Terms of Survival

Jessica’s eyes flickered over the man standing before them. The man didn’t smile. Not really. But something about his stillness said he didn’t need to. The rain drummed a steady rhythm outside the warehouse, and the flickering bulb overhead cast uneasy shadows across the room.

She had learned a long time ago that trust was a dangerous thing—more often than not, a fatal mistake. She thought of an old saying, one that had proven true more times than she cared to count: Trust no one. Not just a rule, more like a scar etched in bone from the first time she learned friends could wear uniforms. Or lab coats.

Leanna folded her arms, shifting her weight as she glanced at Jessica. "We gave blood for those files. Nobody walks away with them for free."

The man raised an eyebrow, looking almost amused. "That’s fair. But let’s be clear—you can either take my offer and survive, or keep running and hope Vanguard doesn’t find you first."

Jessica clenched her jaw. "Every time we trusted someone, we ended up betrayed. Vanguard has eyes everywhere. So tell me—why the hell should we trust you?"

Daniel adjusted his stance, his body subtly angling toward the nearest exit. Olivia kept a tight grip on the files, knuckles turning white. Their paranoia had been earned—again and again, betrayal had been a certainty.

The man sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. "I get it. You’ve been burned. But consider this—you’re still alive. That means you’re good at surviving, but it also means you know when to take a risk. And right now? This is the risk that gets you out of the crosshairs."

Jessica glanced at Leanna, then at Olivia and Daniel. The silence stretched, thick with unspoken doubt. She hated this. Every instinct screamed that giving anything away was a mistake. But if they didn’t take a chance, how long before they ran out of them?

"Fine," she said finally, voice edged with steel. ""You don’t get everything," Jessica said flatly. "You get enough to hurt them. Nothing else."

The man’s lips quirked, not amusement, not approval. Just recognition. Predator recognizing predator. "Smart. I can work with that."

Jessica exhaled, tension coiled in her gut.Paranoia had kept them alive this long. But even paranoia needed oxygen. And they were running out of room to bre