MILES POV
Every step I took echoed louder than it should have, the chains at my wrists clinking behind me with each movement. Too loud. Everything felt too loud.
I didn't need to look up to know they were staring. I felt it. Heavy. Pressing into my skin like heat.
Still, my eyes lifted.
Rows of faces. Some leaned forward, curious. Others sat stiff, backs straight, like moving too much might draw attention to them. A man near the front shifted in his seat, his fingers tightening around the edge of the bench. Another pulled his child a little closer, not taking his eyes off me.
Someone whispered.
It didn't stay quiet for long—another voice joined, then another, low and sharp, like they didn't want to be heard but couldn't help themselves.
I caught fragments.
"…that's him…"
"…still alive…"
"…look at his eyes…"
A woman flinched when my gaze brushed past her. She looked away immediately, like eye contact alone was dangerous.
Not everyone looked afraid.
Some looked… angry.
A man in the corner leaned back in his chair, arms folded, jaw tight. His eyes didn't leave me—not for a second. Not fear. Not curiosity. Just irritation, like my presence alone was an insult.
The cuffs bit into my wrists as I adjusted my hands behind my back. The metal felt colder now. Heavier.
I kept walking.
No one stepped in my path, but the space around me widened anyway. People shifted, just enough to keep distance, like I might snap if I got too close.
Like I wasn't… me.
My jaw tightened, so this is what they see. Not a soldier, not one of them. Something else.
Something they'd already decided wasn't worth saving.
My gaze dropped to the floor for a moment. I wanted it to stay there, it felt easier that way, like if I didn't look up then none of this would feel real. But I still did. My eyes lifted, slowly, and locked onto someone familiar.
Ava.
She stood there, almost like she wasn't supposed to be there, staring back at me. My chest loosened without my permission, a small smile tugging at my lips as I took a step toward her.
"Ava…" I breathed.
She flinched.
I paused, the smile hanging awkwardly on my face. Maybe I imagined it. Maybe it was just the tension in the room. I took another step.
She stepped back.
Not much, but enough. Enough to make it real.
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, trembling.
Fear.
The smile faded before I even realized it was gone.
"Ava," I called again, softer this time, like saying her name differently would fix something.
It didn't.
"Stay away from me… monster."
The word didn't hit me all at once. It sank in slowly, heavy, like something settling deep in my chest. She turned her face away before I could say anything else.
I stood there for a second longer than I should have.
"Keep walking." Tessa's voice came from behind me, low and firm.
My legs moved again, even though something in me didn't want to. She stopped me at the front of the court and stepped slightly ahead, saluting the men seated above. I didn't need to be told who they were. Judges. The ones deciding if I lived or died. She stepped aside.
I glanced back at Ava. She had already turned away.
Two men stepped in from behind me before I could react. They forced me down, my knees slamming hard against the floor as pain shot up my legs. The chains clattered loudly in the silence.
A sharp crack followed.
The gavel.
"We will now begin the hearing of Miles Walker."
Bootsteps echoed again, slow and deliberate. A man stepped forward, his face already twisted like he'd tasted something bitter. His eyes brushed over me briefly before looking away like I wasn't worth the effort.
"I am Commander Allen," he said. "And I fail to understand why we are giving a monster a trial."
His hand lifted, pointing at me like I wasn't even there.
"Do not be deceived by the human flesh you see. That is the same devil that has terrorized us for years."
Murmurs spread through the court, low at first, then louder. Heads nodded. Some people leaned forward, others sat stiff, watching me like I might move at any second.
"You asked for a witness," Allen continued. "I brought one."
Footsteps approached again.
My stomach tightened before I even turned.
"Ava…" I breathed.
She didn't look at me. Not once.
"She is a citizen of Sector 4," Allen said. "And she shared a close relationship with the defendant." He paused. "Tell us what you saw."
Her fingers clenched together.
"There was an explosion…" her voice trembled. "The commander and others… they died."
My jaw tightened.
"He was there," she added quickly. "He was right there."
The murmurs picked up again.
"But he survived," she said. "At first I thought I was wrong, but during the second attack…" she hesitated, her voice catching, "…the way he moved… it was like he knew they wouldn't attack him."
The room shifted. Louder now.
"Spy," someone muttered.
"Traitor."
"Monster."
I didn't care about them. My eyes stayed on her.
"Why?" I asked.
She heard me. I saw it in the way her shoulders stiffened.
But she didn't answer.
"Silence!" The gavel struck again, louder this time.
The man seated in the middle leaned forward slightly, his gaze settling on me.
"Do you have anything to say?"
I didn't. My head lowered slowly.
"This is outrageous," one of the judges muttered. "He won't even speak."
My eyes snapped up. For a brief second, we locked eyes. He stiffened, then quickly looked away.
I turned slightly. Orion stood to the side, his gaze fixed ahead. He didn't look at me. Cole stood beside him, arms folded, staring directly at me. Waiting.
"If the court allows it, I have something to add."
I didn't need to turn to know who it was.
The red cap.
"I am Colonel Zach," he said, stepping forward. "My men and I were assigned to monitor him." His eyes flicked to me, cold. "When he woke up, the first thing he said was that he was going to kill us."
The room stirred again.
"He wants us dead!"
The gavel slammed down again, the sound ringing through my head.
My hands clenched behind my back, chains tightening as my fingers curled into fists until I felt the faint crack of my knuckles.
The judge in the middle watched me quietly, his face calm compared to the others.
"Defendant," he said firmly. "Do you still have nothing to say?"
I stared at the floor.
How long has it been? Days?
Noah. Shawn. Dylan… Ava.
Faces I wasn't supposed to see again. They didn't get this. No court. No voices arguing over their lives. They just died.
My jaw tightened.
No. Not like this.
"You don't even know why you want me dead."
The words came out low, but they carried. The court fell silent.
"Most of you haven't even seen a Sentinel up close," I continued, lifting my head. "You're guessing. And you're afraid."
The chains rattled as I pushed myself up. A few people flinched.
"I'm not one of them," I said. "But it doesn't matter, does it?"
My chest rose and fell unevenly.
"You've already decided."
I exhaled.
"You're all cowards."
The word hung in the air.
"But I'm not."
My voice steadied.
"So either kill me…" I paused, "…or trust me."
Silence…
Then movement.
The colonel stepped back slowly, his hand reaching for his gun.
A sharp force slammed into my back, sending me down to one knee as the air rushed out of my lungs. Before I could recover, a kick landed across my face, and I hit the floor hard.
Warmth filled my mouth. Something shifted on my tongue and it fell on the ground. My tooth.
Bootsteps approached. A shadow loomed over me. Captain Cole.
I tried to push myself up, but the first hit came before I could speak. Then another, and another. The room didn't move. They just watched.
"Co—Cole…" Allen's voice came, uncertain now. "Stop."
"Why?" Cole muttered, barely pausing. "You want him dead, don't you?"
Allen hesitated. "You might trigger him."
Cole's boot pressed against my throat, cutting off my air. My vision flickered.
"Him?" Cole echoed.
He crouched down, grabbing my hair and yanking my head up. Pain shot through my skull as blood ran down my face. My body trembled—not from weakness, but something deeper.
He leaned close, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Play along."
My eyes widened.
Then his fist came down again.