As the aircraft ascended into the sky, Lucy and Mia exchanged a glance, relief flooding through them as they gained distance from the cursed land. But something still gnawed at them, an instinctual dread that hadn't yet left their bones.
Turning to the rear of the plane, Lucy gazed through the massive, gaping window. What she saw sent a shudder of disbelief down her spine.
A massive explosion, unlike anything she had ever seen, erupted from the ground far below. It was blinding, the light so intense that it seemed nuclear in scale. A monstrous shockwave followed, barreling toward them with ferocious speed.
The aircraft rumbled violently, the aftershock rattling the cabin and sending a powerful tremor through the entire vessel. But thankfully, they had already flown far enough away. Though the aircraft was buffeted by the explosion's fury, it held steady, escaping the worst of the damage.
Lucy exhaled, her breath shaky. They had survived. For now.
