⚡ Chapter 22 –
I didn't get to say yes. I didn't get to say no.
At "three," their hand clamped around my arm like a steel vice, yanking me forward so hard my shoulder screamed. The world blurred — fire, smoke, twisted steel flashing past as they dragged me through the wreckage.
"Move!" they barked.
The warehouse erupted behind us, a roar of heat and shrapnel that punched the air from my lungs. The blast lifted me off my feet, my boots barely scraping the ground before they slammed back down. I tasted metal, ash grinding between my teeth.
We burst through a collapsing doorway into the open night. Engines roared closer — black trucks tearing down the dirt road, their headlights cutting through the smoke like searchlights.
A black motorbike skidded into view, already running, already aimed at the darkness beyond.They shoved a helmet into my chest. "On. Now."
I fumbled with the straps, hands shaking, as another explosion lit up the night behind us. Bullets ripped through the air — sharp, snapping whines that made me duck instinctively.
They didn't flinch. "Hold on."
The bike surged forward, the back tire spitting gravel. My arms locked around their waist as the wind tore at us, carrying the acrid stench of burning metal and gasoline.
Behind us, the warehouse became a rolling fireball. Ahead, the road narrowed into black nothingness. And somewhere in the chaos, I thought I saw headlights coming straight toward us.