Chapter 5 - The Wreckage
The deafening sound of crunching metal echoed in my ears as the sedan spun wildly out of control.
My head slammed hard against the driver's side window, shattering the glass into a thousand tiny pieces.
The car finally came to a grinding halt, entirely buried in a deep snowbank on the side of the road.
Smoke hissed from the crumpled hood, filling the freezing air with the toxic smell of burning oil.
"Eli!" I screamed, tearing off my seatbelt and scrambling into the back seat.
My son was crying softly, clearly terrified, but the seatbelt had perfectly protected him from the impact.
I unbuckled him and pulled him tightly against my chest, kissing the top of his head over and over again.
I looked through the shattered window and saw the black SUV idling a few yards away.
Two massive men dressed in dark tactical gear stepped out of the vehicle and began walking slowly toward us.
They were carrying heavy flashlights and silenced weapons.
I knew we had exactly ten seconds before they reached the car and ended our lives.
I kicked the jammed passenger door open with both of my feet and tumbled out into the deep, freezing snow.
I scooped Eli into my arms and sprinted desperately into the dense, dark woods lining the highway.
The thick pine trees provided instant cover from the sweeping beams of their flashlights.
"Do not make a single sound, baby," I whispered into Eli's ear as we ran blindly through the forest.
We trudged through the knee-deep snow for what felt like miles, my bare feet completely numb from the frostbite.
I finally collapsed behind a massive, fallen oak tree, hiding us completely from any pursuers.
I pulled my heavy winter coat off and wrapped it securely around Eli's shivering body.
As I tucked the coat around him, my fingers brushed against a strange, hard lump inside his backpack.
I unzipped the front pocket and pulled out a small, blinking black square.
It was a military-grade GPS tracker, intentionally planted inside my son's bag.
"Ryan has been tracking him this entire time," I realized with a sick twist in my stomach.
I heard the crunching of boots in the snow just a few hundred yards away.
I grabbed the tracker and looked frantically around the dark forest for a distraction.
In the distance, the loud, rhythmic rumbling of a passing freight train shook the ground beneath us.
I kissed Eli's forehead, told him to stay perfectly still, and ran toward the train tracks.
I sprinted alongside the moving train, risking my life to toss the blinking tracker into an open, empty coal car.
I watched the red light disappear into the night, carrying our enemies far away from our location.
I ran back to Eli, picked him up, and began the grueling hike toward the abandoned church on 5th Avenue.
We finally reached the decaying stone building just as the sun began to rise over the city.
I pushed the heavy wooden doors open and hurried down the dark, dusty stairs into the crypt.
May you like
"Sarah?" I called out softly, stepping into the candlelit room.
I froze in absolute horror when I saw the fierce attorney lying unconscious in a pool of blood on the stone floor.
