Emily POV
Emily adjusted her gas mask as the vehicle rolled toward the outer gate.
The fortified walls of City 89 loomed behind them, disappearing slowly in the rearview mirror.
Professor Catherine sat behind the wheel, her eyes focused ahead, her fingers lightly drumming the steering wheel.
The ID checks had taken longer than expected, but they'd cleared it without issue.
Alice sat silently in the backseat, her gaze steady through the tinted window.
Tyr was packed in the keeper's carrier in the back compartment.
As they passed beyond the protective barrier of the city, everything changed.
The sky dimmed.
The air outside became thick, and heavy.
The sun turned crimson like a swollen red eye peering through the cracked sky.
The land was fractured.
Long stretches of broken earth spread out in every direction, as if some massive beast had clawed through it ages ago.
Emily looked out the window and muttered. "Whoa."
"It's always like this outside the cities?" Alice asked.
