The mood inside the van was a toxic mix of adrenaline and terror. Kofi was wheezing, holding his chest. Jengo was bandaging a scratch on his arm—a scratch that was already looking angry and red.
"They're Stage 2," Dr. Aris said, his voice trembling. He was shining a penlight onto Jengo's arm. "The Hunters. The neural acceleration has peaked. They aren't just reacting to stimulus anymore. They are... thinking."
"We need a plan," Thomas said, his eyes locked on the road. "We can't just drive blindly. They'll herd us into a kill box."
"We need to go off-road," Lucas said suddenly.
Everyone looked at him.
"The GPS shows the main road loops back to the highway in five miles," Lucas said, pointing at the dead dashboard screen. "That's what they expect. They know vehicles need roads. But there's an old river bed about a mile west. If we cut through the brush, we can bypass the loop."
Thomas stared at his son. "You want me to drive this van into the jungle? With no road?"
"I'm looking at the topography on the map I memorized," Lucas lied—he had seen it on a poster in the lobby. "The river bed is flat. It's gravel. We can do it."
"It's suicide," Sterling snapped. "We'll get stuck and die."
"Staying here is death," Jax said calmly. "The kid's right. The road is a trap. They're waiting for us."
Thomas hesitated. He looked at the map, then at Lucas. He saw the confidence in his son's eyes. It wasn't the arrogance of a teenager; it was the clarity of a strategist.
"Do it," Thomas said. "Take the wheel, Lucas."
"Thomas!" Maggie gasped.
"I need to man the gun!" Thomas shouted, pointing to the sunroof. "Lucas, drive. Jax, navigate. Let's see if they can predict a crazy person."
Lucas climbed over the center console. His hands gripped the steering wheel. He felt the vibration of the engine. He felt the power.
"Hang on," Lucas whispered.
He cranked the wheel hard to the left. The van tore through a hedge of ferns and plunged into the darkness of the undergrowth.