Leo felt a chill.
It wasn't just the cold of the weather, but the hollow exhaustion that comes after risking everything.
He had bet it all, pushing all his chips onto that unseen highway, onto those drivers he had never met.
He trusted them, just as they trusted him.
"They'll come."
Leo said, his voice hoarse.
Ethan opened his mouth, about to offer some rational analysis—a risk assessment, perhaps, or a backup plan.
Just then.
A single point of light appeared in the distant darkness.
It was faint, flickering on the winding river valley road like a lost star.
Frank shot to his feet, the cigarette falling from his lips.
"Look over there!"
Someone shouted.
Then, a second beam of light appeared.
A third.
A fourth.
The points of light multiplied in the darkness, connecting, converging.
Within seconds, the once-silent highway in the distance was completely illuminated.
It was a ribbon of light.
A winding, flowing river of fire formed by countless headlights.
