Chapter 306
[ 498 words ]
Chapter 306:
She unlocked the window sash. She slid it up slowly, wincing slightly as the old wood emitted a faint squeak.
Caroline slung the duffel bag across her chest, securing the strap tight. She swung one leg over the wet windowsill, feeling the freezing rain hit her face.
She gripped the sturdy old wooden trellis attached to the exterior brick wall. She tested its weight-bearing capacity with a sharp tug. It held firm.
With the agility of a trained operative, she scaled down the trellis. The freezing rain instantly soaked through her cotton hoodie, chilling her skin.
Her heavy boots hit the muddy ground of the alleyway with a soft squelch. She crouched low instantly.
She paused in the deep shadows. She listened carefully to the muffled voices of Julian and Brenna coming from the living room window just a few yards away.
Confirmed that she hadn’t been detected, Caroline pulled the hood up over her head. She shielded her face from the relentless downpour.
A𝖽𝖽𝗶c𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 nо𝗏𝘦𝗹𝘴 𝘰n ga𝘭nov𝘦𝗅𝘀.cо𝗺
She turned her back on her childhood home. She stepped out into the dark, flooded streets of Alexandria.
Her singular focus was to reach the communications relay base hidden deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was the only place that could connect her to Jarrod.
She walked briskly toward the main avenue. She kept to the shadows of the buildings, avoiding the harsh glare of passing streetlights.
Lightning flashed across the sky. The brief, brilliant light illuminated her determined, pale face just before she vanished entirely into the storm.
Caroline jogged three blocks through the torrential rain. Her boots splashed heavily in the deep puddles. She finally reached a well-lit commercial intersection in downtown Alexandria.
She spotted a yellow cab idling outside a 24-hour diner. The windshield wipers were frantically swiping back and forth, trying to clear the massive deluge of water.
She yanked open the rear door. She slid onto the cold vinyl seat, bringing a gust of freezing, wet air into the warm, stale interior of the cab.
The driver, Manny, turned around sharply. He was startled by the sudden intrusion of the soaking wet woman in his backseat.
Caroline didn’t speak. She pulled a soaked hundred-dollar bill from her wallet. She slapped the wet paper onto the plastic center console.
She gave him a set of GPS coordinates located deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She told him to drive fast and not ask questions.
Manny hesitated. He looked at the coordinates on his phone. He warned her that those coordinates were near a restricted military zone, and the mountain roads were extremely dangerous in this storm.
Caroline pulled out three more hundred-dollar bills. She slapped them on top of the first. Her eyes were fierce, dark, and completely uncompromising.
Manny sighed heavily. He snatched the money, shoved it into his shirt pocket, and put the car in drive. The cab pulled away from the curb, heading west.
Meanwhile, back at the Thompson residence, Brenna woke up from her exhausted slumber on the living room chair. Her mouth was incredibly dry, and she felt desperately thirsty.
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