His voice cut through the dry wind like a serrated blade:
"There are three of them."
Chapter III: The Tremor in the Air
Briggs scoffed, taking a step closer with his hand resting on his taser holster. "Who do you think you're calling, old man? The sheriff's department already signed off on—"
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
A deep, rhythmic vibration rumbled through the earth, rattling the loose gravel beneath their boots.
From beyond the ridge, the deafening roar of twin-turbine engines shattered the afternoon silence.
Two black military UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crested the tree line, banking sharply and kicking up a massive vortex of dust and wind across the ranch gate. Simultaneously, three unmarked black armored tactical assault vehicles roared down the dirt access road at eighty miles per hour, screeching to a halt and blocking the police cruiser from the rear.
Officer Gallimi backed up in sheer terror.