dark christmas · horror · suspense · winter setting · supernatural · grim · thriller · mystery · eerie atmosphere · psychological
A year has passed since the apocalypse. Bans and censorship drove Kael and Silas into hiding. Dax, calmed by me, is distracted while I face threats of dismissal at the archive. Meeting my friend at the cafe failed—Dax didn't become the new Kael. The road lies in ruins, and Kael, having learned the boss's name at the club, is preparing an explosion. I find our cozy van, but Silas is waiting inside. He knocks everyone out and tells the truth: Kael is a murderer, in love with the dead Lyra, and wants to blow up the city. Silas hands me handcuffs: they will make me the 'anchor,' a shield against Kael's fury. Agreeing, I follow him to the road, creep up behind the unsuspecting Kael, and close one cuff around his wrist, the other around my own.