The Wrath Watch

After SF left, Fallow remained in the room alone, lying back on the bed to rest a while longer. Hours passed before she finally stirred, groggily sitting up and stretching. She decided it was time to return to the Fallo unit’s quarters. As she stood, she glanced at the pillow where she had hidden her phone—left behind in SF’s room, intentionally.

The sterile corridors stretched endlessly as she walked, the soft hum of the facility’s lights buzzing in the silence. Then, a voice called out from behind her.

“Fallow, long time no see.”

She turned swiftly, her body tensing. Carol stood there, a chilling smile stretched across her lips.

“So, SF gave you his key, huh? I bet he handed over that phone as well,” Carol amusedly said while stepping closer. She moved in a slow, deliberate circle around Fallow, her eyes scanning with an almost predatory interest. “Hmm… he seems to have made a good choice.”

Without another word, Carol suddenly turned and strode off, with her pace brisk.

“Wait—what do you mean?!” Fallow shouted after her. But Carol didn’t respond.

A knot of unease tightened in Fallow’s stomach, but she forced herself to push it aside as she continued toward the Fallo unit’s quarters.

When she arrived, she was immediately met with an unfamiliar sight, Two Overseers stood waiting outside of the door leading into Fallo unit fifty one’s quarter.

The layout of the room had changed. Beds and belongings were rearranged, and new faces occupied spaces where her fallen comrades once lived.

“Slick!” she called out.

Slick emerged from the left side of the room. His movements were slow, deliberate, his voice as hushed as ever. “Yes, Commander?”

Fallow’s sharp eyes swept the room, scanning the unfamiliar soldiers. “Who are they?”

Slick cast a brief glance at the newcomers before replying flatly, “Well apparently there was some problems with their quarters so they will be sharing with ours for the time being.”

A man with spiky red hair sauntered forward, flanked by a few others. A cocky smirk curled on his lips as he looked Fallow up and down.

“So, you’re the commander here, huh?” His voice dripped with amusement. “What, your SF unit kicked you out after just one night?”

Laughter erupted from the group behind him. Fallow, however, remained unimpressed, her expression unreadable.

“You’ve got some weird ideas,” she muttered, turning toward her original unit’s section of the room.

“Ooooh, look at that—just walking away.” A blond man sidled up next to the red-haired soldier, his grin malicious. “Maybe she’s too tired to fight. Something tells me she had a rough night’s sleep.” “nice on Perc” another man with dark hair high-fived the blond guy as A woman chimed in, her tone laced with mock sympathy. “It’s a shame Fallo units turn over themselves so easily. But I guess that’s how you climbed the ranks, huh?”

The words hit harder than Fallow had anticipated. She clenched her fists, stopping mid-step.

Seeing how visibly shaken she was, the blond boy smirked, stepping closer, ready to twist the knife.

“Well, she had to make something of herself, other than—”

His words cut off in a strangled gasp. A hand slammed against his chest, shoving him so hard he staggered backward, lost his balance, and crashed to the ground.

Looking up, the blond boy—Perc—found himself staring at a man with a scar down his face and a red scarf loose around his neck, one hand still casually tucked into his pocket.

“What the hell, dude?” Perc spat, scrambling back to his feet “Wrath is this going unpunished?” Perc said looking at the red hair guy who shrugged. perc expression hardened as he swung at the man in the scarf, but his fist was effortlessly caught. In one sharp yank, Perc was pulled forward, losing footing again and slamming face-first into the ground.

A boot pressed down hard on the back of his head, grinding it into the ground.

“I’m… sorry,” Perc muttered. The man rolled his eyes as he started to lift his foot, only to be tackled from behind by another man who locked his arms up from behind, pinning him where they both half-sat, half-wrestled on the ground.

Perc pushed himself up, wiping dirt from his mouth. “Listen here—just because you’re the same type of trash as her that goes and entertains their masters doesn’t mean you gotta take offense, Tace.”

“You okay, Perc?” Letum grunted, still struggling to hold Tace.

“Yeah, of course. Just gotta get a little payback.” Perc moved right up to Tace, lifted his boot, and hovered it inches from Tace’s face. “Ready, Tace?” he mocked.

Tace exhaled—then slammed his head backward into Letum’s nose. Letum yelped and loosened his grip just enough. In the same motion, Tace kicked Perc’s supporting leg out from under him. Perc staggered back, arms flailing—right into the arms of a girl with bright red gloves that put him in a choke hold.

“So now you’re in on this too, Ussit?” Tace said with a dry smile as Ussit tightened her hold on Perc.

She just grinned, shrugging. “Couldn’t resist.”

Letum staggered upright, clutching his nose—only to eat a sudden right hook from Slick, who’d stepped in out of nowhere.

“Slick long time no see uh?” Tace said

“indeed, guess the reunion could have been better uh?” Slick said while shaking his hand in the air as if shaking of the pain from punching Letum.

“Hey Ira—little help here?” Perc wheezed, clawing at Ussit’s grip.

The girl who’d been taunting Fallow earlier—clearly Ira—rolled her eyes. “Hey, Adligat!”

A man with a single red sleeve dropped from a top bunk, cracking his neck. He slapped the shoulder of a broad-shouldered man nearby, whose arm was inked with a red lightning tattoo. “Come on, Splinter. Looks like we’re needed.”

Splinter sighed, rose lazily, and together they crossed the room.

Ussit didn’t flinch, simply turned and kicked Perc forward—straight into Adligat and Splinter’s waiting arms. Ira sauntered up to join them.

Ussit backed up until she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Tace and Slick.

From the left side of the room, Wo, Ruth, and See came hustling in. Wo cracked a smile, glaring at Slick. “So you just ran off to face the Wrath Watch without me, huh?”

Fallow quietly stepped in beside See, fists clenched.

Off to the side, Wrath stood watching the scene unfold, arms crossed, flanked by a girl with glasses and another with striking red hair.

Tension hung thick in the air, like a spark waiting for the fuse.