128 (Operation Armageddon: Book 1)

Chapter Eighteen: The Exodus | Part 1

Daniel shook his head rapidly as he refused to process the information given to him. Meanwhile, Matthew began biting his nails subconsciously, bringing back the old habit he had picked up again a few months ago. Lastly, Megan continued reading through the article on her phone, trying to get more information on the situation.

Matthew looked left and right, trying to find a way out of the jam they had gotten into. He thought there would at least be a patch of grass for them to drive onto to go backwards, but there wasn't. There was absolutely no way for them to reverse or U-turn, which meant they were inevitably trapped in a line of cars.

"I don't think we're going to get to the airport in time," Daniel stated the obvious.

"No kidding," Matthew groaned sarcastically.

Megan leaned her head against the side of the car, heaving a hopeless sigh, while Daniel closed his eyes, trying to picture himself being somewhere that didn't consist of a jam involving impatient drivers. Only Matthew was attentive and eager to look for any signs of movement in the traffic. His efforts would be in vain, however, as the cars ahead remained stationary even for the following thirty minutes.

"I don't get why this jam is even happening," Megan stated her confusion and frustration simultaneously. She didn't seem too interested in waiting anymore, so she followed Daniel and closed her eyes afterwards.

Matthew sighed in defeat after finally accepting that they weren't going to move for the next hour—or hours. "You guys can just relax or nap for now," he suggested as he looked at them through the rear-view mirror. "We're going to be here for a while."

* * *

Three days later...

Matthew awoke to the sound of an explosion in the early morning. It wasn't distinct and was rather faint—it sounded distant. Nonetheless, it was still noticeable and loud enough to wake him from his deep sleep. He straightened his posture as he sat up and turned his head around to look at Daniel and Megan, who somehow were still asleep.

He then turned back to find the source of what he thought was an explosion, although it was harder to hear now since only a rumbling noise remained. He looked out of the car and glanced at numerous people standing outside their vehicles. As he inspected their facial expressions more carefully, he quickly realised that they were displaying either awe or appalment on their faces. As he soon realised, they were all staring at something, as if it were something that would catch their attention.

And it turned out that it really was something that no one would be able to take their eyes off.

As Matthew had a bit of short-sightedness, he could not see clearly what the bystanders outside were focusing on. As such, he got out of the car and grabbed his phone from his pocket, opening the camera application. He then used the zoom function on the application to enlarge the image he was staring at.

The results were unexpectedly shocking.

Matthew spammed the capture button multiple times before returning to the car to wake the two detectives up. However, they were already awake, being woken up by the slam of the car door earlier on.

"What's going on now?" Daniel questioned, rubbing his eyes as he got up.

Matthew shook his head rapidly. "You won't believe this," he said as he entered the gallery application and tapped on the image he had just captured. He held the phone right in front of Daniel and Megan's faces so that they would see it clearly for themselves.

Megan gasped as she moved her head away from the phone, unable to take in what she had just seen. Meanwhile, Daniel rubbed his eyes forcefully, making sure that the tears that had accumulated in his eyes during his nap didn't cause him to see things. He then confirmed that what he saw in the picture wasn't a lie.