We’re in trouble.
Deep trouble.
We’re out in the open.
It’s day time.
And no matter how many times I’ve been to Detroit, it’s still an unfamiliar city.
If this were Oxford Township, we’d have known all the nooks and crannies to hide in. But out here every building looks like a trap and every street looks like a dead end.
A blast erupts in front of us, sending snow and pieces of debris up from the ground to pelt me in the face.
I slide to a stop and lose my balance to fall on my side. “Shit.”
As MJ runs by me, he grabs my hood, pulling me to my feet. I hear his heavy breathing as we plough through the snow, hampered by the heavy drifts but propelled to sprint by adrenaline and fear. The increasingly louder hum of the spaceship whizzes through the air, gaining on us.
“Take cover!” Rocky yells.
The spaceship cuts through the wind above my head. MJ and I turn down a street and press ourselves against the side of the building. The spaceship travels in a blur past us. When it passes, I poke my head around the corner to see the ship make an angling turn back in our direction. Everyone has taken cover and is out of sight, except for Jorin.
My heart slams in my chest as I watch him dive under a car. When the craft makes a path toward where Jorin has hidden, I do the unthinkable.
I sprint from between the buildings and run across the street, drawing attention to me.
“Sinta!” MJ yells. “What the hell are you doing?”
One shot at the car and Jorin is a goner.
Whiz, boom! The ground shakes underneath my feet as a blast hits no more than five feet from me. I take off running in the opposite direction. Whiz, boom! I skid to a halt as another blast hit a few feet to my right.
“Over here!” Rocky yells, flailing his arms in the air. “Come get me you bastards!”
“This way!” Ian yells, doing the same thing Rocky is doing.
The spaceship can’t focus on three targets, so it fires behind Rocky.
Whiz, boom!
“Come on.” MJ’s strong hands grab me again, pulling me, urging me to run.
Panic engulfs me as Rocky runs by us. “That way!” He points to a narrow passage between two buildings. “Come on!”
I stay on his heels, too afraid to turn back to look at the spaceship or to see if everyone is following us.
