Chapter 69 Laney
Laney
It’s the power that goes first.
Not the whole town.
Just three blocks.
Including the clinic.
Including the assisted living home.
By the time we arrive, people are already shouting.
Generators are trying to kick on.
Nurses are running between rooms.
A man with an oxygen tank stumbles near the entrance.
Then collapses.
“Help!” someone screams.
Dr. Hayes is already shouting orders.
Saint moves before anyone else does.
We drop beside the man.
His breathing is shallow.
Too slow.
“Tank’s empty,” someone says.
Saint grabs the backup and snaps it into place.
“Come on,” he mutters. “Come on…”
The man gasps.
Air floods back into his lungs.
But he’s not the only one.
Inside the building, alarms are chirping.
Machines blinking.
People panicking.
Ambulances take too long.
Too far away.
Too many calls already stacking up.
By the time it’s over, the power crews finally restore electricity.
The man is alive.
Barely.
I’m still shaking when we step outside.
Someone almost died.
Not from illness.
Not from an accident.
From paperwork.
From pressure.
From monsters who never have to touch the damage they cause.
I look at Saint.
His face is calm.
Too calm.
And suddenly I understand something.
This isn’t just about saving the town anymore.
For him—
It’s about ending the war.