The Seven Shadows of Babylon - Chapter Two: Before the Flash

The neon lights of Miami Beach blurred into a kaleidoscope of color as the night pulsed with music, laughter, and the sweet scent of excess. The world was at war, but you wouldn’t know it here. Even as World War Three tore apart cities half a world away, the beachfront clubs were packed with people who didn’t care—young, wild, and reckless.

Jake Harper was one of them.

He leaned back in his lounge chair, his skin golden from the relentless sun, his hand curled around a glass of whiskey as he surveyed the scene before him. The war was real enough—he’d fought on the frontlines, seen the chaos in China firsthand. But war was a distant thing here, in the safe, buzzing heart of America’s playground.

Jake grinned as a group of women walked by, their laughter blending with the music blasting from the nearby club. He tipped his sunglasses down and gave them a wink, knowing they would come over. They always did.