Chapter 13 - The North Ridge
Elena scrambled out of the drainage pipe, tumbling onto the wet grass of the north ridge overlooking their property. Marcus was right behind her, cradling the baby securely against his chest, shielding the infant from the sharp blades of tall grass and briars. A moment later, Agent Miller and Detective Vance hauled themselves out of the hatch, slamming the heavy iron lid shut behind them and throwing the safety latch into place just as heavy fists began to pound furiously from the underside of the metal.
"Keep moving!" Miller ordered, pulling her tactical flashlight out once more. "The blast radius for a subterranean shaped charge is massive. We need to reach the ridgeline before those timers hit zero."
The night air was freezing, biting at Elena’s exposed skin as she ran in her black pants and red long-sleeve top, her breath coming in ragged, painful gasps. Below them in the valley, their beautiful white two-story house sat bathed in the pale moonlight, looking completely peaceful and normal from a distance. But beneath its foundations, the ground was ticking down toward total obliteration.
They sprinted up the steep incline of the north ridge, the dirt path slick from the evening rain. Marcus led the way, his eyes locked on the tree line at the summit where a dirt access road wound away from the valley toward the federal highway.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out from the shadows of the pine trees directly into their path.
It was another duplicate—the closest one yet. She wore a replica of Elena’s exact clothing, but her face was smeared with dark soil, and her eyes burned with an unholy, desperate hunger. She lunged straight toward Marcus, ignoring Agent Miller entirely, her hands outstretched to snatch the baby from his arms.
"No you don't!" Marcus roared. Instead of dodging, Marcus swung his heavy right arm forward, using all his remaining momentum to strike the asset squarely in the chest with the heavy metal flashlight he had carried out of the study.
The duplicate staggered backward from the unexpected counterattack, tumbling off the edge of the steep ridge and disappearing into the brush below with a sharp cry.
"Don't stop!" Miller urged, grabbing Marcus by the shoulder and pushing him forward. "We're almost at the tree line!"
They crossed the ridge just as a deep, subterranean rumble shook the earth beneath their feet. The ground rolled violently like an ocean wave, knocking all four of them off balance and sending them sprawling into the soft dirt among the pine trees.
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Elena covered her daughter with her own body, pressing her face into the damp earth as a blinding flash of white light illuminated the entire valley below.
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