Chapter 6 - THE ABANDONED BARN REFUGE
After twenty minutes of frantic running through the pitch-black fields, the dark silhouette of an old wooden barn emerged.
Ethan kicked open the rotting side door, slipping inside with Lily and pulling the heavy wooden bolt shut behind them.
The air inside smelled thick of old hay, rusted iron, and forgotten memories of simpler farming years.
Lily shivered slightly in her yellow t-shirt, her small teeth chattering from the sudden drop in temperature.
Ethan shrugged off his olive green button-up shirt, wrapping it securely around his daughter's shoulders.
"Are you warm enough now, bug?" Ethan whispered, kissing the top of her brown curls.
Lily nodded bravely, leaning against a stack of hay bales while clutching her stuffed rabbit.
Ethan pulled the burner phone from his pocket, dialing a encrypted sequence of numbers he hadn't used in five years.
May you like
The line rang three times before a gruff, exhausted voice answered from the other end.
"State your clearance code," the voice demanded from the speaker.
