Elamigos -

"I need you to be very quiet," Kael whispered, not turning around. His voice was warm, like a frayed blanket. "And I need you to remember something for me."

The Shriekers froze. Their logic engines spasmed. They were built to parse fear and loss. They had no protocol for stew . elamigos

And a hundred miles away, in a collapsed library, another survivor heard the broadcast. And another. And another. "I need you to be very quiet," Kael

But he smiled.