Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, far past the quiet perimeter of the cabin, thick columns of black smoke coiled upward into the sky like malignant serpents, blotting out the stars.
"Fire?!"
Rory's eyes flew wide. She shot upright and sprinted to the glass, planting her palm against it as she scanned the horizon in frantic disbelief. What she saw made her stomach twist sharply.
Nearly every sector beyond the immediate cabin grounds was burning.
Flames tore through structures in the distance, painting the night in violent shades of orange and red. Entire sections of the base were swallowed by fire, their outlines flickering through the smoke like dying embers.
Boom—!Boom—!Boom—!
The explosions thundered in rapid succession, each blast closer than the last. The ground shuddered beneath her feet, and the reinforced glass vibrated violently, humming with the force of the shockwaves. This wasn't distant artillery or controlled demolition—it was close, brutal, and relentless.
