His cry grates like metal against metal, and I flinch. I can’t help it. I’m afraid of him—afraid of what the Residents did to him and what he might do to me. Human or not, I can’t let him attempt another Exchange. What if next time I can’t break free?

I will find what they took from me and make myself whole.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper toward the scrambled consciousness, and run for the cover of trees.

The whimpers turn to angry moans. I duck beneath a low branch, swatting at oversized leaves and stumbling over tangles of roots that latch to the soil like talons. The brush of vegetation as I run through the trees makes my heart race. I’m expecting the man’s consciousness to appear at any moment, pushing its way through the forest like a cloud of plasma. Hunting me.

I feel the Cut tear through him again—through me—and I clutch my chest like I’m trying to hold myself together. My heart thunders with fear. How many humans have gone through the same fate? How many times have the Residents separated a person’s mind from their body?

And how far have they come since then?

I need to get back to the Colony. I need to warn everyone.

We are running out of time.

The wailing echoes behind me, and I fight the tears streaming down my cheeks. He’s hurting, and alone, and lost. And there’s nothing I can do to help him.

I’m afraid for myself. I’m afraid for the Colony and for every human still fighting to stay aware.

I’m afraid of what all of this means for our future in Infinity.

Philo… He didn’t even know who he was. What he was. He’s just drifting through Infinity, unable to make sense of his desperation, but carrying its weight all the same.

Is this Mei’s future?

How long before the Cut removes us from Infinity for good?

Terror echoes in my skull. What if we can’t reverse this? What if it’s already too late?

My foot gives out beneath me, and I tumble forward into wet leaves and thick mud. I lift my shaking hands, failing to control my fear. It’s burning through me; it’s all I can think about.

I try to stand, but I can’t seem to find the strength. Thick sobs burst out of me. I feel his pain. His torment. I feel his will fade away and his surrender take over.

I feel myself giving up.

The snap of a branch nearby makes my gaze lock on to the trees. I’m so focused on finding the floating consciousness that I don’t notice the large beast looming above me until it’s too late.