"What do you mean there's nothing?? We literally saw it!!" Naomi screamed.
Her voice bounced off the concrete walls of the checkpoint, sharp enough that even the civilians nearby slowed down to stare. The gate behind the soldiers stood massive and gray, built directly into the side of an abandoned subway terminal. Floodlights glared overhead. Cameras turned slowly.
Cold.
Everything about this place felt cold.
The soldier in front of them didn't react. Didn't even blink.
"I already told you," he said flatly. "There is no underground borough access point here."
Aubrey's jaw flexed.
Bullshit.
They had seen the train. Seen the doors. Seen armed escorts dragging people through restricted tunnels like this place was Fort Knox buried underneath the apocalypse.
Naomi stepped closer. Too close.
"You think we're stupid?"
"I think," the soldier replied, "that you and your friends need to leave before this becomes a trespassing issue."
Terri subtly shifted beside Aubrey.
