Chapter 10: Highway Ambush
We scrambled through the mud of the drainage culvert, the cold rain soaking through my pink scrubs as the mastiff squeezed through the narrow concrete pipe right beside Cole. Miller covered our rear, backing out of the cellar hatch just as a muffled flashbang grenade detonated inside the cabin, filling the morning air with a blinding white flare and a concussive boom that rattled our teeth. We sprinted through the wet tree line toward the hidden ravine where Miller had tucked his cruiser off the main logging trail, the vehicle's engine already warm from a previous run to check the perimeter.
Miller threw open the cruiser doors as Cole and I dove into the back seat, the mastiff scrambling in behind us with breathless urgency, its heavy tail thumping against the upholstery. Miller slammed the gearshift into reverse, tearing the vehicle out of the muddy ditch and sliding onto the two-lane county highway just as two unmarked black SUVs emerged from the cabin access road behind us with high beams blazing.
"Hold on!" Miller shouted, flooring the gas pedal as the cruiser fishtailed on the rain-slicked asphalt, tires screaming against the wet pavement.
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A volley of gunfire cracked through the stormy air, shattering the rear window of the cruiser in a spiderweb of safety glass. Shards rained down over the back seat, but Miller kept the steering wheel steady, cutting the headlights to plunge us into total darkness as we rounded a steep mountain curve. I pulled Cole down against the floorboards, shielding him with my own body while the mastiff pressed its massive weight over both of us, serving as a living shield against the whistling wind and flying debris.
The black SUVs roared past us on the opposite lane, overshooting the curve in their blind pursuit, their brake lights flaring red against the dark pine trees as they spun out on the slick road. Miller didn't hesitate; he straightened the wheel, accelerated through the blinding sheets of rain, and headed straight toward the state highway where Marcus Cole and safety waited. My hands were shaking as I checked Cole's bandages, finding them dry and secure despite the chaos, proving his strength hadn't broken.
