Chapter 34
The drone above us began its descent, dropping through the sky with terrifying speed like a hawk targeting a field mouse.
James yanked the steering wheel hard to the left, diving the heavy truck off the paved road and onto a rough, gravel access path.
A massive explosion rocked the earth just twenty yards behind us, showering the canvas roof of the vehicle with dirt, rocks, and shrapnel.
The drone had fired a localized rocket, completely destroying the section of highway we had occupied just a single second prior.
"Hold on back there!" James shouted, shifting down into lower gear as the truck violently plowed through a dense line of willow trees.
The branches scraped against the metal body with a deafening roar, tearing away the side mirrors and shattering the passenger window.
Collins leaned out of the broken window frame, holding a high-powered tactical rifle and aiming upward at the tracking mechanism of the drone.
She fired three rapid shots, the heavy rounds punching through the sky until one managed to strike the drone's primary camera lens.
The aircraft wobbled, its automated tracking system confused by the sudden loss of visual data, giving us a precious few seconds of cover.
James slammed on the brakes, spinning the truck sideways inside an old, abandoned concrete culvert that ran beneath a disused railway line.
The heavy vehicle skidded to a halt, tucked deep inside the dark concrete tunnel just as the drone recovered and zoomed blindly overhead.
We sat in the damp darkness, the engine idling low, our breathing heavy and ragged as we waited to see if the machine would return.
Claire was whispering a soft, soothing lullaby to Ethan, her body completely covering him to muffle any sound he might make.
"The truck is too exposed now," James said, cutting the ignition and plunging us into an eerie, echoing quiet.
"The drone will report our last known coordinates, and Brooks will send a ground interception team to clean up the mess within fifteen minutes."
Collins stepped out into the mud of the culvert, checking her remaining ammunition clips and sliding a fresh magazine into her sidearm.
"We are only ten miles from the Apex outer perimeter," she noted, looking at her manual compass since all digital navigation was dead.
"If we move on foot through the railway drainage system, we can bypass their external road checkpoints entirely."
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I picked up the silver drive, slipping it inside my inner vest pocket next to my heart, feeling its cold metal edge bite into my skin.
We were abandoning our only transport, walking into a darkened subterranean maze, but it was the only path left that led toward the final battle.
