The tunnel trembled as the oncoming train roared toward them, its headlights cutting through the darkness like blazing suns. The low rumble beneath their feet grew into a deafening quake, shaking the rusted pipes along the walls.
No time to think. Only to run.
Ochieng's muscles burned as he carried Marco, his pace slowing under the weight. Lin Feng and Cassandra were ahead, weaving through abandoned maintenance carts and piles of debris.
Behind them, Veyron's men were closing in.
"Move faster!" Lin Feng shouted.
Cassandra turned and fired a shot over her shoulder. A sharp cry echoed as one of the pursuers dropped.
But there were more.
Gunfire sparked against the walls, the echoes mixing with the thunderous approach of the train.
Ochieng's mind raced. There was no way they could outrun both the bullets and the iron beast bearing down on them.
And then—he saw it.
A ladder.
Bolted to the tunnel wall, leading up toward a rusted platform. Their escape.
"There!" Ochieng shouted, nodding toward it.
Lin Feng saw it too. Without hesitation, he sprinted ahead and leaped onto the first rung. Cassandra was right behind him.
Ochieng reached the base of the ladder, hoisting Marco up first. His arms screamed in protest, but he didn't stop.
Lin Feng grabbed Marco from above, pulling him onto the platform. Cassandra climbed next.
The train's horn blared again—seconds away from crushing them.
Ochieng grasped the ladder and pulled himself up. A bullet struck the metal inches from his hand.
He gritted his teeth and climbed faster. Five rungs left.
Four.
Another shot rang out. Something stung his shoulder, but he ignored it.
Three.
The train was right beneath him now.
Two.
Lin Feng reached down. "Take my hand!"
One.
Ochieng leaped.
Lin Feng caught his wrist and yanked him onto the platform just as the train screamed past beneath them, crushing their pursuers who had been too close.
For a moment, only the fading echoes of the iron beast remained.
Then silence.
Ochieng lay on his back, gasping for breath, Marco unconscious beside him. Lin Feng sat up and exhaled.
Cassandra wiped the sweat from her face and chuckled. "That was close."
Ochieng turned his head, looking down at the tunnel below, now littered with debris and bodies.
There was no going back.
He sat up. "We need to keep moving."
Lin Feng nodded. Cassandra reloaded her gun.
And together, they disappeared into the darkness ahead.