2025-02-27 13:00:01Ghost in The Code
The cursor blinks at me, waiting. Taunting. My fingers hover over the keyboard, hesitant, knowing that once I start, there’s no turning back. The files in front of me—heavily redacted, barely readable—are a graveyard of secrets. Each line of text feels like a headstone, with names and truths buried under black ink meant to keep the past silent. But ghosts don’t stay buried forever. Riley’s voice cuts through the silence. “This doesn’t make sense.” Her brows pull together, lips pressed tight. That look—I know it well. Frustration. “Why would they go to this much trouble to redact everything unless they were hiding something?” I don’t answer. Not because I don’t have thoughts—oh, I have plenty—but none of them are comforting. I close my eyes for just a second. The memory rushes in, unwanted. Julian. Blood on his lips. Breaths too fast, too shallow. His fingers gripping my sleeve like holding on to me could somehow hold back death. And then, his final words— "They lied to us…" A whisper. A confession. A warning. And then he was gone. I swallow hard, forcing the bile down. When I open my eyes, Riley is still typing, her focus sharp, but she sneaks a glance at me. “You okay?” I nod. A lie, but we both pretend it’s the truth. “Keep going.” I turn back to the files, scanning the fragmented text, but Julian’s words won’t stop echoing in my head. He wasn’t just speaking to me. He was trying to tell me something. Then—like a glitch in a system—the memory shifts. Suddenly, I’m not kneeling over Julian anymore. I’m holding a gun. My breath is ragged, my heartbeat hammering in my ears. A figure moves—blurred, fast. I fire. The recoil jolts through my shoulder. The figure falls. A sick feeling twists in my stomach. Was this real? Had I shot someone that night? Had I— My pulse spikes. What if Julian wasn’t the only one betrayed? What if I had been, too? I force myself to breathe, hands clenching and unclenching as I push the thought away. “Check the security logs,” I tell Riley, my voice rough. She hesitates, just for a second, then nods. A few keystrokes later, a new window pops up. At first, it’s nothing—just a routine list of timestamps and entries. But then— Riley stiffens. “Nathan.” Her voice is different now. Sharper. I step beside her, eyes locking on the screen. The logs track Julian’s movements. His locations. And then—another name. Another operative. The data is corrupted, but two letters remain: El— My breath catches. Elias. I step back as if distance might help make sense of this. It doesn’t. “That’s impossible,” I whisper. “Elias is dead.” Riley doesn’t respond right away. Her eyes meet mine, and I can see it—the numbers running through her mind, the logic trying to hold. But the facts aren’t facts anymore. Then, the screen flickers. It happens so fast that I almost think I imagined it. A distortion, a ripple in the code, like something buried beneath the surface is trying to claw its way out. Then—sound. Static at first. Crackling, uneven. Then— A voice. “If you’re hearing this, you’re already in danger.” Everything stops. The voice is warped, twisted by interference, but it’s there. It’s him. Elias. My mouth goes dry. Riley’s fingers fly over the keyboard, trying to stabilize the feed, but the audio cuts out just as fast as it came. Silence. I force myself to breathe, but my lungs don’t seem to want to work. “He’s dead,” I say, the words sounding foreign. “We buried him.” Riley shakes her head. “I don’t know what this means.” Her grip tightens on the desk, knuckles white. “But I do know one thing—whoever tried to erase this? They missed something.” I swallow hard. The past is clawing at me, trying to pull me back, but I can’t afford to let it. “Play it again,” I say. Riley hesitates. “Nathan—” “Play it again.” She exhales sharply, then rewinds the corrupted audio. “If you’re hearing this, you’re already in danger.” The words scrape against my nerves like a dull blade. Elias. A ghost in the machine. And I know, deep in my gut—this is only the beginning. ---
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SHADOWS OF THE OAT CHAPTER 1
Darkness clings to me like a heavy blanket. My body aches, my muscles are tight, and there’s a sharp, burning pain in my side. I take a slow breath, trying to steady my head, but even that hurts.The smell of blood is thick in the air.I blink, trying to focus. The motel room around me is a disaster. Broken glass covers the floor, catching the flickering neon light from outside. A chair is overturned. Bullet holes mark the walls.And my hands…They’re covered in blood.Panic grips me. What happened?My heartbeat pounds in my chest. I press my fingers against my temple, trying to remember. But there’s nothing. A black void where the last two days should be.A sharp pain pulls my attention to my side. My shirt is ripped, dark with dried blood. Someone—me?—stitched a wound just above my hip. It’s messy but holding. I touch it, wincing. It’s real. This is real.But I have no idea how I got here.I push myself up, unsteady on my feet. I glance at the cracked mirror above the dresser. The r
SHADOWS OF THE OAT CHAPTER 2
I take a deep breath, and my body moves before I can think. There’s no time to hesitate.The motel room is a wreck—bullet holes in the walls, shattered glass on the floor, and my blood staining the sheets. I have to get out. Now.I scan the room, searching for anything useful. My fingers find something hard under the nightstand—a burner phone. But the back is open, and the battery is missing. Someone disabled it. Maybe as a warning.I reach into my pocket and pull out a small, folded note. My heartbeat pounds as I read the words written in my own handwriting:"Don’t trust your memories."A chill runs down my spine. What does that mean?Below the message, there are coordinates. I don’t recognize them, but they’re my only clue.Before I can process anything, the motel phone rings.The sharp sound cuts through my nerves like a knife.I freeze. My pulse races. No one should know I’m here.Except for the person who left me that note.The phone rings again.I pick it up, forcing myself to s
SHADOWS OF THE OAT CHAPTER 3
Rain pours down hard, slicking the streets and turning the city into a glowing maze of neon reflections. Every light stretches across the wet pavement like a twisted, endless road. I weave through traffic, pushing the stolen motorcycle faster, ignoring the angry honks and flashing headlights.The city is awake, moving, alive. It doesn’t care that I’m being hunted. It doesn’t stop for the man running for his life.I keep my breathing steady, my mind focused. But under the surface, something stirs. Fear? Doubt? Or something worse—guilt?I don’t know if I did what they say I did. That’s the worst part. The unknown. My own memories feel broken, like a puzzle with missing pieces. I don’t know what’s real. I don’t know who I can trust. I only know that stopping means death.I twist the throttle, forcing the bike to go faster. The cold wind lashes against my face, biting into my skin. It hurts, but it keeps me awake. Keeps me sharp. I had to ditch my old clothes, had to get rid of the blood,
SHADOWS OF THE OAT CHAPTER 4
The warehouse stands ahead, its rusted walls blending into the dark edges of the city. The coordinates led me here. Something in my gut tells me I’ve been here before. But my memory? Blank.I stop the bike a block away, rolling it into the shadows. Never walk straight into the unknown. Always have an escape plan.The air smells like oil and decay. The windows are broken. The wood is rotting. A perfect hiding place for someone who doesn’t want to be found. Or someone who doesn’t want to remember.I run my hand along the steel doorframe, feeling for anything strange. My fingers catch on a small groove—a tiny mark left by someone who knew this place well. Someone like me.The lock needs a six-digit code. My hands move before I can think. My fingers press the numbers on their own.Beep. The lock clicks open.Inside, the room is empty except for a few mattresses, a stash of weapons, a rusted sink, and a small desk with an old laptop.The second I step in, my chest tightens. Familiar. Not s
SHADOWS OF THE OAT CHAPTER 5
The sound of the collapsing building still pounds in my ears as I run. My breath is fast and sharp, cutting through the cold night air. The backpack slams against my back with every step, the laptop inside pressing against my spine. The Oath isn’t just trying to scare me—they want me dead.The city around me is a maze of flickering streetlights, old brick walls, and neon lights reflecting in puddles from last night’s rain. I dart through the alleyways, my boots barely making a sound on the wet pavement.Behind me, shadows move together. No rushing. No wasted steps. They know me. They know how I fight.I push harder.The alley ahead gets narrower. The walls close in. I jump over a chain-link fence, my muscles burning as I hit the ground hard on the other side. I twist as I land, pulling out my Glock 19 and firing two shots at the closest shadow. One body drops, but I don’t have time to check.They keep coming.A figure lunges from the side. A punch slams into my ribs. Wrong move. My bo
SHADOWS OF THE OAT CHAPTER 6
The engine hums under my hands as I drive through the city, weaving between cars, pushing the SUV harder than I should. My knuckles grip the wheel tight, blood from the earlier fight drying on my skin.I don’t know where I’m going—just away.The neon lights blur past, their colors reflecting off the windshield. My heart is still racing, adrenaline refusing to fade. My body aches, bruises forming under my clothes, but none of that matters right now.I reach into my pocket, fingers brushing against a crumpled note. I already know what it says, but I pull it out anyway.Elias Graves.The name feels heavy, like a weight pressing down on me.The second I read it, pain explodes in my head. A sharp, blinding ache cuts through my skull. Images flash—fast, chaotic. A man’s voice, rough and urgent. A promise, broken. Gunfire.I jerk the wheel, barely missing a parked car. My breath is ragged.The name means something.The flashes fade, leaving a dull throb in my head and a cold unease in my gut
SHADOWS OF THE OAT CHAPTER 7
The cheap motel room smells like old cigarettes and damp carpet. The kind of place where people disappear, where the walls hold too many secrets. It’s perfect for hiding. And right now, that’s exactly what I need.Outside, a flickering neon sign casts red and blue flashes through the thin curtains, painting the walls like a broken strobe light. I watch the colors shift, almost hypnotized, but not enough to ignore the heavy weight in my chest.I sit on the edge of the bed, head in my hands, fingers pressing against my temples. The headache is sharp, relentless, pounding at the back of my skull. I shut my eyes, trying to focus. Trying to remember.A name keeps echoing in my mind.Elias Graves.It won’t go away. It’s like a splinter under my skin—always there, always itching. I’ve spent hours searching, calling in favors, hacking into databases that should have been impossible to access. Nothing.No records. No background. It’s like he never existed.And yet, I know he’s important.I lea
SHADOWS OF THE OAT CHAPTER 8
The USB drive is small, cold against my fingers. I turn it over, feeling its weight. Not just plastic and metal—something more. Something important. I found it in my jacket, hidden in a secret pocket I don’t even remember using. My mind races. How long has it been there? Did I hide it myself? Or did someone else?My pulse is steady, but my breathing is shallow. I don’t like unknowns. And right now, my whole life is an unknown.I grab the disposable laptop from the motel desk and power it up. It’s slow, the kind of cheap tech I use when I don’t want to be traced. The motel’s Wi-Fi is useless, but I’m not connecting to anything. I slide the USB into the port, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.The files are a mess. Corrupt data. Half-erased fragments. Someone tried to destroy this information, but they didn’t do a clean job.One document is still readable.I lean forward, the glow of the screen the only light in the room.You made the right choice, Nathan. But they will never let yo
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CHAPTER 22
Ghost in The Code The cursor blinks at me, waiting. Taunting. My fingers hover over the keyboard, hesitant, knowing that once I start, there’s no turning back. The files in front of me—heavily redacted, barely readable—are a graveyard of secrets. Each line of text feels like a headstone, with names and truths buried under black ink meant to keep the past silent.But ghosts don’t stay buried forever.Riley’s voice cuts through the silence. “This doesn’t make sense.” Her brows pull together, lips pressed tight. That look—I know it well. Frustration. “Why would they go to this much trouble to redact everything unless they were hiding something?”I don’t answer. Not because I don’t have thoughts—oh, I have plenty—but none of them are comforting.I close my eyes for just a second. The memory rushes in, unwanted.Julian. Blood on his lips. Breaths too fast, too shallow. His fingers gripping my sleeve like holding on to me could someho
CHAPTER 21
Echoes of the PastThe low hum of Riley’s laptop filled the dimly lit room, the blue glow casting restless shadows along the walls. She was in full hacker mode—head down, fingers a blur across the keyboard, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she cut through layer after layer of encryption.I paced behind her, restless. My head throbbed like a live wire, a pulsing ache just behind my eyes.“Come on, come on…” Riley muttered.I pressed my fingers against my temple, exhaling sharply. “How much longer?”She huffed, her voice tight with concentration. “Do you want it fast, or do you want it done right?”The air between us crackled with impatience. I raked a hand through my hair and glanced at the screen. Strings of code unraveled in real time, revealing classified mission logs. My name was all over them. Too many times.Then—something shifted.The pain in my head sharpened, slicing through my skull like a hot blade. My vision blurred.And suddenly, I wasn’t in the room anymore.---
CHAPTER 20
Rain slicked the pavement beneath my boots as I stalked toward the abandoned warehouse, my pulse a steady drumbeat in my ears. Riley was three steps behind me, silent, her presence a shadow at my back.I knew this was suicide.Breaking into The Oath’s headquarters was one thing. Confronting Julian inside it? That was a death wish wrapped in arrogance.But there was no other way.The questions burned too deep. This wasn’t just about what Julian did. It was about what I did.I had spent years running from my past. Now, I was about to rip it open like an old wound.Riley’s voice was quiet but sharp. “This is insane.”“I know.”“You’re walking into the lion’s den.”“I know.”She exhaled hard, then grabbed my arm. “Then tell me why.”I turned to face her, and for a moment, I saw something in her eyes—fear. Not for herself. For me.Because she knew me well enough to understand one t
CHAPTER 19
Rain hammered against the cracked windshield as I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles white. Riley sat in the passenger seat, her laptop open, fingers flying over the keyboard. The glow of the screen flickered across her face, but I barely saw it.All I saw was the past.Julian.A name that burned like acid in my throat."You’re spiraling," Riley muttered, her voice tight.I wasn’t.I was drowning.Julian wasn’t just another ghost in the dark. He was once my brother, not by blood but by bond. We bled together, fought together, saved each other too many times to count. And now, he was the one pulling the strings. The Oath wasn’t hunting me because I was a loose end.They were hunting me because Julian ordered it."You gonna tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?" Riley asked.I exhaled slowly, staring at the road ahead. The wipers dragged across the windshield, smearing water
CHAPTER 18
The motel room smelled like stale coffee and bad decisions. Riley sat cross-legged on the bed, her laptop balanced on her knees, fingers flying over the keyboard. The glow of the screen illuminated her face—sharp, focused, determined.I stood by the window, watching the empty parking lot, gun resting on the nightstand beside me. My ribs ached from earlier, but pain was the least of my concerns.We weren’t safe.Not yet."Tell me you have something," I muttered, turning to her.Riley didn’t answer right away. Her eyes darted across the screen, her brow furrowing deeper with each passing second.Then she whispered, "No. No way."Something about her tone made my stomach tighten. "What is it?"She exhaled sharply, rubbing her forehead before looking up at me. Her expression was unreadable—shock, anger, maybe even fear."Nathan… you need to sit down."I didn’t. I couldn’t."Talk."
CHAPTER 17
The engine roared beneath me as I tore through the city streets, headlights slicing through the dark. Riley had gone north—I was heading south.We needed distance. And a plan.I gritted my teeth, my pulse hammering. The Oath wasn’t going to let us walk away from this. They’d keep coming.Unless I stopped them first.My earpiece crackled. "Nathan, I made it to the fallback point," Riley’s voice came, tense but steady."Good. Stay put. I’m going to buy you time.""You mean you’re going to do something reckless.""Same thing."Silence. Then, "Just don’t get yourself killed."No promises.I cut the lights on the SUV and veered off the main road, tires skidding across cracked asphalt. The industrial district—perfect. Empty buildings. Limited exits. A damn good place for an ambush.I needed them to follow.I reached under my jacket, pulled out my burner phone, and sent a single text
CHAPTER 16
The moment Riley disappeared into the night, I forced my mind into lockdown.No distractions. No hesitation.Just survival.The Oath was closing in, and I knew they wouldn’t stop at foot soldiers. They wanted me erased. And now, James—**someone I thought was dead—**was standing in front of me, gun raised."You’re dead," I said, gripping my own weapon tighter.James smirked. "Not quite. But you might be soon."I didn’t wait for him to pull the trigger.Move.I dove sideways as his first shot cracked through the air. The bullet tore into the asphalt where my head had been a second ago. I hit the ground rolling and fired twice—but he was already gone.Melted into the shadows.Typical James—fast, precise, always one step ahead.I stayed low, scanning for movement.Where are you?A faint scuff of a boot—behind me.I twisted—just in time to block the knife swinging
CHAPTER 15
I had seen death before. Felt its breath on my neck. But nothing compared to the cold terror that ran down my spine as Riley’s screen flickered, glitched, and then displayed a single message in bold, chilling letters:“You should have stayed hidden, Nathan.”My chest tightened.Riley froze, her fingers hovering uselessly over the keyboard. The hum of her computer, usually steady, now felt like a warning. The color drained from her face."Shit," she whispered. "They found us."A second later, the power cut out. Darkness swallowed the room, except for the faint red glow of the emergency battery. I reached for my gun. Every muscle in my body locked up, wired tight.Then—Glass shattered.A high-pitched whine filled my ears as a bullet tore through Riley’s monitor, sending sparks and shards flying. We hit the ground, my arm wrapping around her instinctively as more shots thundered through the air. The sharp scent of
CHAPTER 14
Riley is too quiet.Not her usual kind of silence—the one where she’s working, focused, fingers flying over the keyboard. This is different.This is the kind of silence that makes my skin crawl. That makes my pulse stutter before my brain even catches up.I step closer. "What is it?"She doesn’t answer. Just stares at the screen like it holds something impossible. Like the words on it changed everything."Riley," I snap. "Talk to me."She flinches. Slowly, she turns to face me, and the look in her eyes hits me like a gut punch.Fear.Not the kind where something feels off.The kind that’s personal.The kind that has my name written all over it.My stomach knots. "What the hell did you find?"She hesitates, then takes a deep breath and spins the laptop toward me.At first, I don’t understand what I’m looking at. A security log. A list of names.And then I see mine.Nathan Vale.My heartbeat slams against my ribs.Next to my name: A timestamp. A location. A red warning.PRESENT AT CLASS
