Where the Light Gets In

Hughie wipes sweat from his palms onto his jeans, heart stuttering as he ducks through the battered door of the safehouse. Butcher's voice rumbles from the kitchen, sharp with impatience. 'You got it or not, sunshine?' Hughie fumbles the flash drive from his pocket, nearly dropping it. Starlight stands by the window, pale in the dusty morning light, her eyes flicking nervously toward the street. Mother's Milk leans against the fridge, arms crossed, steady as a stone. Hughie forces himself to meet Butcher's stare and nods. 'Yeah. I got it.' The room feels tight, every breath caught between what they're risking and what they might lose. Outside, sirens rasp through the city, and inside, hope is as fragile as the trembling in Hughie's hands.