Luther’s POV
Three hours.
That was how long we’d been on the road.
Three hours of endless highways.
Three hours of abandoned vehicles.
Three hours of complete silence.
James sat behind the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
I occupied the passenger seat.
Ariel sat quietly in the back, gazing out the window.
She hadn’t said much since we left.
She looked…
lost in thought.
I wondered what she was thinking about.
“Psst.”
James whispered.
I looked at him.
“What?”
Without taking his eyes off the road, he subtly jerked his head toward the back seat.
I frowned.
“What?”
He rolled his eyes before motioning for me to switch seats and talk to Ariel.
Absolutely not.
I slowly shook my head.
James sighed dramatically.
A few seconds later…
He nudged my arm with his elbow.
I glared at him.
He repeated the gesture.
“Go.”
His lips barely moved.
I answered with another firm shake of my head.
“No.”
This silent argument continued for several minutes.
Finally…
Ariel leaned forward between our seats.
“…What exactly are you two doing?”
Both of us froze.
“…Nothing.”
I answered a little too quickly.
James nodded so hard it almost looked painful.
“Nothing at all.”
She looked between us for a moment before smiling.
“…You two are weird.”
She leaned back into her seat and returned to staring out the window.
James couldn’t help but grin.
I resisted the urge to punch him.
Suddenly…
SCREEECH!
The vehicle came to an abrupt stop.
“What now?”
A large cargo truck was parked sideways across the road, completely blocking our path.
James frowned.
“…That’s not suspicious at all.”
He switched off the engine.
“I’ll move it.”
He stepped out of the vehicle.
“I won’t even need a minute.”
Cracking his neck, he prepared to activate Titan.
But before he could…
Four figures emerged from the trees lining the highway.
Each wore a black mask.
Each carried a weapon.
One rested a massive hammer on his shoulder.
Another casually spun a pair of daggers between his fingers.
The tallest among them stepped forward.
“So…”
His voice echoed through the empty road.
“You’re the ones causing all the commotion.”
James slowly clenched his fists.
“…Who are you?”
The masked man chuckled.
“We could ask you the same question.”
The wind grew still.
Neither side moved.
The road had become a battlefield.