The Questioner System (Ask Me Anything)

Chapter 19: An Uneasy Respite

The train yard was still, bathed in silvery moonlight. Rusted train cars stood like silent sentinels, their hulking forms looming over the overgrown tracks. The distant sounds of the city seemed muted, as though the chaos they had just escaped had left a bubble of quiet around them.

Victor scanned the area, his pistol drawn, every movement deliberate. Marcus knelt near an old cargo car, reloading his shotgun methodically. Adam stood in the center of the tracks, his heart still racing, eyes darting to every shadow.

Victor motioned for them to regroup near an old maintenance shed. "We can't stay here long. Jared's men will figure out where we went."

"Yeah, but we're all running on fumes," Marcus replied. He glanced at Adam. "Kid looks like he's about to keel over."

Adam couldn't deny it. His legs ached, his hands trembled, and his head buzzed with the weight of everything. "I'll be fine," he mumbled.

Victor crouched down, pulling out a map. "The next move needs to be calculated. No more scrambling blindly."

Adam checked the system's interface.

He sighed. The system wasn't going to be much help for now.

---

The shed was dark and cramped, its walls covered in peeling paint and graffiti. Victor found an old oil lamp, which cast a faint yellow glow over the room. Marcus slumped against the wall, his shotgun resting across his knees.

"We've been playing defense too long," Marcus said. "It's time to start hitting back."

Victor shook his head. "Not yet. We don't have the resources or information to go on the offensive."

"We can't just keep running," Marcus argued.

"Enough," Victor snapped. "We regroup, we plan, and we move smart. Charging headfirst into Jared's network will get us all killed."

Adam watched the exchange silently, his mind churning. Marcus wasn't wrong—they couldn't keep running forever. But Victor was right too; they weren't ready for a direct confrontation.

---

The quiet was broken by the distant sound of engines. All three of them froze.

Victor extinguished the lamp, plunging the shed into darkness. Marcus peered out of a crack in the wall. "Two vehicles, circling the perimeter."

"They found us already?" Adam whispered, panic rising in his chest.

"Maybe they're searching, maybe they're just patrolling," Victor said. "Either way, we can't take chances. Stay quiet."

The vehicles prowled the edges of the train yard for what felt like an eternity. Adam's pulse thundered in his ears as he held his breath, gripping his pipe like a lifeline.

Finally, the sound of engines faded into the distance.

"They didn't find us," Marcus said, though his voice lacked relief. "Not yet, anyway."

Victor exhaled slowly. "We need to get moving before they come back."

---

As they prepared to leave, Marcus pulled Adam aside. "How are you holding up, kid?"

"I don't know," Adam admitted. "I feel like I'm barely keeping it together."

Marcus nodded. "That's normal. First time in a situation like this, it's overwhelming. But you're doing good. Better than most would."

"Thanks," Adam said, though the words felt hollow. He didn't feel like he was doing good—he felt like he was surviving by luck alone.

"Just stick close to us," Marcus added. "We've got your back."

Adam nodded, grateful for the reassurance.

---

Victor called them over. "We're heading west, toward the river. There's a chance we can find a boat or something to put more distance between us and Jared's men."

"Sounds like a plan," Marcus said.

"What about the system?" Adam asked.

Victor glanced at him. "We'll need it when it resets, but for now, we rely on old-fashioned instincts."

---

The group moved cautiously through the train yard, sticking to the shadows. The air was cool and damp, carrying the faint scent of rust and stagnant water.

As they approached the edge of the yard, Adam spotted movement in the distance—a group of figures, maybe half a dozen, moving along the tracks.

"More of Jared's men?" he whispered.

Victor shook his head. "No. Local gangs, probably. Let's avoid them."

But avoiding them wasn't so simple. The group was moving toward their path, and doubling back would mean risking running into the patrol vehicles again.

"We don't have time for this," Marcus muttered.

Victor considered their options. "We take a wide arc, keep our distance. If they spot us, we deal with it quickly and quietly."

---

They slipped through the shadows, keeping low and moving as quietly as possible. Adam's heart pounded with every step, his grip on the pipe tightening.

The gang members were talking loudly, their voices carrying through the still night. They didn't seem to notice the trio creeping through the darkness.

But then, a metallic clang echoed as Marcus's foot kicked a loose piece of scrap metal.

The gang froze, their heads snapping in the direction of the sound.

"Who's there?" one of them called out, his voice sharp.

Victor held up a hand, signaling for Adam and Marcus to stay still.

The gang members began moving toward the noise, their flashlights sweeping the area.

Victor acted first, stepping into the light and firing two quick shots. One gang member dropped instantly, while the others scrambled for cover.

"Move!" Victor shouted, and the trio broke into a sprint.

---

The train yard erupted into chaos. The gang members fired wildly, their bullets ricocheting off rusted metal. Adam ran as fast as he could, his lungs burning.

Victor and Marcus returned fire, their movements fluid and precise. Adam could barely keep up, his mind a blur of fear and adrenaline.

Finally, they reached the edge of the yard and dove into the cover of a dense thicket of trees. The gunfire faded behind them as they continued running, not stopping until they reached the riverbank.

---

They collapsed onto the muddy ground, gasping for breath.

"That could've gone worse," Marcus said, his tone almost cheerful.

Victor shot him a look. "It could've gone better, too. We need to stay sharper."

Adam didn't say anything. He was too exhausted to speak, his body trembling from the exertion and fear.

Victor stood and scanned the area. "We'll rest here for a bit, but not long. Keep your eyes open."

As Adam sat there, staring at the dark, slow-moving river, he couldn't shake the feeling that things were only going to get harder from here.