Chapter 11 - The Bus to Washington
The interstate highway stretched out like a wet ribbon of black glass beneath the steady downpour, reflecting the harsh amber glare of overhead streetlamps. Inside the Greyhound bus, the air was warm, smelling of damp wool, stale upholstery, and cheap coffee from the terminal vending machine.
Lily sat near the back in seat twenty-four, her small legs curled up beneath her on the green vinyl bench. Her fingers clutched the waterproof flash drive so tightly the plastic edges dug into her palm. Outside the streaked window, the dark silhouettes of pine trees blurred into a single gray wall as the bus hurtled southward toward the capital at sixty-five miles per hour.
She wasn't crying anymore. The fear that had paralyzed her in the schoolroom and the farmhouse had hardened into a quiet, determined focus that felt far too heavy for a nine-year-old child. Her father had told her to keep the drive safe and find someone who could help. She didn't know what Washington, D.C. looked like, but she knew it was where the big buildings with the flags were—the place where the men in suits worked.
The bus hit a pothole, jolting the chassis with a dull thud. Across the aisle, an elderly woman wearing a quilted floral coat looked over at Lily, peering down through bifocal glasses.
"Are you traveling all by yourself, sweetheart?" the woman asked gently, her voice carrying a warm Southern drawl. "Where are your mom and dad?"
Lily hesitated, pulling the oversized wool blanket tighter around her shoulders. "I'm going to see my uncle," she lied softly, remembering Jax's warnings about trusting strangers. "He's... he's waiting for me at the station."
The elderly woman smiled, though a shadow of concern crossed her weathered face. "Well, it's a mighty long ride for a little girl all by her lonesome. Make sure you hold on tight when we get to Union Station. It's a big, busy place."
"I will," Lily whispered, turning her gaze back toward the dark window.
As the bus crested a slight hill, the low-hanging clouds parted for a brief moment, revealing the distant, illuminated dome of the United States Capitol glowing against the rainy night sky like a pale beacon.
At that exact moment, the bus’s interior lights flickered and died. The diesel engine sputtered, coughing once, twice, before the transmission dropped into a lower gear with a metallic whine that echoed through the cabin. The driver cursed under his breath, leaning over the dashboard as the instrument panel lights flashed red and went dark.
"Folks, stay in your seats," the driver called back, his voice strained as he fought the steering wheel. "Looks like we just lost all electrical power. I'm going to pull over on the shoulder."
The massive bus decelerated rapidly, drifting across the wet shoulder of the highway before coming to a grinding halt against a concrete guardrail. Hazard lights failed to flash; the entire electrical system was dead.
Lily pressed her face against the cold glass. Through the rear window, two pairs of blinding high-beam headlights materialized out of the darkness behind them, pulling up directly bumper-to-bumper with the stranded bus.
Car doors slammed shut in unison. Heavy footsteps crunched on the gravel outside.
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Before the bus driver could stand up to open the hydraulic door, the front entry glass shattered inward with a deafening crash as a heavy crowbar pried the pneumatic lock open from the outside.
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