Chapter 5: Shards and Bone
Behind the porthole, Dylan and Maggie watched the scene with almost palpable tension. The bony creature, which had stopped clawing at the valve, slowly turned its head toward the cluster of trees. The tall prairie grass swayed gently, thick enough to conceal something but not enough to hide the slightest movement.
It remained motionless for a long moment, wary. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Then, suddenly, there was movement.
Quick. Fluid. Almost imperceptible—the kind of shiver one might dismiss as a mere breeze. But Dylan, Maggie... and especially the creature, knew otherwise.
Impatience overtook the bony being. Its ear-splitting shriek tore through the air, so powerful that Dylan and Maggie threw themselves to the ground, hands clamped over their ears.
The porthole exploded.
Shards of glass rained around them, screeching against the metal floor. Neither dared to lift their head. Outside, the creature's scream shifted into a higher, more desperate cry. A struggle—wild and panicked, as if it were fighting for its life.
Dylan, belly pressed to the floor, felt his heart hammering violently. A shrill hissing, like tracer bullets, sliced the air above them.
The valve was pierced.
Dylan exchanged a panicked glance with Maggie, but she remained frozen, breath shallow. Every second stretched, every sound grew more threatening.
Then, silence.