Chapter 9 - The Fiery Escape
Noah instinctively shielded his eyes as the microchip detonated with a truly deafening roar. The intense blast was highly concentrated, incinerating the treacherous Gary almost instantly. The massive shockwave violently knocked the cartel enforcers off their feet, sending their weapons clattering away. Noah scrambled quickly to his feet, his ears ringing loudly and pure adrenaline surging through his veins. He rushed frantically over to Elias, grabbing the dying old man by his heavy, blood-soaked coat. "We have to go right now!" Noah shouted, pulling Elias upward with all his might. To Noah's utter surprise, Elias found the miraculous strength to stand, leaning heavily on the boy's shoulder. They limped quickly down the dark maintenance corridor, leaving the groaning, defeated enforcers behind. A rusted iron ladder at the end of the tunnel led straight up to a heavy manhole cover above them. Noah pushed the heavy iron lid aside and dragged Elias up into the cool, refreshing night air. They collapsed exhausted onto the wet asphalt of a completely abandoned industrial park. Police sirens wailed loudly in the distance, growing steadily louder with every passing second. "You did good today, kid," Elias gasped, staring peacefully up at the starless, cloudy sky. Noah ripped off his ruined diner apron and pressed it firmly against Elias's heavily bleeding stomach. "Just hold on, the police are finally coming to get you an ambulance," Noah reassured him frantically. A sleek black helicopter suddenly descended from the sky, blinding them with a massive spotlight. Heavily armed federal agents swarmed the industrial rooftop, their deadly weapons already drawn. The lead agent stepped forward, looking down at Noah with cold, merciless, dead eyes. "Arrest the boy for domestic terrorism, and put a bullet right in the old man's head," the corrupt agent commanded.
