Buster's Journey

Morning air hits like a clean blade as Buster and Mara step out of the church basement. The map chip warms in Mara's hand, then starts to vibrate.

A hard, artificial glow blooms through the plastic. The chip is not guiding them, it is calling out their exact location.

Leo hangs back on the sidewalk, half shielded behind a parked car, eyes fixed on Mara with old distrust sharpening into fresh alarm. Across the quiet street, a distant camera motor whirs to life.

The chip's glow pulses brighter, painting Buster, Mara, and the curb in a harsh red wash as the street around them suddenly feels watched.

Buster closes the distance in one heavy step, takes the chip from Mara's hand, and snaps it down on the curb. Plastic bursts, the glow dies, and the red wash vanishes from their faces.

The broken halves skitter into the gutter. Mara recoils with a sharp breath, then stares at the dead fragments like she is seeing her mistake for the first time.

Leo eases out from behind the car a fraction, still tense, but the hard edge in their shoulders loosens as the street camera keeps whirring overhead without a target lock.

Buster's injured hand flexes once, the fresh pain small beside the relief of the quiet returning. Mara lowers her empty hand and looks from the curb to him, unsettled but steadier.