The overpass loomed ahead like a concrete ribcage.
Six lanes of highway, collapsed in the middle. The northbound side had fallen away completely, leaving a gap fifty feet wide. The southbound side was intact but cracked—hairline fractures spreading like spiderwebs across the surface.
The blue crate glowed on the far side of the gap.
And between Alex and the crate stood three survivors.
"Not moving," Sarah said. She'd killed the engine behind a billboard—same strategy, same caution. "Just standing there."
"Waiting," Jade said from the back. "For what?"
"For us, probably."
Alex studied them through a pair of binoculars Sarah had found in a glove compartment. Two men, one woman. Armed. Rifles, not melee weapons.
Organized, he thought. Not random survivors.
"Cole," he said. "You recognize them?"
The old trucker squinted through his own binoculars. "Jackets are wrong for Road Knights. No patches. No colors."
"Maya?"
The archer shook her head. "Not from my time."
"Then they're new." Alex lowered the binoculars. "Three against six. Good odds."
"Assuming they want to fight," Sarah said.
"Everyone wants to fight on this road."
"Not everyone." She looked at him. "Some people just want to survive."
Alex thought about that. About Danny. About the kid's face when he'd found him under the overpass.
Not everyone is an enemy, he reminded himself. Some people are just scared.
"Approach slow," he said. "Weapons visible but not raised. I'll do the talking."
"And if they shoot?"
"Then we shoot back."
---
The three survivors saw them coming.
Alex walked at the front, tire iron in hand, held low. Sarah flanked left, wrench in her grip. Jade flanked right, broken rifle aimed at the ground.
Maya hung back, bow unstrung—a gesture of peace. Cole stayed with the RV, engine running, ready to move.
Danny was inside. Safe.
For now.
"That's far enough," one of the men said.
He was tall. Bald. A scar ran from his ear to his jaw. His rifle was aimed at Alex's chest.
Alex stopped. "We're not here to fight."
"Then why are you here?"
"The crate. Same as you."
The woman stepped forward. Younger than the men. Dark hair pulled back. Her rifle was slung over her shoulder—relaxed, but ready.
"There's only one crate," she said. "And three of us."
"Six of us," Sarah said.
"Your friends in the RV don't count until they're standing here."
Sarah's jaw tightened. Alex put a hand on her arm.
"We can share," he said. "Split the contents. Fifty-fifty."
"Sixty-forty," the bald man said. "We were here first."
"You were here. You haven't opened it."
"Because the gap is fifty feet wide. We're waiting for someone with a vehicle."
Alex looked at the gap. The collapsed section of highway. The crate on the far side.
"You can't drive across that," he said.
"We can't. But your RV has a reinforced chassis. It might survive the jump."
Alex stared at him. "You want me to jump my RV across a fifty-foot gap?"
"Sixty feet," the woman said. "We measured."
"That's insane."
"Maybe. But the crate is blue. And blue crates don't spawn every day."
---
Sarah pulled Alex aside.
"They're using us," she said.
"I know."
"They want us to risk our vehicle—our home—so they can get the crate."
"I know."
"So why are we even talking to them?"
Alex looked at the gap. At the crate. At the three survivors.
"Because they're not wrong," he said. "The RV might survive the jump. The reinforced chassis..."
"Your mother built that chassis to survive bullets, not flying lessons."
"Same principle."
Sarah stared at him. "You're crazy."
"Probably."
"I'm not letting you do this."
"You're not letting me?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you give me orders?"
"Since you started making stupid decisions."
They glared at each other.
Then Sarah sighed. "Fine. But if we die, I'm haunting you."
"Fair."
---
Alex walked back to the three survivors.
"We'll do it," he said. "But on our terms."
"Which are?" the woman asked.
"Seventy-thirty. Us seventy. You thirty."
"That's robbery."
"That's negotiation. You want the crate? We're the only ones who can get it."
The bald man's face darkened. The woman put a hand on his arm.
"Sixty-forty," she said. "Final offer."
"Sixty-five thirty-five."
"Deal."
They shook hands. The woman's grip was firm.
"Name's Teresa," she said. "The big one is Hank. The quiet one is Leo."
"Alex."
"We know who you are." Teresa's eyes were sharp. "Everyone knows who you are."
Alex's stomach tightened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Means you're famous. The man with the unique skill. The son of Elena Chen." She tilted her head. "You didn't think that would stay secret, did you?"
"I was hoping."
"Hope doesn't keep you alive on this road."
---
The RV rolled to the edge of the gap.
Sarah was behind the wheel. Alex sat beside her. Jade, Maya, and Danny were in the back, braced against the walls.
Cole stayed behind with Teresa's crew. Hostage, or insurance—Alex wasn't sure which.
"You ready for this?" Sarah asked.
"No."
"Good. Lying would have made me nervous."
She pressed the gas.
The RV lurched forward. The gap rushed toward them.
Fifty feet. Sixty. The far side.
The RV's front wheels left the ground.
Alex held his breath.
For one second—one endless, terrible second—they were airborne.
Then the front wheels hit the far side. The chassis groaned. The suspension screamed.
But the RV held.
They were across.
Sarah slammed the brakes. The RV skidded to a stop inches from the edge of the next gap.
"Never," she said, "do that to me again."
"Noted."
---
The blue crate sat on the edge of the overpass, glowing softly.
Alex climbed out. Walked to it. Crouched.
Eight seconds. Quick Hands.
The lock clicked.
```
[System: Rare Supply Crate (Blue) opened.]
Rewards:
– Advanced Tool Kit (Upgrades Workbench to Level 2)
– Fuel Canister x5 (+50% fuel)
– Skill Book: "Iron Stomach" (Reduces food/water consumption by 20%)
– RV Module: "Reinforced Suspension" (Requires Level 20)
– Credit: 300
```
Alex grabbed everything. The skill book was small—pocket-sized. He opened it.
```
[System: Skill learned – Iron Stomach (Level 1)]
Effect: Food and water consumption reduced by 20%.
```
"Useful," he muttered.
He looked at his system.
```
[User: Alex Chen]
Level: 3
Credits: 525/400 to next level
```
Level up available.
He pressed confirm.
```
[System: Level up complete. Current Level: 4.]
[System: 125/500 credits to next level.]
[System: 6 levels until Legendary Perk selection.]
```
Level four. Six more to go.
Getting closer, he thought.
---
The RV jumped the gap again—this time with the three survivors riding in the back.
The landing was rougher. The chassis groaned louder. But they made it.
Teresa climbed out, face pale. "That was insane."
"You wanted the crate," Alex said.
"I wanted the contents."
He handed over her share. Thirty-five percent. One hundred five credits. A fuel canister. A basic tool kit.
Teresa counted. Nodded.
"Pleasure doing business," she said.
"Don't let me see you again."
"You won't." She gestured to Hank and Leo. "We're heading north. Away from the Road Knights."
"Smart."
"I try to be." Teresa looked at Alex. "Your mother saved my life once. Before the Transfer. I owed her. Now we're even."
Alex blinked. "You knew her?"
"Everyone knew her. Or everyone who mattered." Teresa slung her rifle over her shoulder. "She was a good person, Alex. Don't let this road turn you into something else."
She walked away. Hank and Leo followed.
Alex watched them go.
Don't let this road turn you into something else.
Too late for that, he thought. But I'll try.