Duskwood. 192 hours after the mine explosion.

The first few days were pure torture. Richy's confession, the mine explosion, and then silence. Not a single call from Jessy. No worried messages from Cleo. Alicia would have welcomed even a message from Dan. And worst of all, she didn't know if Jake had survived.

When Nym-0S suddenly activated on her phone a few hours ago, she nearly spilled her fourth cup of coffee of the day on herself.

"Come on," she murmured impatiently, grabbing the device with trembling hands as the data was being decrypted. A minute later, a video from Detective Bloomgate's body camera appeared in the Nym-0S chat. The timestamp was a few hours after the mine explosion. She rewatched the video a dozen times to make sure it wasn't a hallucination - Alan really had found a torn black hoodie, a backpack, and an Anonymous mask in the Duskwood forest. Jake's things. He'd survived. He'd damn well survived.

She threw the things into her bag in a rush. Jake had promised her they'd meet in Duskwood when the danger had passed. She was tired of waiting.

Alicia reviewed the rest of the data from Nym-0S while driving the rental car on the way to Duskwood - messages from Lilly and Cleo, video messages from Jessy. She learned that the FBI had arrived in Duskwood. The town was cordoned off, entry and exit restricted, cell phone service and internet blocked. There could only be one explanation - Jake was alive and still in Duskwood. He was hiding somewhere. He was there because he'd gone into the mine in her place.

She didn't know how, but she had to get into the town. She had to see her friends. She had to find him.

The lights of police cars appeared ahead, blocking the entrance to Duskwood.

"Showtime," Alicia muttered under her breath. "Hang in there, Jake. You promised me."