Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTR5HQ4G6WG1PBHN26HZKYT

The rain lashed at Detective Harlow Quinn's face, each drop stinging like a tiny, icy needle. Her breath misted in the chilled air as she sprinted, her salt-and-pepper hair plastered to her skull. The city lights blurred into a stream of color, the neon signs reflecting off the slick pavement. She'd been chasing Tomás Herrera for what felt like miles, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum. Herrera, a former paramedic turned underground doctor for London's supernatural underbelly, had been their best lead on the clique's activities. But the slippery bastard had bolted the moment she'd shown up at his doorstep, leaving her no choice but to give chase. Quinn's worn leather watch glinted under the streetlights as she glanced at it, her military precision bearing faltering slightly. She was running out of time. The Veil Market, an underground black market that dealt in everything from enchanted goods to banned alchemical substances, was due to move locations with the full moon. If Herrera slipped through her fingers now, she'd lose him for another month. The chase led them down a narrow alley, the stench of rotting garbage and something more sinister filling Quinn's nostrils. She gagged, but her resolve didn't falter. She'd been down worse alleys, seen worse things. Like the unexplained supernatural shit that had taken her partner, DS Morris, from her three years ago. Herrera skidded to a halt at the end of the alley, turning to face Quinn. His warm brown eyes were wild, his olive skin glistening with rain. "You shouldn't be here, Detective," he panted, his Spanish accent thick with fear. "This place... it's not for you." Quinn didn't slow her pace. "Neither are you, Herrera. You're coming with me." He shook his head, backing away. "You don't understand. The Market... it's not like your world. It's dangerous." Quinn stopped a few feet from him, her hands on her hips. "So is mine. Now, are you going to come quietly, or am I going to have to make this difficult for you?" Herrera's gaze flicked over her shoulder, then back to her face. He was weighing his options, Quinn could see it in his eyes. She braced herself, ready for a fight. But instead of lunging at her, Herrera turned and bolted, disappearing down a set of crumbling stone steps leading into the darkness. Quinn cursed, her heart pounding. She couldn't let him get away. Not again. She followed him down the steps, her hand on her gun. The darkness enveloped her, the only light coming from the faint glow of her phone. The air grew colder, damper, the scent of earth and something metallic filling her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose, her eyes watering. The steps led them to a vast, cavernous space. The Veil Market. It was like nothing she'd ever seen. Stalls made of rotting wood and rusted metal stretched out as far as the eye could see, lit by flickering lanterns that cast eerie shadows on the faces of the patrons. Creatures she couldn't even begin to identify bustled about, their eyes glinting in the darkness. Quinn scanned the crowd, her heart pounding. Where was Herrera? She spotted him, his dark curls easy to pick out in the sea of strange faces. He was weaving through the crowd, his head ducked low. She took off after him, her hand still on her gun. The market was a labyrinth, the stalls twisting and turning in ways that defied logic. Quinn lost sight of Herrera more than once, her heart leaping into her throat each time. But she pushed on, her determination unwavering. She wouldn't lose him. Not again. She rounded a corner and spotted him again, this time standing in front of a stall that seemed to be selling nothing but bones. Human bones. Quinn's stomach turned, but she pushed the revulsion aside. She had a job to do. She approached him cautiously, her hand still on her gun. "Herrera," she said, her voice low. "It's over. You can't run anymore." He turned to face her, his eyes wide. "Detective, please," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You don't understand. I can't go with you." Quinn frowned. "Why not?" Before Herrera could answer, a figure stepped out from behind the bone stall. It was a man, or at least, it had been once. Now, it was little more than a skeleton, its flesh rotting away, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. It held a bone in its hand, a wicked-looking thing that seemed to hum with energy. "Because, Detective," it rasped, its voice like the rustling of dry leaves, "he belongs to us now." Quinn's heart leapt into her throat. She'd seen some strange shit in her time on the force, but this... this was something else entirely. She tightened her grip on her gun, her mind racing. She was out of her depth, she knew it. But she also knew that she couldn't leave Herrera to whatever fate awaited him here. She took a deep breath, her eyes locked on the skeletal figure. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that," she said, her voice steady. "He's coming with me." The figure smiled, a grim, skeletal smile that sent a chill down Quinn's spine. "Very well," it said. "But know this, Detective. You've made an enemy today. The Market does not take kindly to those who interfere in its affairs." Quinn didn't flinch. "I'll take my chances," she said. "Now, step aside. I'm not going to ask again." The figure hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside. Quinn grabbed Herrera by the arm, her heart pounding. She'd made it. She'd actually made it. She turned to leave, her eyes scanning the crowd for the quickest route out. But as they stepped away from the bone stall, a figure stepped out in front of them. It was a woman, her eyes glowing with the same otherworldly light as the skeletal figure's. She held a knife in her hand, the blade gleaming in the lantern light. "Going somewhere, Detective?" she asked, her voice like velvet. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Quinn's heart sank. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy. She tightened her grip on her gun, her mind racing. She was outnumbered, outgunned, and out of her depth. But she wasn't out of options. Not yet. She took a deep breath, her eyes locked on the woman's face. "You can try to stop me," she said, her voice steady. "But I promise you, you won't like the outcome." The woman smiled, a slow, predatory smile that sent a chill down Quinn's spine. "We'll see about that," she said. "Shall we begin?" Quinn braced herself, her heart pounding. She was ready. As ready as she could be, anyway. She took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the crowd. It was time to make her move.