Emma walked home scared and confused. What or whoever that took Dave might come after her too. As she approached her house, everywhere seemed so quiet and she noticed the lights were out. She tried the door knob–it's locked. "Aunt Bertha must have gone out" she thought.
Just as she was taking the keys from her bag, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She suddenly screamed and started running to the backyard.
"Hey hey, it's me Nathan, relax". She came back and took a good look at the figure before getting any closer.
"Nathan, sorry, I've had a rough day".
"It's okay, your Aunt told me she won't be around for a couple of days. She tried calling but your phone was out of service. So she told me to pass on the message". Nathan explained.
"Emma?"
"Hmm?" She responded casually
"Have you ditched school or something? Is everything okay? I don't get to see you anymore and you're not your usual happy self". Nathan said with concern written all over his face.
Emma broke down and wept.
Alarmed, Nathan took the keys from her and opened the door, led her inside and sat her down on the couch.
"What's wrong, Emma. You can tell me"
Emma thought about it for a split second. Yes, she would tell him, he has been her best friend since they were kids and she never hides anything from him except this time.
She let out a loud sigh and narrated everything to Nathan–from the time she started experiencing those "dreams" to her meeting with Dave. By the time she had finished, Nathan had his jaw dropped in sheer disbelief.
"Omg, my best friend had powers and she didn't tell me." Nathan exclaimed with laughter.
"What? No no, this is a bad thing", Emma said with a serious look on her face.
Nathan obviously didn't believe her.
After some few minutes, Emma still kept a straight face.
And that was when Nathan knew it was no joke.
"So what will you do now?" Nathan asked, locked in now.
"Right now, I just want to get some sleep." Emma said sleepily
Nathan wasn't leaving her side anytime soon.
Before they realized, they had fallen asleep on the couch.
They woke up to the doorbell ringing. It's 3am in the morning, who could that be?
"It's Dave. Open up."
Emma opened the door, and Dave stormed in, his face a patchwork of bruises, shirt torn and stained with sweat and dried blood.
"Hey hey hey, you can't just barge in here," Nathan barked, leaping to his feet, protective instincts flaring.
"Listen, we don't have much time. They're after me," Dave said between ragged breaths.
"Who?" both Emma and Nathan demanded.
"The Organization. Also known as The Cell. We've got to evacuate—this place isn't safe anymore," Dave said, panic flickering in his eyes.
"It's the middle of the night. And Emma, you know this guy?" Nathan asked, eyeing Dave with disbelief.
Before she could answer, gunshots shattered the silence—sharp, terrifying cracks that made Emma flinch.
"Come out! We have you surrounded!" a voice called from outside, amplified and mechanical.
"They're here," Dave said, stepping close to Emma. "Do you trust me?"
She hesitated—but only for a moment. Her nod was enough.
"Follow me. Don't look back."
As the door behind them buckled under a battering ram, Dave led them through the shadows of Emma's home, revealing a hidden passage behind a loose panel near the laundry room. They crawled through what felt like endless ductwork, hearts pounding with every metal creak.
And then, somehow—they were outside. Unseen. Untouched.
They ran through a sleeping city until their lungs were burning, the threat fading only when they reached the underpass—forgotten, cold, silent.
Emma sank to the ground. "How did we get out of there? How did they not see us?"
Dave paced in a slow circle, eyes scanning the darkness. "They didn't see me. And as long as you were close, they couldn't see you either."
Nathan glared. "You're seriously saying you're invisible now?"
"No. Just cloaked. It's temporary. A side effect from something I stole—a serum. It bends perception. Cloaks neural signatures."
"You're not making any sense," Nathan snapped.
"I know. But you've seen it with your own eyes. You didn't believe it... until you had to."
Emma finally looked up at him. "Why are they chasing me?"
Dave turned, face suddenly serious. "Because you're not just some girl with strange dreams. You're a Keeper. You hold things. Memories. Fragments of people's minds. That's not an accident, Emma. It's not random."
Nathan shook his head. "She's just... she's normal. She's—"
"She's exactly what The Cell has been trying to create for years," Dave interrupted. "Only they failed. But Emma? She's the real thing. And if they get her, they'll rip her apart to learn why."
A heavy silence fell.
Emma whispered, "You used to work for them."
"Yes. I built the interface protocols they use to scan memory fragments. I helped them lock people inside themselves." His voice broke. "But when I found out what they were doing to children... I ran. And I found you. And that's why they tried to kill me".
Emma stared at the ground, her voice low. "I've always seen things. Memories. People's pasts. Even when they're gone. I thought I was broken."
"You're not broken," Dave said. "You're the key."
Nathan exhaled slowly. "So what now? We just keep running?"
"No," Dave said, stepping into the shadows beyond the bridge. "Now we vanish. We go dark. There were others—other Keepers. And well, they're no more...sadly. If The Cell catches us... we're gonna end up like them".
Emma stood. Her eyes, though frightened, held a spark of resolve.