CHAPTER 4: Three Engines at Sunset

The first horn rolled across the road like weather changing its mind.
Preston had already returned to the driver’s side when he heard it. His hand paused above the door handle. Camilla leaned forward, eyes narrowing past the mirror.
Far down the highway, three semi-trucks appeared in the dying light. They came side by side, black cabs polished like funeral glass, headlights burning white against the dust.
Elias turned toward the sound.
His face was wet, but his eyes were no longer lost.
Preston whispered something Camilla could not hear. The sedan’s engine was still running, yet no one inside it moved. The road had changed ownership before any truck reached them.