CHAPTER 16 SHADOWS OF THE LOST
1166 Words
Rain hammered down on Iron Crest like the sky itself was grieving. The storm washed the smoke from Alex’s skin, but not the fire in his eyes. Naomi followed close behind as they ran along the dockside walkway, the burning warehouse still roaring behind them.
Alex stopped beneath an overhang, gripping the railing with white-knuckled fury.
Naomi approached carefully. “Alex… talk to me.”
He didn’t turn. His voice was low, controlled but broken around the edges.
“He killed Jason. And he nearly killed you.”
Naomi stepped beside him, brushing her soaked hair from her face. “We survived.”
“But Jason didn’t.” Alex’s jaw clenched. “If I hadn’t trusted him to handle yesterday’s decoy route”
Naomi touched his shoulder gently. “Jason made his choice. Morales forced him into a corner. Don’t carry the blame that belongs to a monster.”
Alex finally looked at her. Rain streaked down his face like tears he refused to shed.
“He was my brother.”
“And he loved you enough to give his life so Morales wouldn’t win.”
Silence settled between themheavy, aching.
Naomi slipped her hand into his. “We honour Jason by finishing what he started.”
Alex squeezed her fingers, grounding himself in the warmth of her touch.
“I won’t lose anyone else,” he whispered. “Especially not you.”
Naomi’s chest tightened. “You won’t.”
He pulled her into a brief, fierce embrace then turned to face the dark skyline again.
The Flash Drive’s Secret
Naomi pulled Jason’s flash drive from her pocket. “The upload didn’t finish, but maybe the files weren’t erased.”
Alex nodded. “We need a safe place to check.”
“There’s a cyber café on East Bridge,” Naomi said. “Hidden, off-grid. My cousin runs it. No security cams.”
Alex blinked. “How many secret connections do you have?”
Naomi shrugged. “Growing up in Iron Crest teaches you to survive.”
Alex allowed himself a small smile. “Good thing I found you.”
She smiled back, cheeks warm despite the cold rain.
But then
A flash of headlights blinded them.
A black SUV screeched into view, tires skidding across wet pavement.
Alex’s instincts flared. “DOWN!”
He pulled Naomi behind a stack of crates just as gunfire tore through the air. Bullets punched into metal, sending sparks everywhere.
Naomi gasped. “How did they find us so fast?”
Alex’s voice tightened. “Morales has eyes everywhere.”
He peeked around the crate. Masked mercenaries were advancing.
Too many.
Too armed.
He grabbed Naomi’s hand. “We run.”
The Chase Through the Dockyards
They sprinted across the slick pavement, dodging debris and weaving between cargo stacks. More gunmen poured out from side alleys.
“Left!” Alex shouted.
Naomi followed, heart pounding, adrenaline turning every step into fire. Rain made the docks a maze of slippery danger.
A mercenary leaped out in front of her
Naomi reacted instantly, jabbing her knee into his stomach and swinging the flash drive case into his face. He dropped.
Alex looked back, impressed despite the danger. “You’re a menace.”
“Learned from the best,” she shot back.
But they were surrounded.
Cornered by shipping walls.
Gun barrels closing in.
Escape shrinking by the second.
Naomi’s breath hitched.
“Alex”
“I know,” he said, scanning wildly.
Then he spotted it
A narrow maintenance ladder leading up a container crane.
“Up!”
They scrambled up the ladder just as bullets pinged against the rungs beneath them. Naomi slipped on a wet rung
Alex caught her waist with one arm, pulling her close.
“Got you.”
Even in terror, his touch steadied her.
They climbed to the top of the crane, hearts racing, wind whipping harshly.
High Above the City
The crane swayed in the storm, metal groaning around them. Below, mercenaries shouted, shining lights upward.
Naomi shivered. “I don’t like heights.”
Alex cupped her cheek briefly. “Then don’t look down.”
She swallowed hard. “You think now’s the time to flirt?”
He smirked. “Helps with panic.”
A helicopter spotlight slashed through the rain
Morales’ men were escalating fast.
Alex scanned the crane for options. “We jump.”
Naomi stared at him. “We WHAT?”
He pointed to a lower rooftop twenty feet away.
“If we time it right with the crane swing”
“This is insane!”
“Naomi.” He faced her, hands holding her shoulders. “Do you trust me?”
Thunder boomed. Rain hissed. Gunfire echoed closer.
Naomi met his eyes.
“Yes. Always.”
Alex exhaled, relief and determination mixing in his gaze. “Then hold on.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist, gripping her tight as the crane swayed in the wind. Counting the rhythm. Timing the motion.
“On three,” he whispered.
“One…”
“Two…”
“THREE!”
They leaped.
The world dropped beneath the air screaming, rain slicing their faces. Naomi clung to Alex as gravity yanked them toward the rooftop
They hit hard, rolling across the gravel until Alex pinned her against a vent, shielding her from the fall.
Naomi gasped for air. Their faces are inches apart.
“You’re insane.”
He grinned weakly. “But effective.”
She laughed breathlessly, then pulled him into a quick, emotional kiss.
He kissed her back, tender but intense, like she was the only thing keeping him alive.
But the moment shattered when a gunshot cracked overhead, the bullet shattering the vent beside them.
Alex pulled her up. “Move! We’re not safe yet!”
The Path Forward
They ran across the rooftop to the adjoining building where an emergency stairwell led down to an alley.
At the bottom, Alex pressed Naomi against the wall, scanning the street.
No mercenaries.
No SUVs.
Only rain and the distant hum of traffic.
“We go to East Bridge,” Alex said. “Jason’s files are the key. Once we expose Morales”
“He falls,” Naomi finished.
Alex nodded. “For good.”
Naomi touched his chin gently, lifting his gaze to hers.
“We’ll win this, Alex. Not because we’re stronger… but because we’re fighting for something real.”
He brushed a thumb across her cheek.
“You. I’m fighting for you.”
She leaned into his hand.
“And I’m fighting for you.”
They shared a moment of fragile warmth in the cold rain.
But then Alex’s expression hardened again.
“Morales thinks he can break us,” he said. “He has no idea what we’re capable of.”
Naomi nodded, determination blazing in her eyes.
Together, they stepped into the storm
two souls bound by danger, love, loss, and the fire of vengeance.
The war was far from over.
And the next strike would be the deadliest yet.
- Writer
