Chapter 4 - The Closed Terminal
The headlights of the SUV flooded the bus cabin with harsh white light. Thomas shielded his eyes, keeping his body between the glare and where Lily was huddled low in the front seat. The man from the SUV walked toward the bus doors, his hands held openly at his sides in a posture meant to look official, but his eyes were scanning every window with predatory precision.
""Driver! Open the door!"" the man shouted over the low rumble of the engine, flashing a silver badge wrapped in a worn leather wallet against the glass. ""Police escort. We're looking for a missing child reported in this sector.""
Thomas didn't hit the door release. He looked at the badge; in forty years in this county, he knew every state trooper and local deputy. The silver shield bore no precinct engraving, and the man’s boots were scuffed combat leather, not regulation issue.
""Show me your dispatch verification number,"" Thomas called through the narrow driver’s vent window, his tone professional and cold.
The man’s expression hardened immediately, stripping away the polite facade. He took a step closer, tapping the glass with a heavy steel ring on his finger. ""Don't play hero, old man. You're four minutes past your scheduled departure time on an empty route. Pop the doors, or we open them ourselves.""
In the mirror, Thomas saw Lily shrink deeper into her seat, holding the edge of her pink dress tightly. The note in his pocket burned against his chest: If he doesn't take her, no one can protect her.
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Thomas released the parking brake with a sharp hiss. He shoved the heavy gear selector down and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The massive diesel engine roared, the 15-ton bus lunging forward. The man on the pavement threw himself to the side as the reinforced steel bumper of Bus 402 caught the front quarter panel of the black SUV, crunching sheet metal and shoving the lighter vehicle aside like a child's toy.
The bus broke through the terminal barrier and surged out onto the dark, rain-slicked highway. Behind them, the SUV's headlights flickered back to life, tires screaming against the wet asphalt as it spun around to pursue.
