Scene 1 - "No Turning Back"
They left at dawn.
The sky was still dim when Mason pulled the SUV out of the driveway, his face set in stone. Aria sat in the passenger seat, backpack at her feet, her mother's folded note hidden in a sock.
She hadn't asked where they were going. He hadn't told her. But the gun resting in the console between them said enough.
"Are we running?" she finally asked.
Mason didn't answer immediately. His eyes were locked on the road. "We're repositioning."
"That's just a fancy word for running."
He gave a tired smile. "You get that from your mother."
Aria looked out the window as trees blurred past, her mind spinning faster than the wheels beneath them.
What did she get from her mother, really? Courage? Secrets? Enemies?
She wasn't sure anymore.
---
Scene 2 - "The Black Car"
Somewhere outside the city limits, Mason's fingers tightened on the wheel.
"Don't turn around," he said quietly. "But there's a car two lengths back. Black. Tinted windows. It's been trailing us since mile marker 42."
Aria swallowed. Her palms turned cold.
"What do we do?"
His voice dropped. "You brace. I'm going to try something stupid."
---
Mason took the next exit fast, tires screeching, weaving through empty streets. Aria clutched the handle above the door, heart in her throat.
The black car followed. Seamlessly.
"They're not just following," Mason muttered. "They're herding us."
A side street opened ahead. Mason took it.
Too late.
A second black SUV cut across the alley behind them-blocking escape.
"We're boxed in," he said.
Then-BANG!
The windshield exploded inward.
"Down!" Mason shouted, jerking the wheel.
They swerved-and slammed into a concrete divider.
The world went white.
---
Scene 3 - "Smoke and Blood"
When Aria opened her eyes, smoke filled the SUV.
The airbag had deployed. Her ears rang. She coughed, blinking through the haze.
Mason was slumped over the wheel, blood trailing from his forehead.
She shook him. "Uncle Mason-!"
He groaned, then shoved open the door.
"Out!" he barked. "Run!"
She obeyed on instinct, stumbling onto the cracked pavement. Behind them, men in black tactical gear advanced-no insignias, no badges.
One raised his weapon.
Mason fired first-two clean shots.
Then he grabbed Aria's arm and shoved her toward an alley. "GO!"
They ran. Her legs barely responded, her heart pounding so loud she couldn't hear her own breath.
YOU ARE READING
Code Name: Echo
Mystery / ThrillerAria Lane thought she was just a normal girl from a quiet town. That changed the day her mother died-and the wrong people started watching her. Forced to leave everything behind, Aria is taken in by a quiet, distant uncle. But after a strange accide...
