Page 132 of Aviatrix

“Nope,” I answer flatly, tracking the ship.

“This is crazy.”

I don’t have time for crazy. Crazy is all we’ve got left.

“Keep holding,” I tell Sasha as the hymn swells, aching and hollow.

My gaze snaps to the right. Reporters. A sea of cameras and phones, blinking red dots capturing every second. And that’s where the rogue ship is headed. Straight for them.

They’re not attacking yet. No, they’re cleaning up. Silencing the eyes. Erasing the evidence before they strike.

Rourke, you cowardly bastard.

“Change of plans,” I snap, thrusting Amber’s hand into Sasha’s. “Take her.”

“What?” Sasha yells as the crowd erupts. Screams. Shouts.

“Aliens!” someone yells.

Panic detonates. People run. They crash into one another. Chaos spirals outward like a wave.

“GO!” I shove Sasha toward the aisle.

I have a minute, maybe less. That’s not enough. But it’s enough to warn them.

I run, heels be damned.

“Move!” I shout, pointing toward the ship barreling straight for them. “Run!”

A few reporters react instantly, scattering through the circular amphitheater as fast as they can. But most just stand there, blinking at me like I’ve lost my mind. And maybe I have.

“You will die!” I scream. “Please, run!”

Still nothing. Just stunned silence and the click of shutters.

So, I do the only thing I can think to do. I ignore the flashes, the blinking lights, the questions being hurled at me. They’re too focused on me. Too distracted by the spectacle.

I grab a camera and tilt it to the sky. Toward the threat. Toward death.

That’s when the mood shifts.

They see it now. But still, they don’t run. They record.

And I’m out of time.

A hand lands on my shoulder. I whip around to find Lark.

“We have to go! Now!” he bellows.

I nod, breathless.

“Where’s Amber?” he asks, grabbing my hand as we tear through two solid white pillars.

“Sasha has her,” I shout back as Lark vaults the railing and lands hard on the concrete below.

No time to think. I swing one leg over, then leap.

Lark catches my waist midair and guides me down. We hit the ground running, our hands finding each other’s again.