Chapter 7 - The Blackout Run
The sudden darkness was accompanied by a deafening silence as all electronics powered down.
"Did the power grid just fail?" Malik asked, his voice trembling in the pitch black.
Maya rushed to the window and looked out at the city streets.
"It is not the whole grid," Maya observed, pointing to the glowing buildings in the distance.
"They only cut the power to our specific residential block."
Caleb realized the corrupt authorities were actively tracking Maya's internet connection.
"They know we are trying to upload the file, and they severed the physical fiber lines," Caleb deduced.
Maya grabbed her car keys and a portable battery pack for her laptop.
"We have to drive to the next county to get a clean cellular signal," Maya commanded.
The three of them rushed down the dark stairwell and piled into Maya's old sedan.
Maya turned the key, and the engine roared to life just as a police siren wailed nearby.
She slammed on the gas pedal, tearing out of the parking lot and onto the main highway.
They drove in tense silence, watching the rearview mirror for any signs of pursuit.
For twenty minutes, the road was completely clear, and they began to feel a false sense of safety.
Then, a massive black SUV with heavily tinted windows sped up behind them without any headlights on.
"Hold on!" Maya screamed as the SUV suddenly slammed into their rear bumper.
The violent impact sent Maya's sedan swerving dangerously close to the edge of the road.
Malik braced himself against the dashboard, terrified of the aggressive attack.
The SUV accelerated again, intentionally trying to run them off the steep highway embankment.
"They are going to kill us over a recording!" Malik panicked.
Maya fought the steering wheel, trying desperately to keep the car on the asphalt.
The black SUV pulled up perfectly alongside them, and the passenger window rolled down.
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A masked man leaned out of the window holding a heavy metal crowbar.
He swung the crowbar with massive force, shattering Maya's driver-side window into a million pieces.
