Chapter 50 - Splitting the Pack
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The Nevada desert was scorching hot, the midday sun baking the cracked earth into a hard, unforgiving crust. The entrance to the bunker was hidden beneath a rusted, abandoned gas station miles away from any major highway.
We stood by the heavy steel blast doors, the silence of the desert pressing heavily around us.
I knelt down in the dust, pulling Chloe into the tightest hug I had ever given her. She smelled like baby shampoo and fear.
"Mommy has to go away for a little while, sweetie," I whispered, fighting back the tears burning in my eyes. "Grandpa Marcus is going to keep you safe down here. I need you to be brave for me. Can you do that?"
Chloe nodded, her big brown eyes welling with tears. "Are you coming back?"
"I promise," I lied. Or at least, I hoped it wasn't a lie. I kissed her forehead and stood up, handing her small backpack to Marcus.
My father looked at me, his jaw tight. "If you don't check in within forty-eight hours, I am purging the air from this bunker. Better we die down here than let the Architect use her to enslave the world."
The cold brutality of his words hit me like a physical blow, but I knew he was right. I nodded slowly. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, Audrey. Give them hell."
The heavy steel doors groaned as Marcus and Chloe stepped inside. The hydraulic locks engaged, sealing them beneath the earth. I stood alone in the desert with Elena, the scorching wind whipping our hair around our faces.
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"Are you ready for this?" Elena asked, tossing me the keys to our stolen truck.
"We need a boat, we need tactical gear, and we need to cross two thousand miles of ocean without being seen by military radar," I said, climbing into the driver's seat. "Let's go find a smuggler."
