Chapter 118: Through Ash And Fire

The silence was the first thing to break her.

Emily stood in the center of the bunker, the harsh glow of the flickering light overhead bathing her in fractured shadows. 

Her fingers curled and uncurled at her sides, muscles twitching in anticipation. 

Every breath echoed off the scarred concrete walls, every heartbeat a countdown to something she couldn't quite name.

The message had been sent.

Now there was nothing left but to wait.

Lena's voice crackled softly in her earpiece. "We're in position."

Emily swallowed hard, her throat dry despite the damp chill in the air. "Copy."

The others were scattered through the tunnels, each at a choke point or ambush position, hidden behind debris, waiting for the first sign of Hale's arrival. 

Every corridor was rigged with proximity charges, designed to collapse the passage if things went sideways.