Page 25 of Guarded By the Bigfoot
The barrier cracked, and the fracture gaped wider, releasing toxic smoke. Trees dissolved into black ash, rocks crumbling to dust where the force touched. My knees gave out, and this time, I fell.
The darkness crashed over me. I threw out my arms in one final attempt, golden light flaring before fading out.
The barrier shattered.
I collapsed, my strength gone.
13
PARKER
The low thrum of rotors broke through the storm, growing louder with every second. I froze mid-step, the cracked, corrupted terrain shifting under my boots.
A helicopter.
I squinted through the swirling ash and green glow spilling from the fracture above. The sleek black frame of an ARC chopper descended toward the town square, kicking up spirals of dirt and debris as it approached.
“No, please, no!”
I broke into a sprint, my boots skidding over loose rocks and fractured earth. By the time I reached the edge of the square, the helicopter had landed, its rotors still spinning, whipping the air into a storm of sound and debris. Figures disembarked in formation. The Elite Team, their rune-enhanced suits gleaming as containment pylons hit the ground in unison.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Captain Garris!” I shouted, forcing my voice over the roar of the blades.
He turned toward me, his sharp gaze cutting through the haze. “Agent Woods!” he called back, his voice clipped but loud enough to carry. “We’re locking down the perimeter!”
I pushed through the chaos, ash stinging my face as I shoved my way toward him. “What are you doing here?” I yelled, planting myself in front of him. “I sent the message. I told you not to deploy!”
He frowned, motioning toward one of the containment pylons as its runes flared brighter. A nearby agent adjusted the interface, and I caught a glimpse of the screen, a mess of green energy spikes climbing higher with every second.
“Never got your message!” he shouted back, his voice carrying over the noise. “Look at these readings!” He pointed toward the data display. “This fracture is off the charts!”
I clenched my fists, anger and dread twisting in my chest. Of course. The energy pouring out of the fracture must have scrambled the signal. “You need to pull back!” I yelled, stepping closer. “Our tech won’t hold against this. It’s too powerful!”
“With all due respect, Agent Woods, this has escalated beyond your assessment!” Garris bellowed, his tone hard as steel. “Whatever’s up there is rewriting everything we know about Veil breaches!”
“Captain, please!” I shouted, my voice raw from the effort. “The team isn’t ready for this. But Brock is. He can stop it if you give me a little more time!”
His eyes narrowed. “And if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not.”
The words rang out, sharp and unwavering. He was hanging on. I could feel it.
Garris studied me for a long moment, his jaw tightening as he weighed his options. Then he cut his breath short. “Five minutes!” he barked. “That’s all you get. After that, we’re moving in!”
Relief surged through me, but I didn’t let it show. “Take me to the fracture!”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“You’re giving me five minutes,” I said, jerking my head toward the ridge. “I won’t make it hiking.”
For a moment, he hesitated. Then he snapped his head. “Get her on the chopper!”
The helicopter’s rotors roared as we lifted off, the jolt slamming me back against the side panel. I gripped the edge of the open door, the fractured landscape below blurring into jagged streaks of blackened rock and veins of pulsing green light.
The storm worsened the closer we got. Winds buffeted the chopper, making it lurch violently as ash and debris churned in the air, glowing faintly with the sickly light spilling from the fracture ahead. The hum of raw magic vibrated through the frame, crawling across my skin like static electricity.
