Chapter 60: The Cost of Failure
The first energy bolt struck so close to Finn's head that he felt the heat sear his cheek. For a frozen second, nobody moved. Then instinct took over.
"Run!" Elias's voice cracked through the air, sharp and commanding.
They ran without thinking, without planning, their boots slipping on the treacherous ice. The world narrowed to the burning in their lungs and the terrifying whine of Northern weapons that sounded nothing like their own firearms. These weapons hummed with energy, leaving ozone trails in the air.
"Don't stop moving!" Rykar shouted, grabbing Finn's arm when the tech specialist stumbled. "If you stop, you're dead!"
Anya provided covering fire, her rifle shots sounding pathetic against the advanced technology hunting them. Each pull of her trigger sent a conventional bullet flying, but the Northern soldiers had energy shields that shimmered when her bullets struck. It was like throwing stones at a fortress wall.
