The guards below instantly turned, their flashlights cutting through the mist.

“Stop right there!” a voice shouted.

I didn’t stop.

I ran faster, using the momentum of the slope to carry me down.

A bullet chipped the rock inches from my shoulder.

I dove behind a rusted piece of mining equipment, the metal ringing as more rounds struck it.

The helicopter engine roared louder, the blades kicking up a blinding cloud of dust and gravel.

I peered around the edge of the steel plate.

The helicopter was lifting off the ground.

It hovered three feet in the air, the nose tilting forward.

“No!” I screamed, lunging out from my cover.

I sprinted toward the landing gear, my hand outstretched.

My fingers brushed the cold steel of the skid.

I lunged again, my arms wrapping around the metal bar as the helicopter rose into the night sky.

The wind battered my face, the ground rapidly dropping away beneath my boots.

I swung my leg up, catching my boot on the step.

The door of the cabin was open.

A guard looked down at me, his eyes wide with shock.