Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime-Chapter 12: They’re Here!

Eclipse spun around, knife gripped tightly. "They're here!"

The shadows in the corridor shifted. The figures were visible now, barely more than distortions in the air, like static in a broken video feed. Their forms flickered between human silhouettes and something far more inhuman.

Obscura made a snap decision. "Cover me. Thirty seconds."

Eclipse clicked her tongue. "You're joking, right?"

"Twenty-nine."

"Shit."

The first creature lunged. Eclipse barely had time to react as it swiped at her with unnaturally long fingers. She ducked, pivoting to the side, and slashed upward.

Again—her blade passed through nothing.

But she didn't stop moving. Instead, she reached into her jacket, grabbed a small device, and hurled it to the ground.

Flashbang.

A burst of white light and sound exploded through the corridor. The creatures screamed—an awful, glitching distortion of a sound—before recoiling.

Obscura didn't even flinch as he worked. His fingers danced across the panel, breaking through layers of old security protocols. The screen flickered. OVERRIDE INITIATED.

Eclipse staggered back, ears ringing. The creatures were disoriented, but they weren't retreating.

"Obscura, tell me you're almost done!"

"Seven seconds."

Eclipse tightened her grip on her knife, readying for another round.

The moment the countdown reached zero, the panel beeped. ACCESS GRANTED.

The metal door slid open.

Obscura grabbed Eclipse by the arm and yanked her inside before slamming his fist against the control panel. The door slammed shut behind them, sealing with a heavy clang.

Silence.

Then—BANG.

The creatures slammed against the door.

Eclipse exhaled sharply. "That was too close."

Obscura was already scanning their surroundings. The generator room was massive—filled with rows of industrial-sized machines, pipes running overhead, and thick cables snaking across the floor. A faint hum filled the air, the residual energy still present.

"We need to restore the main power grid," Obscura said, stepping forward.

Eclipse groaned. "Great. And let me guess—it's not gonna be as easy as flipping a switch, is it?"

Obscura reached for a control panel near the largest generator. He wiped away a layer of dust, revealing an old screen with faint, flickering text.

Manual Reboot Required. Activate Power Nodes in Sequence.

He sighed. "No. It's not."

Eclipse ran a hand through her hair. "Of course not. Why would anything ever be easy?"

Behind them, the banging on the door continued.

They had minutes—maybe less—before the creatures found another way inside.

"Then let's move fast," Obscura said. "We don't have much time."

The mission had only just begun.

Eclipse moved quickly, scanning the massive room for anything that resembled a power node. Rows of ancient machinery hummed faintly, as if waiting to be revived. Overhead, pipes rattled slightly—whether from the system or something else moving above them, she wasn't sure.

The pounding on the metal door hadn't stopped. If anything, it was getting louder.

Obscura had already pried open an old maintenance panel near the largest generator, his fingers flying across the controls.

"Found one," Eclipse called, spotting a cylindrical device mounted to the wall. A faint red light pulsed from its center.

Inactive.

She reached out, but before she could touch it, a static-like distortion flickered in the air beside her.

Her instincts screamed.

She barely dodged as a clawed hand slashed at where her neck had been a second ago. The creature flickered into visibility—a humanoid shape, its body shifting between forms like a corrupted hologram.

Eclipse cursed, rolling to the side and pulling out her knife. "They're already in here!"

Obscura didn't even look up. "Hold them off."

"Easy for you to say!"

The creature lunged again. Eclipse barely managed to twist out of the way, but even as she did, she realized—there were more.

They weren't just coming from the door. They were emerging from the very shadows.

"Damn it!"

She struck out with her knife, aiming for where the thing's heart would be—if it even had one. The blade passed through, but unlike before, the creature reacted.

It let out a distorted screech, its form flickering violently.

That's when she realized—it was her fist that caused the reaction.

"Obscura! Physical attacks work!" Eclipse shouted.

Obscura didn't respond, but Eclipse saw him reach for something in his belt—a collapsible baton.

Without hesitation, Obscura swung it at the nearest flickering figure. The impact sent the creature reeling, its form destabilizing before it vanished into nothing.

"Noted," Obscura muttered.

But there were more. Too many.

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Eclipse activated the first power node, slamming her palm against the screen. The red light turned green.

One down. Three to go.

"Next one—where?"

Obscura scanned the room. "Upper level. There should be a catwalk."

Eclipse groaned. "Of course it's up there."

A metallic screech cut through the room. Above them, a ventilation grate was forcefully torn open. Another creature dropped down, landing in a crouch before slowly rising. Its distorted, glitching face turned toward them.

Eclipse tightened her grip on her knife.

"Hope you're ready for a fight," she muttered.

Obscura flicked his baton to full length. "Always."

Then the lights flickered.

And all hell broke loose.