Page 52 of Monster

“Copy,” several voices rang out.

“The chopper’s getting louder. Coming in hot from the left,” Bull said.

“The heli will have to turn back in a moment,” Drake said into his mic. “Visibility’s about to get real bad.”

Turning to the road, he watched as the transport approached.Lifting his hands, he drew a deeper fog along the edges and allowed it to slowly move into the lanes. The few cars on the highway slowed as their visibility reduced.

More built by the time the vehicles were upon him.

Once they were close enough, he shifted into a mist and flew into one of the buses, his ghost-like body slipping right inside. He nearly became corporeal again at what he saw inside the first vehicle.

Shocked, he held tight and stayed hidden.

“What’s up with this fog?” a soldier asked. “It’s suddenly pea soup out there.”

“We keep on moving regardless,” the driver said. “Lore said we stop for nothing and nobody. Mow them down if I have to.”

Dropping out of the first bus, he allowed the second bus to rush through his body. Midway, he hovered within. More of the same.

A little hand reached out and caressed his. Looking down, he realized he could be seen.

“What’s he looking at?” one of the soldiers asked.

Another walked closer to Drake.“Something’s in here.” He lifted his semi-automatic rifle and pointed it. Bullets couldn’t hurt him in his current form. “Come out, come out, motherfucker!”

Drake smiled to himself and down to the owner of that small hand. He lifted a finger to his lips, persuading them to remain quiet.

A brief nod and a smile later, Drake flew right through the soldier.

And got all the details of the transport. He dropped out of the bus and returned to his human form on the median between the two old highways. Hitting the call button, he spoke.

“There’s children aboard both buses,” Drake said.“At least thirty in total.”

Silence was all he heard. Had his shift to smoke damaged the radio?

“Did you copy? There are children on those buses. Use caution!”

“Copy,” Deacon said from afar.He remained at the facility, listening in on the op with Kye, Lachlan, and Hemming.

“Someone sensed I was onboard. They’re unnerved and possibly trigger-happy.Lore gave them a run-down order.They won’t stop for anything… and might plow whatever or whoever gets in their way. We need to make them stop without harming the children.”

“If we attack, the kids are in danger,” Malachi came over the radio. “We need a miracle of engine trouble.”

“I might be able to supply that,” Drake said.

“Bring them down gently, Drake… don’t put the children’s lives in danger,” Deacon said.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Bull, Malachi… get ready to take down the Hemis first.Then commandeer those buses.”

“Copy,” both Bull and Malachi responded.

“Get ready… I’m about to kill some engines,” Drake said.

Drake half-shifted and turned back into mist… once he was back into the smoke screen, he fully shifted. Flying above the fog, he caught back up to the buses. Carefully, he landed as gently as possible on the roof of the first bus before half-shifting back. A bullet glanced through his toe—luckily he was in smoke form.

He moved to the engine from inside the bus… pulled a few wires and hoses… things they could replace to drive the children out—until the bus began to sputter and list.

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