Chapter 33 · Bodies in the Drop

The first body hit the dirt thirty feet from the gate.

I watched it fall. Didn't have time to look away. The sound it made—dull, wet—cut through the wind and the engine noise still screaming overhead. The transport was banking hard, cargo doors yawning open, and people were coming out in chains.

Not jumping. Falling.

"Evie!" Cole's voice cracked over the radio. "What do we do?"

I was already running.

The second body dropped closer. I saw the chains—thick links, wrists bound, ankles too. They weren't giving these people a chance. Just shoving them out and letting gravity do the work. The transport circled wide, tilting, and more shapes tumbled free.

Leah was sprinting from the med tent, her bag half-open and swinging. "We need tarps! Blankets! Anything soft!"

"There's no time." I skidded to a stop under the drop zone, eyes locked on the next one coming down. A kid. Maybe fourteen. Her mouth was open but no sound came out. Just that same dead fall.

I moved.

Caught her under the ribs with both arms and we went down together, my shoulder slamming into the dirt. The impact rattled my teeth.