"Beyond the Gate"
(Chandler's POV)
The gate always sounds louder from the outside.
Chandler didn't look back when it closed.
Not because he didn't want to—because he did. Every instinct in him wanted one last glance at the covered entryway, at the faint outline of Emily standing there with her arms wrapped around herself.
But looking back made leaving harder.
And leaving was part of the job now.
The tires cut through wet gravel as they rolled west, rain still clinging to the world in a thin silver film. Mara drove the lead vehicle. Chandler followed close behind, hands steady on the wheel, eyes scanning out of habit.
Two days.
He could do two days.
The radio crackled once. "Convoy check."
"Second vehicle clear," Chandler replied.
The road beyond the plant felt wider than it use
