The City Was Already on a Timer

They reached the shadow under an overpass when sirens snapped to life above them. Two police cruisers blocked the road ahead, doors open, officers shouting through bullhorns for everyone to get on the ground. Then something black dropped off the bridge edge. Elias recognized the shape before it hit. A drone battery pack. “Down!” The blast shook grit loose from the bridge and sent it into their hair and eyes. A police officer slammed into the railing. Radio chatter erupted into static. On the far side of the overpass, an ambulance nearly got trapped under the span, its back doors open, a young nurse lifting an IV bag above her head as she shouted for help. Elias ran to her. “What happened?”