AARON The trains were empty now. The machines were gone, swallowed by the line of buildings on the far side of the tracks. The Mobile Hauler sat still, engine quiet, while the world outside stayed loud with distant destruction. No one spoke for twenty minutes. Lucas cried until his chest hitched and his face burned red. The tears eventually stopped. Now he only whimpered softly in Elena’s arms while the sounds of death, fire, and collapsing metal spilled through the speakers and into the cabin. A hand hovered near the audio control. Turning it off would calm Lucas. It would give him a thin strip of peace inside a moment that had none. The hand never moved. The sound stayed on.Hearing it mattered. The noise carried information. Small details about movement, distance, and danger. It also mattered for another reason. Someone needed to hear it. Someone needed to witness what was happening. Elena’s face stayed tight and far away. Nathan’s eyes were locked on nothing at all. Both of them looked trapped inside their own thoughts. It felt like all three of us were being pulled in opposite directions at the same time. Fear pulled one way. Responsibility pulled another. Nathan shot to his feet without warning, rifle clenched in his hands. The way his fingers crushed the cold metal sparked a useless thought. For a split second, it felt like he might snap the weapon in half. “I need to go out and find them,” he said. Silence filled the Mobile Hauler. Nathan turned and looked straight at me.“I need to go.” The weight of it landed on my shoulders. It was not clear why he was speaking to me. Maybe he wanted permission. Maybe he wanted someone else to tell him no. “You know better than anyone what those machines can do,” I said. “Do you really think one rifle can stop what just rolled into Westhaven?” Nathan looked down at the weapon. It suddenly seemed small in his large hands. “I gotta try. They’re family.” Elena’s arms tightened around Lucas. “Family would not want you hurt. Or dead.” Nathan took a step toward the door. Then he stopped. The strength drained out of him all at once. He dropped onto the couch near the door, across from the screen. His shoulders folded inward. His eyes went empty.“I watched them…” His voice locked in his throat. The words waiting behind that sentence were heavy. They pressed against the room, begging to be released. He needed to say them. He needed the release. Still, my family needed protection more. I moved fast and dropped to one knee in front of him. “Listen,” I said. “We have all seen terrible things. We cannot fall apart now. If we do, none of us make it out.” Nathan nodded. A long breath left his chest. The moment felt fragile. The next question sat sharp and unavoidable. It had to be asked. “How long do you want to wait?” He stared at the floor while the meaning settled in.Slowly, his head lifted. His eyes hardened and narrowed. “As long as it takes for them to get back here.” I stood and put distance between us. The chair on the far side of the cabin felt safer. “You saw how many machines came off that train.” Nathan stood again, rifle still locked in his grip. “We wait till they come back.” Another argument was forming when Lucas shouted. “I see them!” Excitement filled his voice. Fear twisted my gut. The thought that he meant the machines hit hard. Eyes snapped to the screen. A small figure stepped out from behind a building corner.The distance made it hard to be sure, but the height and the way the hair stood up pointed to one person. Seraphina. Nathan rushed forward and tapped the screen twice. The image grew. Two more shapes stepped out into the open. Relief slid out of my shoulders. Marcus Hale and Elliot were with her. Relief came with another feeling. Now I would not have to force Nathan to leave. The machines might not return to the train. Finding out was not an option I planned to take. They reached the tracks and the truth became clear. Marcus was hurt. One arm hung over Seraphina’s shoulders. Elliot cradled his arm tight against his chest. Blood marked both of them. Nathan did not wait. He tore the door open and charged down the steps. The second and last rifle left the Mobile Hauler with him. Guilt flickered and died. Survival came first. My head turned toward the back of the Mobile Hauler. The bedroom door stood open. The rear window had a red hinge and handle at its base. I nodded to myself. The Compact Cruiser was still hitched behind us. There was a way out if things went bad. The emergency window could get Elena and Lucas to the car fast. If the four of them were attacked on the tracks, they would take the only weapons we had. They would also take control of this Mobile Hauler with them. A plan formed, cold and clear. The car was the fallback. Their fight, their deaths if it came to that, would buy my family time. That was the line I was ready to hold.