ASHES IN ELDORET

RUNNING ON EMPTY

The Prado's headlights flared, swallowing the abandoned station in blinding white.

"Run!" Sylvia hissed.

David didn't hesitate. They bolted into the maze of shuttered kiosks, footsteps slamming against the cracked pavement. Behind them, doors slammed, and boots hit the ground. Shouts tore through the night.

"Split left!" David yelled.

"No! They want us separated!" Sylvia snapped, yanking him toward a narrow alley. 

They ducked into the shadows just as gunfire shredded a corrugated tin wall where they'd been seconds before.

The alley stank of sewage, the ground slick with trash. Sylvia nearly slipped, but David caught her arm, dragging her forward.

"They're everywhere," she gasped.

David's chest heaved. "How do they know where we are?"

Sylvia's voice dropped to a whisper, even as they ran. 

"Because someone inside the newsroom sold me out. And if you're not careful, they'll sell you too."

His stomach twisted, but there was no time to argue.

Ahead, a chain-link fence loomed. Too high to climb easily. Engines roared closer, trapping them in.

David interlaced his fingers. "Go!"

Sylvia stepped into his hands and vaulted upward, scraping her palms as she clung to the top. Bullets sparked against the metal, showering her with sparks. She swung over just as David scrambled up behind her.

They hit the ground hard on the other side, rolling into the tall grass beyond.

The Prado skidded to a stop on the opposite street, men shouting orders.

Sylvia lay in the dirt, panting. David crouched beside her, scanning the night.

For the first time, their eyes locked without suspicion, only shared fear.

"We can't run forever," Sylvia said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands.

"No," David agreed, jaw tightening. "Next time, we fight."