“Go!”
We take the stairs two at a time.
Gunfire erupts below.
Louder.
Closer.
We hit the bottom—
And everything explodes into chaos.
Three hostiles.
Then four.
I fire.
Drop two.
Lucas takes another.
Miles clears the last.
“Clear!”
For half a second.
Then—
A sound.
Crying.
Small.
Terrified.
I turn toward it.
Locked door.
Reinforced.
No time.
I step back and kick it in.
The door bursts open—
And there they are.
Six kids.
Huddled together.
Eyes wide.
