Chapter Four — The Line Holds at Night
Sadie was the first to notice him.
Seventeen and already sharper than most adults, Sadie didn’t ask questions when she saw the man sitting at our table—scars half-hidden by lamplight, posture too still to belong to anyone from town. She just narrowed her eyes and shifted subtly closer to Payton.
Payton—fourteen, all nerves and fire—stared outright. Defiant even when afraid. Especially then.
Wyatt lingered in the doorway, eleven and quiet, already learning when to listen instead of speak. Colton hovered behind her, ten years old and pretending not to shake. Wheeler slept in Maddie’s arms, three years old, thumb in his mouth, dreaming of a world that hadn’t tried to kill him yet.
Every breath I’d taken since I was a kid was because of them.
“This is Matthew,” I said finally. Not father. Not dad. Just his name. “He’s… staying the night.”
Sadie’s jaw tightened. Payton crossed her arms. Wyatt nodded once, like she was filing the information away for later. Colton looked at Maddie. Wheeler slept on.
No forgiveness. No welcome.
The Veil doesn’t let you forget it’s there—not with the way the wind moans through broken trees, not with the distant calls of things that used to be animals. I lay on my back, bow within reach, knife under my hand, staring at the ceiling and counting breaths that didn’t calm anything.
Morning, we’d move his armor. Before anyone noticed. Before stories grew teeth.
The first sound was wrong.
Not the groan of the generator.
Disciplined. Soft. Too many.
I was on my feet before the thought finished forming.
I shook Maddie awake, fingers tight on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open, already alert.
“Get the kids,” I whispered. “Pack only what you can carry. Farm route.”
I slid out the back,into the snow, not time for a jacket or sweater the cold biting hard enough to make my vision sharpen. Shadows moved between buildings. Silhouettes where people shouldn’t be.
I took the first soldier from behind—arm around his throat, knife up under the jaw, pressure just right. No flourish. No sound. He sagged into the snow like he’d decided to rest there.
The second turned too late.
My hand clamped over his mouth as the blade kissed his neck.
I leaned in close, breath fogging his visor.
“You can come for the grown men,” I growled, voice low and steady, “but touch the kids…”
I pressed harder, just enough for him to feel it.
“…and I’ll kill every last one of you.”
I keyed his open comms and spoke into the night so they’d all hear it.
Then a voice crackled back—controlled, cold.
“Knight Matthew Robson. You are ordered to surrender yourself immediately.”
From inside the house, I heard Maddie moving. Heard Sadie shushing Wheeler. Heard Payton whispering prayers she didn’t believe in. Heard Wyatt take charge of Colton like she’d been doing it all her life.
And I was already standing on it.
They came looking for Matthew Robson and their about to found something worse.
Sorry for the shorter chapter. My wrist is really bugging me today. Thanks for reading and as always any questions or concerns 🤟🏾
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