Chapter 7
2024—
Los Angeles, California—
The cozy glow of Olivia’s dual monitors filled her room, casting a soft light over her bed and desk.
She was mid-stream, her chat scrolling rapidly beside a gameplay window. Her voice was cheerful, as always, engaging her audience with stories and jokes.
“Oh, c’mon, you guys really think I wouldn’t survive in a zombie apocalypse?” she teased, leaning closer to the camera. Her fingers hovered over her keyboard. “I’d totally be that hacker who saves the day from some bunker. Big sister energy, right?”
Her chat exploded with responses.
“Liv would definitely die in the first 5 minutes lol.”
“Hack the zombies into dancing, please.”
“We need a stream where you try apocalypse survival tips!”
She laughed, shaking her head. “You guys are the worst, I swear to god. The level of cringe you guys have is just… I’m—”
Her words trailed off as a donation alert popped up on her screen. It wasn’t the usual cheerful notification—it was subdued, almost ominous. The amount made her freeze.
$10,000 DONATION
The accompanying message read:
“R U N ⏰⏰⏰”
Olivia’s face contorted in confusion. “Uh... what the heck?” she muttered, glancing at the username, which was simply a string of numbers: 928374.
Her chat exploded.
“Bruh, $10k?!”
“WTF does that mean?!”
“Liv, is this a prank?”
“Guys, I—I don’t know what’s going on,” she said nervously, her laughter fading. “This isn’t funny.”
The donation message stayed on her screen, glowing ominously. Then, as if to compound the unease, another notification popped up.
This time, it was an email alerting her to a new message in her private account. The subject line read: “GET OUT NOW.”
Olivia’s heart pounded. She reached for her phone, intending to call her sister, when she heard the faint sound of sirens in the distance, growing louder by the second.
The door to their apartment slammed open with a thunderous bang, startling Olivia. Krista stormed in, her face pale and her eyes blazing with urgency.
“Olivia!” Krista shouted, her voice a mix of panic and command. “Grab your emergency bag. The one I told you to keep ready!”
Olivia blinked in confusion, still seated in her wheelchair by her desk. Her stream was still running, her chat flooded with questions and panicked emojis.
“Krista, what’s going on?” she stammered, her voice quivering.
Krista didn’t answer. She rushed to Olivia’s desk, grabbed the PC tower, and yanked the power cord out with a sharp tug, cutting the stream instantly. The screens flickered to black, and the faint hum of the computer faded into silence.
“Pack your laptop, your tablet, and grab your jacket and ear muffs. Now!” Krista barked, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Olivia’s hands shook as she tried to process what was happening. The distant sound of sirens grew louder, accompanied by the unmistakable thump-thump-thump of a helicopter overhead. Fear twisted in her stomach.
“Krista, what’s going on? Why are there—?”
“Now’s not the time!” Krista snapped, grabbing a nearby duffel bag and throwing it onto Olivia’s bed.
She turned toward the window, her movements sharp and precise, and pulled the curtain aside just enough to peek outside.
Her worst fears were confirmed.
Eight black SUVs screeched to a halt in the driveway below, their engines growling like predators. Two SWAT APCs rumbled into position behind them, their mounted spotlights cutting through the evening gloom.
A team of heavily armed agents spilled out, their black tactical gear and helmets gleaming under the lights. The helicopter hovered low, its blades kicking up dust and debris.
Krista’s jaw tightened as she released the curtain, her fist slamming against the wall with a loud thud.
“There’s no time,” she muttered under her breath, her mind racing.
Olivia, dragging herself out of her room with trembling arms, froze when she saw Krista crouching by the doorway.
Her sister had torn up the floor panels, revealing a hidden compartment. Olivia’s breath caught in her throat when she saw what Krista was pulling out.
A Browning M2 50-caliber machine gun, its long, gleaming barrel reflecting the dim light of the apartment. Attached to it was an ammunition belt loaded with massive, brass-tipped rounds.
“What the hell is that?!” Olivia cried, her voice breaking as she stared at the monstrous weapon. “Where did you get that?!”
Krista didn’t look up, her hands working swiftly as she set up the gun.
“We’ve always had it,” she said flatly, not bothering to explain further. “I just never told you.”
Olivia’s heart pounded in her chest, her fear and confusion growing with every second.
“Krista, why the hell do we have a machine gun in the house?!” she demanded, her voice rising in panic.
Krista finally looked up, her expression grim. “For situations like this.”
She stood, her movements deliberate, and positioned the barrel to face the approaching SWAT team outside the door.
The gun’s tripod legs dug into the wood floor, steadying the enormous weapon as Krista adjusted its angle.
Outside, agents moved swiftly, fanning out to secure the perimeter. The sharp orders of team leaders and the crackle of radios pierced the air. The APCs’ mounted turrets swiveled, scanning for threats.
Krista took a deep breath, her finger hovering just above the trigger. Her eyes narrowed as she locked onto the advancing agents through the scope. She didn’t pull the trigger yet—she was waiting, calculating.
“Krista,” Olivia whispered, her voice trembling as she struggled to process the situation. “What are you doing?”
“Getting us out of here,” Krista said coldly, her eyes never leaving the target. “Also… muff them ears.”
The SWAT team moved into position, their movements precise and disciplined. Several agents huddled by the door, one holding a heavy battering ram while others covered the entrance with their weapons.
The team leader raised a hand, giving the signal.
“Breaching in 3... 2...”
The door erupted into splinters as Krista’s Browning M2 roared to life, the thunderous thud-thud-thud of .50 caliber rounds tearing through the night.
The sheer force of the bullets ripped through the door and into the agents behind it. Body armor meant nothing against the high-velocity rounds—those caught in the line of fire fell like rag dolls, their bodies flung backward from the impact.
The agents not directly in front of the door scrambled for cover, some diving behind vehicles while others opened fire at the window Krista had stationed herself by.
Krista ducked just in time, bullets shattering the glass and peppering the walls around her.
She kept her hand on the machine gun’s trigger, the barrel glowing red-hot from continuous fire.
Her sharp focus broke with a sudden, searing pain in her right thigh. A stray bullet had found its mark.
“Shit!” Krista screamed, letting go of the Browning and collapsing to the floor.
Blood poured from the wound, soaking her jeans as she clenched her teeth in pain.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the SWAT team regrouping, inching closer to the house.
Gritting her teeth, Krista tore the rug from the floor and wrapped it tightly around her wounded leg, creating a makeshift tourniquet. Her hands shook as she tied it off, the pain nearly blinding her.
She crawled back to the machine gun, her movements sluggish but determined. With trembling hands, she grabbed a rubber band from her pocket and wrapped it tightly around the trigger and trigger guard, locking the gun into a continuous firing position.
The machine gun roared to life again, the belt-fed rounds spitting relentless destruction at the advancing agents.
Krista didn’t wait to see the results. She staggered to her feet, leaning heavily on the wall for support, and made her way toward Olivia, who had dragged herself halfway down the hallway.
“Krista, what’s happening?!” Olivia cried, her voice high-pitched with terror. “Why are they shooting at us?!”
“No time, Liv!” Krista grunted, pulling Olivia onto her back in one swift motion despite her own injury. “We’re leaving!”
Krista carried Olivia into the unused room, ignoring her sister’s panicked questions. Her escape duffle bag was exactly where she’d left it—hidden in the floor compartment.
he grabbed it and the coil of rope beside it, her movements fueled by adrenaline. The sound of gunfire and the crackling roar of the Browning filled the air.
She ran to the back window, propping Olivia against the wall for a moment. With a quick tug, she yanked a concealed string connected to her PVC tube, dropping the calcium metal into the water.
The chemical reaction was instant. A series of loud bangs echoed through the apartment as the hidden compartments released their volatile mix.
The explosion sent shockwaves through the building, and the fires ignited by the napalm canisters roared to life, engulfing the house in a wall of flames.
The SWAT agents outside recoiled, the intense heat forcing them to retreat. Smoke and fire consumed the house, making it impossible for the FBI or police to approach.
Krista didn’t stop to watch the chaos she had unleashed. With Olivia still clinging to her back, she made her way to the back of the building.
She kicked down the rolling door of the storage unit behind the house, revealing a gleaming black Subaru WRX STI parked inside.
Krista placed Olivia carefully in the passenger seat, tucking her legs in before shutting the door. Olivia stared at her in disbelief, her words tumbling out in a frantic rush.
“Since when do we have a car?!” Olivia screamed. “Do you even have a license? Can you even drive?!”
Krista winced, clutching her wounded leg as she slid into the driver’s seat. She groaned in pain, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
“Shut it, Liv,” she growled, jamming the keys into the ignition. The engine roared to life, the deep rumble reverberating through the storage unit. “Put your seatbelt on!”
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Olivia fumbled with the seatbelt, her hands trembling as Krista slammed the gear into reverse.
The tires screeched as the Subaru shot backward, crashing through the storage unit door and out into the alleyway.
As the WRX sped away, the fire in their apartment reached its peak. The intense heat triggered the temperature detectors connected to the four explosive charges buried in the building’s foundation.
The apartment building exploded in a massive fireball, the force of the blast obliterating its structural supports.
The entire structure crumbled inward, burying any evidence of Krista’s escape under tons of flaming debris.
The shockwave rocked the neighborhood, and the pursuing agents were forced to stop, shielding themselves from the inferno.
Smoke and ash billowed into the night sky as the flames roared hungrily, consuming everything in their path.
Krista gritted her teeth, her hands gripping the steering wheel as she sped through the darkened streets.
Olivia stared at her in stunned silence, the gravity of what had just happened beginning to sink in.
“Krista,” Olivia whispered, her voice trembling. “What’s happening? Why are they after us?”
Krista didn’t look at her, her focus locked on the road ahead. “I’ll explain later,” she said, her voice tight with pain. “Right now, we just need to survive.”
The Subaru WRX screeched as Krista yanked the wheel, drifting through the intersection at full speed.
The tires howled in protest, and the car barely missed colliding with an incoming sedan that skidded to a halt, the driver blaring their horn in panic.
Krista’s right leg throbbed with pain as blood seeped through the makeshift rug bandage around her thigh.
Every press on the gas pedal sent fresh waves of agony shooting up her leg, but she gritted her teeth and kept driving.
The roar of engines behind them signaled their relentless pursuers: four black FBI SUVs barreling down the street, their lights flashing and sirens blaring.
Through the side mirror, Krista watched the SUVs closing the gap.
“Liv,” she barked, her voice strained. “How good are you at Call of Duty?”
“What?!” Olivia shouted, clutching the armrest with white-knuckled hands as the car swerved dangerously. “What kind of question is that?!”
Krista glanced at her briefly, a wicked grin tugging at the corners of her lips. “How good?”
“I’m—I’m semi-pro!” Olivia stammered, her voice trembling. “Why does that even matter right now?!”
“Good.”
Krista reached into the duffle bag beside her, pulling out an M203 grenade launcher and shoving it into Olivia’s lap. Olivia gawked at the weapon, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“What the hell is this?!” Olivia shouted, her voice cracking. “You’re insane!”
Krista ignored the outburst, her attention split between the road and the SUVs gaining on them.
“Load it with the red-ringed 40mm grenade,” she ordered, her tone sharp. “Now.”
“Krista, this is insane!” Olivia cried, her hands trembling as she fumbled with the duffle bag. “You want me to fire a grenade launcher out of a moving car? I’m not in the goddamn military!”
“Just do it!” Krista snapped, her voice rising. “I don’t have time to argue with you!”
The desperation in Krista’s tone jolted Olivia into action. Heart pounding, she dug into the bag, pulling out a grenade with a red band around its casing.
With shaking hands, she slid it into the launcher’s chamber and locked it into place.
“Here!” Olivia shouted, thrusting the loaded grenade launcher at Krista.
Krista grabbed it with one hand, her knuckles white as she gripped the steering wheel with the other.
She lowered the driver’s window with a quick press of the button.
“Hold on to something, Time for a smidge of Eurobeat” she warned, slamming the handbrake and spinning the wheel sharply.
The Subaru whipped into a 180-degree drift, tires screeching as the car spun to face the oncoming SUVs. Krista braced the grenade launcher against her shoulder, leaning out the window to take aim.
The lead SUV loomed closer, its grill a snarling maw of chrome and steel.
Krista squeezed the trigger.
The grenade sailed through the air with a soft pop before exploding on impact with the SUV’s hood. The vehicle erupted into a fireball, flipping end over end before crashing into a cupcake shop, scattering glass, debris, and frosting in every direction.
Krista pulled the handbrake again, rotating the car back to face the front and pushed the stick into third gear.
“I hope you’re insured!” Krista shouted out her window.
Krista didn’t wait to celebrate. She reached into the duffle bag again, this time pulling out a frag grenade.
She yanked the pin with her teeth, holding it for a beat to "cook" it, then dropped it out the window.
One mississippi…
Two mississippi…
Three mississippi,,,
“Brace!” she shouted, slamming the wheel to spin the car back forward.
The grenade detonated behind them, creating a fiery barrier that forced the second SUV to swerve wildly and crash into a parked car.
Krista jammed the stick shift into fourth gear, the WRX roaring forward as they gained a brief lead.
In the third SUV, Supervisory Special Agent Lindsay McDermont gritted her teeth, gripping the radio as her team’s lead vehicle disappeared in a fiery explosion.
“Suspect is heading south on Alameda!” Lindsay barked into the radio. “Requesting PIT maneuver on Randolph Street. Be advised: they are heavily armed and extremely dangerous.”
The radio crackled with a response. “Copy that. LAPD units are en route.”
Lindsay’s jaw tightened as she leaned forward, scanning the street ahead. The remaining two SUVs swerved around debris, their tires squealing as they struggled to keep pace with the WRX.
“Don’t lose them!” Lindsay ordered the driver, her eyes narrowing. “We’re taking her down tonight.”
Olivia sat frozen in the passenger seat, her hands gripping the edge of her seat as the Subaru roared down Alameda.
Her pulse raced as she glanced out her window. In the distance, two LAPD SUVs sped toward them on the opposite side of the road, their sirens wailing.
“Krista!” Olivia cried out, her voice rising in panic. “There are two more cops coming—right side! They’re going really fast!”
Krista’s eyes darted to the rearview mirror, then to the side, her mind racing. It didn’t take long to piece it together.
PIT maneuver.
The LAPD wasn’t just here to chase—they were setting up to box them in.
“They’re catching up, sis!” Olivia cried out again.
“Shut up, sis!” Krista hissed. She clenched the wheel tighter, the sharp pain in her leg throbbing with every movement. “Alright, Liv. Open the glovebox.”
Olivia hesitated, her fingers trembling. “What? Why? What’s in there?”
“Just fucking do it!” Krista snapped, her voice cutting through Olivia’s panic.
With a shaky hand, Olivia reached for the latch and flipped open the glovebox. Her eyes widened as three mortar shells rolled forward, their dull gray casings glinting ominously in the dim light.
“Are you serious?!” Olivia shrieked, staring at the shells in disbelief. “Why the hell do we have mortar shells?!”
Krista didn’t answer. She grabbed one of the shells with her free hand, hefting it awkwardly due to the pain in her leg.
Rolling the window down slightly, she stuck the tail end of the shell outside, gripping it tightly as the wind whipped around her.
“Hold on,” Krista muttered, her eyes narrowing as they approached Randolph Street.
The LAPD SUVs were closing in, their headlights reflecting off the asphalt. Krista gritted her teeth, timing her next move perfectly.
As they hit the intersection, she slammed the handbrake again, jerking the wheel hard.
The Subaru screeched into another drift, sliding sideways and slowing their speed just enough to throw off the LAPD’s approach.
The two SUVs sped past them, overshooting the intersection entirely.
As the Subaru completed its spin, now facing the correct direction again, Krista leaned out and tossed the mortar shell into the middle of the intersection.
It spun wildly, its sharp tail end embedding slightly into the pavement.
The shell detonated in a deafening BOOM, engulfing the intersection in fire and debris.
Both LAPD SUVs were caught in the explosion, their frames crumpling like tin cans as they skidded to a stop in flames. The shockwave rippled outward, slowing the three pursuing FBI SUVs.
“Goddammit!” Lindsay shouted from the third SUV, slamming her fist against the dashboard as her vehicle skidded to a halt. Smoke and debris filled the air, forcing her team to pause momentarily.
With a brief window to escape, Krista floored the gas pedal, wincing as her injured leg protested against the pressure. The Subaru shot forward, leaving the burning wreckage behind.
Reaching into her pocket, Krista pulled out her phone and tapped a contact. She switched it to speaker mode as the line connected.
“Bradley,” she barked as the sound of static cleared.
“Krista, you’re really in the shit now, aren’t you?” Bradley’s voice came through, tinged with tension.
“Don’t start, you dick,” Krista shot back. “I need help.”
Bradley let out a dry laugh. “You and me both, kid. The FBI’s heading my way too. Hector and I are about to torch the place and take a hike.”
“Great,” Krista muttered, glancing at Olivia, who was clutching her knees in terror. “What about us? We need an out—now.”
Bradley hesitated for a moment. “I know a couple of guys at Union Station. They can get you on a train out to Chicago. Quietly.”
Krista’s eyes darted to the road ahead, her expression darkening. “I’m already too far south,” she said. “I’d never make it to Union without running into a dozen roadblocks.”
Bradley sighed heavily, the weight of the situation clear in his voice. “Then you’ve got a choice to make. If you keep heading south, you’ll run out of ground first. And when that happens? You can kiss your sister goodbye while the Feds drag you into a life sentence behind bars.”
Olivia’s head shot up, her face pale. “What?!” she gasped, her voice trembling.
Krista clenched her jaw, her grip on the wheel tightening. “Thanks for the pep talk, Coach. Really helpful.”
“Relax, kid,” Bradley said, his tone softening slightly. “You’ve been a good worker, so I’ll give you one last parting gift. Head to Las Vegas—there’s a contact there who owes me a favor. You can claim his debt on my name for yourself. Or, if you’re feeling nostalgic, you could go back to Florida. But Orlando PD might have a few questions for you about what happened to your parents.”
The line went silent for a moment, and Krista risked a quick glance at Olivia.
Her sister’s face had gone from scared to something else entirely—confusion and betrayal.
“What does he mean by that?” Olivia demanded, her voice rising.
Krista didn’t answer, her knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.
On the other end of the line, Bradley chuckled. “Oh, boy. You never told her, did you?” he said, his voice dripping with amusement. “That’s awkward.”
“Bradley,” Krista growled, her tone sharp with warning.
“Fine, fine,” Bradley said with a dismissive laugh. “Good luck, Krista. And hey—try not to die.”
The line clicked dead, leaving a heavy silence in the car.
“Krista,” Olivia whispered, her voice trembling. “What did he mean? What happened in 2019?”
Krista didn’t respond. Her eyes stayed locked on the road ahead as the Subaru sped into the night.
Krista gripped the wheel tightly as she took a hard left on Firestone Boulevard, heading east.
The Subaru roared down the road, the engine growling as it pushed past its limits. In the passenger seat, Olivia was anything but quiet.
“What happened in 2019, Krista?!” Olivia screamed, her voice cracking with frustration and fear. “What did he mean about our parents? What aren’t you telling me?!”
Krista’s patience wore thinner with every word. “Liv, now’s not the time!”
“Like hell it isn’t!” Olivia shot back, tears streaming down her face. “What did you do?!”
The barrage of accusations, the insults, the rising hysteria—it all broke Krista. Her hands trembled on the wheel, her injured leg throbbing, her mind barely clinging to focus.
“Fine!” Krista screamed, her voice raw with emotion. “I killed them, alright?! I killed Nate and Nora!”
Olivia froze, the words hitting her like a freight train. “What?”
“They were never going to take responsibility for you, Liv!” Krista shouted, her voice trembling with rage and pain. “You think they cared about your paralysis? You think they were going to help you? No! They were going to leave you to rot, just like they always did! You’d have died alone if it weren’t for me!”
Tears streamed down Olivia’s face as her sister continued, her voice filled with both anger and desperation.
“I never saw you as some accidental pregnancy,” Krista said, her voice breaking. “You’re my sister. My actual sister. And I loved you enough to do what needed to be done. I cut ties with them the only way I knew how. They were dead weight, and I sent them to the afterlife because we could never live free with them around!”
Krista’s chest heaved as she forced the words out. “But I knew I couldn’t take care of you alone after that. We had no money. I hadn’t finished school. We were screwed, Liv. So yeah, I made the call to be a criminal. It was the only way.”
“What kind of criminal, Krista?” Olivia asked, her voice barely above a whisper, dread creeping into her tone.
Krista’s grip on the wheel tightened, her knuckles white. “The kind that kills people for their organs,” she said flatly. “And sells them on the black market.”
The confession hung in the air, heavier than the tension before it.
Olivia clutched her stomach, the words sinking in like a poison. “You—what? You… you’ve been killing people?” she stammered, her voice filled with disgust. “For their organs?”
“It paid for your food!” Krista shouted, her voice rising again. “It paid for our roof, our bed, everything! You think it’s easy to keep you alive? To keep you safe? Stop asking so many damn questions and maybe say thanks for once!”
Olivia turned her head away, her face pale as she fought back the urge to vomit. “You’re a monster,” she whispered.
Before Krista could reply, a police SUV barreled out of a side street, slamming into the Subaru’s side.
The impact was violent, sending the car spinning through the air before it smashed into a concrete barricade.
The airbags deployed, cushioning the sisters from the worst of the impact, but the force was still devastating.
Olivia’s head struck the dashboard, and she slumped unconscious in her seat, blood trickling from her nose.
Krista, dazed and battered, felt shards of broken windshield pepper her face. Her vision blurred, and her eyes burned with every blink.
She tried to move, but her body screamed in protest.
Then she heard it—a faint sparkling sound, like static mixed with chimes. It grew louder, more intense.
Snap!
The sound of fingers snapping echoed in her ears. Krista’s consciousness slipped away as the world around her faded into nothing.
When Lindsay and the remaining SUVs arrived on the scene, they found the wreckage of the Subaru. Or rather, what was left of it.
The car was gone.
In its place was a burning circular mark scorched into the asphalt, strange lettering glowing faintly around its edges. From the still-burning flames, a dark red liquid seeped outward—blood.
Lindsay stepped out of her SUV, her gun drawn, her eyes scanning the eerie scene. Her agents fanned out, searching the area.
“Where are they?!” Lindsay barked, her frustration mounting.
“There’s no trace, ma’am,” one of the agents said, his voice shaky. “It’s like they… vanished.”
Lindsay stared at the burning mark, her mind racing for an explanation. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing.
“Poofed,” another agent muttered under his breath. “Like they weren’t even here.”
Lindsay threw her pistol on the ground, her face fuming. “God damn it all!”