False Gods | The Prime Archives #3 ✓

twenty-five

But they did. That was all that mattered.

After the truck exploded, Stella's squad didn't follow them as they made their way down the desolate highway. Oscar didn't stop checking his rearview mirror for any sign of their continued pursuit for at least an hour after they fled the scene.

His drive up north gave him plenty of time to reflect on what he did.

It was never his intention to kill the driver of that truck. Had there been another way, he would've done it. But there wasn't. He did what he had to do. If he had the chance to do it again, he would. If it meant saving himself and Xiomara, he wouldn't have thought twice about it. He wouldn't let them get captured by Atlas.

He still had a mission to complete.

Though, it would have to be put on the back burner for now. His arm was starting to go numb and his eyelids felt like someone was trying to press them together. Xiomara certainly couldn't drive—at least, he figured she couldn't. He would have to stop somewhere soon to patch himself up.

Luckily, the sign he just passed told him there was a gas station approaching within the next mile.

Breathing heavily, he kept driving until he spotted the lone gas station in the middle of the California desert. Tumbleweeds rolled along the sand as if they were in an old western film. A few cars were parked in and around the gas station and the convenience store attached to it.

Oscar studied them all before parking in front of a pump.

As soon as he cut the engine off, Xiomara jolted awake.

Her bright eyes widened with fear as she jumped in her seat. Chest heaving, she raised her fists. Smoke poured from her knuckles, a small fire building within the base of her palm. He quickly placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to calm down.

"It's alright, Xiomara," he told her in Spanish. "We're just at the gas station."

She lowered her hands and grumbled an apology. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around. "We escaped?"

"Looks like it."

She nodded. Her lips pursed. "I have to pee." Her stomach growled. "And I'm hungry."

Oscar rolled his eyes. "Of course you are." He stuck a hand in his pocket. A few dollar bills, a stick of gum, and his old lighter. It would be enough for gas and a snack, but not much else.

It would have to do.

He fished out a few ones. She reached for them and he pulled them away at the last second. The girl furrowed a brow at him.

"What?"

"Get us something we both can eat, okay? We're short on money, in case you haven't notice. That motel wiped us clean."

She nodded and snatched the dollars out of his hand. Without another word, she hopped out of the car and bolted for the convenience store. Rubbing his temples, Oscar exited the vehicle as well and paid for about a half tank's worth of gas. While filling up the car, he took another look around the gas station.

An old man was reading a newspaper outside the store, a middle-aged woman with two kids sitting in her dingy station wagon, and a man in sunglasses sitting on top of a wicked-looking motorcycle. None of them seemed to be paying Oscar any mind.

Good.

He didn't need any unwanted attention. Atlas surely had agents—and possibly Jaegers—hunting him down. Keeping his head down and out of sight was key to maintaining his freedom.

His eyes searched the area for any security cameras. Eventually, he spotted one near the entrance of the snack shop. Remaining next to his car, he discreetly held his hand out. If Xiomara could heat air particles, who was the say he couldn't do the same.