The bomb went off before they were able to clear the building.

Chunks of concrete and wood went flying, pelting Josh's back as he raced towards the window, the only split-second exit he could find. Once he hit the edge, and Josh launched himself into the air, screaming the whole time down. He hit the roof across from him just barely, his foot slipping off the edge and almost sending him over.

Josh caught himself by his fingertips, dangling as the heat of the explosion enveloped him. He struggled to pull himself onto the roof, sucking in breath through his clenched teeth.

"Tyler, please tell me you didn't blow yourself up."

"You can't get rid of me that easily. Where are you?"

"Roof!"

Another explosion went off, sending Josh scrambling for cover under a large piping sticking out of the roof. His ears rang from the bomb, and he felt a shard of glass scrape his tricep.

"Fuck. Hayley, any time now!"

The chained door leading to the roof banged as if something big was trying to get to him. Josh scrambled to press his back against the door, feeling each pounding hit on his back.

"Joshua!" Whatever was behind the door roared his name. A scarred, mangled hand busted through a crack in the solid metal, grabbing Josh by his waist.

"Red alert, red alert, there's a monster behind me!"

Josh elbowed the hand over and over until it let go and retreated back behind the door. The chains creaked under the pressure, and he mentally begged the door to hold for just a bit longer.

"I'm here. Where are you?"

"Above you!"

"What the hell are you doing up there?"

"Trying not to die." The chain snapped, snagging Josh's calf. He huffed and shoved back, his feet skidding across the ground. "I'm going to jump. Catch me."

"Woah, Woah, Woah, that is a terrible idea."

"Got any better ideas?"

Josh took a deep breath and broke off into a sprint just as the door's hinges gave way. Something grabbed at him from behind, but Josh was in the air already and falling. He barely saw the pickup truck beneath him until he hit it, the impact blowing the air out of his lungs.

"Ow."

Tyler, who was hanging out the back window with a shotgun in hand, helped Josh sit up. "Broken ribs, bruised spine, mild concussion, and a busted ankle."

"Thanks, Encyclopedia Jones," Josh drawled, rubbing the back of his head. "Didn't need a book report."

Hayley snorted from the driver's seat. "Where to now, Lieutenant?"

Josh stretched, watching the flames swallow the tall, shattered building. They turned a corner and the building disappeared from his view completely.

"Romania."

{COMING SOON BABY}