2025-12-13 14:43:01
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter Forty-Four
Marcus woke to the sound of sirens.His hand was on his weapon before his eyes were fully open. Instinct. Muscle memory from too many years in combat zones.The sirens were distant. Moving away, not toward them. Just an ambulance or fire truck. Nothing to do with him.He relaxed. Marginally.Torres was still asleep on the bench beside him. Mouth open. Snoring softly. Dead to the world.Marcus checked his watch. 4:47 PM.He'd slept for almost six hours. Hadn't meant to. Had only meant to rest his eyes for a few minutes while Torres took over watch. But exhaustion had won.Sloppy. Dangerous.He looked around the park. Late afternoon now. The light was different. Golden. The sun low in the sky. More people than there had been this morning. Kids on the playground. A couple throwing a frisbee. An old man feeding pigeons.No one paying attention to two men sleeping on a bench.Good.Marcus stood. His back screamed in protest. Sleeping sitting up was never comfortable. Sleeping on a park ben
Chapter Forty-Three
Union Station was massive.Sarah stood just inside the entrance, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it. Vaulted ceilings that stretched up into shadows. Marble columns thick as tree trunks. The great hall filled with hundreds of people moving in every direction.Travelers. Commuters. Tourists. All of them with somewhere to be.Sarah and Park were just two more faces in the crowd.Good. That's what they needed."Stay close," Sarah said quietly. "We move through. Don't stop. Don't make eye contact."Park nodded. She looked small in the vast space. Overwhelmed.They started walking. Across the great hall. Past the ticket counters. Past the coffee shops and newsstands. Heading for the Adams Street exit.Sarah kept her head down but her eyes up. Scanning constantly. Looking for threats. For police. For anyone paying too much attention.There were cops. She saw at least three. But they weren't looking at her. Just standing at their posts. Bored. Going through the motions.Still, Sarah's hear
Chapter Forty-Two
Platform two was open-air. Just a concrete slab with a metal awning that provided minimal shelter from the wind.Sarah stood near the edge, watching the street. Park was beside her, hands shoved deep in her pockets. Neither of them spoke.The wind coming off the lake was cold. Bitter. It cut through Sarah's jacket like the fabric wasn't even there. She was already shivering.How long had they been standing here? Ten minutes? Fifteen?The digital display above the platform said the next Chicago bus would arrive at 1:30 PM. Sarah checked the time on a clock mounted to the station building. 1:18 PM.Twelve more minutes.She could last twelve more minutes.Around them, other passengers waited. A handful of people. Most looked like they'd been traveling for days. Worn clothes. Tired eyes. The kind of people who took buses because they had no other choice.Sarah and Park fit right in.A man in a heavy coat stood near the trash can, smoking. The smoke drifted over, acrid and stale. Sarah fou
Chapter Forty-One
The bus smelled like diesel fuel and stale air freshener.Sarah moved down the narrow aisle, searching for seats. Most of the bus was empty; maybe a dozen passengers total on a vehicle that could hold fifty. But she was still careful about where they sat.Not too far back. That's where people went when they wanted to hide. Too obvious.Not too far forward. Too exposed. Too close to the driver.Middle of the bus. Right side. Two seats together. Clear view of the aisle and the front door. Easy access to the emergency exit in the back if needed.Sarah slid into the window seat. Park took the aisle.They didn't speak. Just settled in. Sarah pressed her forehead against the glass. The window was cold. She could see other passengers boarding. The business traveler. The teenager. A woman with grocery bags who looked like she was going to see family.Normal people. Normal trips.Sarah closed her eyes. Just for a second.11:34 AM.The bus driver climbed aboard. Older man. Gray hair. Mustache.
Chapter Forty
The bus station in Racine was smaller than Sarah had expected. Just a single-story building with peeling paint and a handwritten sign that said "Tickets Inside." Three buses parked in the lot. Maybe a dozen people waiting. Most of them looked like they'd been traveling for days. Sarah and Park fit right in. They'd walked from the library to downtown Kenosha. Found a local transit bus that ran to Racine. Paid cash. Kept their heads down. No one had looked at them twice. Now they stood outside the Racine station, studying the posted schedule. Trying to figure out which route would get them to Chicago with the least exposure. "There's a bus at eleven-forty," Park said, pointing. "Goes to Gary, Indiana. From there we can catch another one into Chicago." "Two transfers. More time." "But Gary's smaller. Less security than going straight into Chicago." Sarah considered this. Park was right. Smaller stations meant less scrutiny. Less chance of running into federal agents or local cop
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Finding a place to park in Chicago was harder than Marcus had anticipated.They couldn't use a parking garage. Too many cameras. Too many attendants who might remember faces. Too much structure and control that could trap them if things went wrong.Street parking was better. Anonymous. Easy escape routes. But finding a spot in downtown Chicago at nine in the morning was like finding water in a desert.Marcus circled the same six-block radius for twenty minutes. Torres had stopped offering suggestions. Just sat quietly, watching the streets pass.Finally, Marcus spotted a space. Residential street. Lower West Side. Far enough from downtown that they wouldn't draw attention, close enough that they could walk to Willis Tower if they needed to.He parallel parked. Not perfect, but good enough. Killed the engine.For a moment, neither of them moved. Just sat in the sudden silence. The car ticking as the engine cooled. Traffic sounds muted through the windows."Now what?" Torres asked."Now
You may also like
DELUSION
Noveria2.6K viewsTALKING TO SHADOWS: DEAR ISRAEL
Birdie4.4K viewsThe DE COSTAS
Fety grace 2.4K viewsWELCOME TO OUTLIVE
Inonge Mitchie5.6K viewsSONATE OF DEATH
Luna Lovegood1.6K viewsThe Mile 3 Murder Mystery
Kenneth Uwadi1.4K viewsThe Clockwork Librarian's Oath
Christina Wilder237 viewsSecrets of the Past
Starlight1.1K views