant it would take years from her future.
Mara's hand shook so hard she almost dropped the phone. She did not want either. But the door was opening. Security was right there.
Mara pressed TIME (major).
Her phone buzzed deep, like a stamp on skin.
A message flashed:
PAYMENT PROCESSED: TIME (major) — 2 years
Mara blinked. For a second, she felt dizzy, like she stood up too fast. It was not pain. It was worse. It was like a quiet piece of her life got picked up and moved away.
Then the side door lock clicked.
Unlocked.
Nina pulled Mara hard. Theo grabbed the laptop screen just long enough to film the top of the Regret Ledger again, then shut it fast. He did not take the laptop. He took the proof on camera.
They ran to the side door.
Not loud running. Not yelling. But fast feet, fast breath, fast fear trapped behind teeth.
The side door opened into a narrow hallway. The lights were dim. The air smelled like cold plastic.
Behind them, the Template Engine door banged open.
A voice shouted, "Stop!"
Theo flinched. Mara's phone buzzed once, like it enjoyed the sound. Mara did not look at the screen. She kept moving.
They turned left. Then right. Then down a short set of stairs.
A sign above a door said EXIT.
Mara reached for it.
The sign flickered.
It changed to STAFF ONLY.
Mara froze.
Nina yanked her arm and pulled her away before she could touch it. Nina's eyes were wide and angry, like she wanted to punch the wall.
"The building is lying," Theo whispered without thinking.
Mara's phone buzzed instantly.
VERBAL CONFIRMATION DETECTED.Timer adjustment applied.
Mara's timer jumped down again.
Mara wanted to cry. She wanted to scream at Theo, but she knew it wasn't his fault. Fear made words fall out.
Mara grabbed Theo's sleeve and squeezed once. No more words.
Theo nodded hard, face pale.
They ran again.
The hallway ended at a metal door with a small screen.
AUTHORIZE ACCESS
Mara's stomach turned. Every door was a contract. Every door wanted a "yes."
Mara didn't touch it. Nina didn't touch it.
Theo looked around and saw a red sign on the wall.
STAIRWELL
They pushed it open.
The stairwell echoed. Their steps sounded too big. Mara hated the sound.
They went down fast. One floor. Two floors. Three.
On the second floor landing, a security guard appeared below them, coming up.
He saw them and lifted his radio.
Mara's chest went cold.
Nina pulled Mara behind the stair rail for one second. Theo moved too. They held still, like the building might forget them if they became quiet enough.
The guard stepped up one stair. Then another. His face looked confused, like his eyes could not hold them.
He frowned, blinked, and looked away for half a second.
Mara understood the horror right then.
The system was doing two things at once.
It was chasing them.
And it was also teaching people to not see them clearly.
Because that made the chase feel "normal."
The guard blinked again, then looked back and saw them sharper, like the focus returned.
He raised his radio.
Mara and Nina moved at the same time. They rushed down the stairs, not stopping, not thinking.
Theo almost tripped. Mara grabbed his arm and kept him up.
They hit the bottom door.
Locked.
Mara yanked the handle. Nothing.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket like it was laughing.
Nina's hands shook. Theo's eyes went wide.
Behind them, footsteps pounded down the stairs.
Mara pulled her phone out. A building prompt filled the screen right away.
UNLOCK — PAYMENT REQUIREDOptions: MEMORY (minor) / BOND (minor)
Mara's throat tightened.
She had already paid two years.
Now it wanted more.
Mara pressed MEMORY (minor) without thinking.
Buzz.
A tiny thing disappeared from her mind. She didn't even know what it was. That was the scary part. It left no hole you could name.
The door clicked.
Unlocked.
They burst out into a back corridor near the loading area. The air smelled like cardboard and wet concrete.
Ahead, through a small window, Mara saw the street.
Outside.
Freedom, but only if they reached it.
Mara spotted Jace across the street. He was standing in the shadow of the café sign. Lark stood farther down, half-hidden behind a pole. Lark held a folded paper sign at their side.
Jace saw Mara and lifted his hand once. A small signal: this way.
Lark lifted their paper sign.
It said one word in thick marker:
LEFT
Mara's heart jumped.
They turned left.
A second later, behind them, a door slammed open. Two security guards spilled into the corridor. One shouted again, "Stop!"
Theo's jaw clenched. He kept his mouth shut this time.
The guards ran after them.
Mara felt the building change around them. Lights blinked. A loud click happened overhead, like locks being set.
A ceiling speaker came on, polite and calm.
"Safety routing in progress. Please remain calm."
Mara hated that voice.
They reached a corner and saw a door labeled MAINTENANCE EXIT.
Mara grabbed the handle.
Locked.
Of course.
Mara's phone buzzed again.
Another prompt:
UNLOCK — PAYMENT REQUIREDOptions: TIME (minor) / BOND (minor)
Mara's hands went cold.
Time again.
Mara didn't want to pay more years. She felt like she was being shaved down.
But if she stopped here, they would be caught. And the proof would die with them.
Mara pressed TIME (minor).
Buzz.
A message flashed:
PAYMENT PROCESSED: TIME (minor) — 3 months
Mara's stomach dropped. Three months. Gone. Like it was nothing to them.
The door clicked open.
They pushed through.
Cold night air hit Mara's face. It smelled like rain and car smoke and freedom that wasn't free.
They ran into the alley behind the building.
Jace waved them forward, urgent but silent. Lark held up another paper sign.
DOWN
They followed.
Behind them, the door banged open. A guard stepped into the alley.
He raised his radio.
Jace pulled out his phone. Mara saw the PROXY screen flash for half a second.
Jace pressed something fast. His face twisted like it hurt.
A deep buzz.
Payment processed: memory (minor).
Jace blinked. His eyes went blank for one second, then came back angry.
At the same moment, the guard's radio crackled. A new voice came through, calm and sharp.
"Subject rerouted. Return to main entrance."
The guard froze, confused. He looked left. Then right. Then he turned and ran the wrong way.
Mara's chest hurt.
Jace had used the system against itself.
And it charged him for it.
They moved fast down the alley. Lark's phone vibrated in their hand like a trapped insect. Lark's face was tight with fear.
Lark held up their phone for Jace to see.
A countdown was on it.
AUTO-REPORT IN: 00:45
Lark wrote on a paper scrap and showed it to Mara:
I CAN'T STOP IT.
Mara's stomach dropped.
If Lark's phone reported their location, security would come again. Maybe worse than security.
Theo held up his camera and pointed to his backpack, then to Lark's phone, asking with his eyes: can I record this too?
Lark nodded once.
Theo filmed the countdown with his camera, hands shaking.
Jace grabbed Lark's wrist and pulled them into the shadow under a metal stair. Then he pulled a small foil pouch from his pocket. It looked like a snack wrapper, but thicker.
He shoved Lark's phone into it and folded it tight.
The phone screen went dark.
Lark's eyes widened, shocked.
Jace wrote on his own phone notes and showed them:
FARADAY BAG.NO SIGNAL.BUYS TIME.
Lark swallowed hard and nodded.
Mara's heart beat fast. She didn't know if it really worked, but even a few seconds mattered.
They crossed the street, staying away from lights.
They reached the café corner where the camera angle was bad.
For one second, Mara thought they were safe.
Then a nearby security screen mounted on a pole turned on. Maybe backup power. Maybe "maintenance."
It showed a live camera view of the street.
The screen flickered, then zoomed.
It found Mara.
Mara saw her own face on the screen.
Under it was a label in clean white text.
NON-PERSON
Then the text changed again, like the system was correcting itself.
SUBJECT DOES NOT EXIST
Mara's breath stopped.
She stared at her own face while the screen told the world she wasn't real.
Nina grabbed Mara's arm, shaking. Theo's camera trembled as he filmed the screen without meaning to. Jace stared at the words like he wanted to rip the sign down.
Mara's phone buzzed in her pocket, slow and pleased.
A message appeared without her touching it.
You are now a non-person.
Mara's knees felt weak.
Because the chase wasn't just guards and doors.
It was the world learning to let her disappear.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
All rights reserved.