96 Miles Novels & Stories

“Clara this is Wheeler, Rigs, Bubble and Porter.” Clara nodded a greeting then turned her attention to Wheeler as he started talking his eyes focused on the map he held out before him. “Our target ladies and gentlemen, is a university. One hundred and thirty eight miles north east of our position, we are looking at a four to five hour drive each way. I figure this is our best route in, avoiding the major cities but it adds an additional two hours to our trip. Anyone in a hurry to be back? No, good. Then arm up. West.” He gave a slight head nod to the side and Clara followed him out of hearing distance.

TIME TO MANTLE DETONATION: 71 HOURS, 14 MINUTES. "The math is brutal, Pres!" I yelled into my comms, the wind trying to rip the words from my helmet. "To cover three thousand miles in three days, we have to average forty-two miles an hour without ever touching the brakes. But factoring in the terrain and the mud, we need to hold eighty just to build a buffer!"

He is so damn adorable. “You look irresistible when you blush, babe,” I teased and he nervously chuckled in return. “Zara ! I can hear mining noises and smell out rogues,” Nick whispered suddenly. Nick was a natural tracker. “What do we do now ?” Rob asked worriedly as he turned around to face me. “How far are the rogues from here, Nick ? I don’t want them to smell us out,” I stated. “They must be at least 15 miles deep,” Nick estimated.

Mr White asked anxiously as soon as the call connected. "The GPS of his might have been deactivated by the kilometer gauge wasn't."Randy started. "Ok, what are you getting at?" Mr White asked impatiently. "It shows that he'd covered a distance of 13 kilometers from when he woke up to when we found the car. The distance from the mansion to the gym is barely 3 km. Assuming that he probably drove around town before getting to the gym, they'll still be about 9 to 10 km unaccounted for.

I resisted the urge to look back, to see if anyone was watching from the windows. The drive would take about three hours, Miles had said. Three hours north into the mountains, into increasingly remote territory, until we reached the cabin his dad's friend owned and occasionally lent out. Three hours to mentally prepare myself for whatever this weekend would bring. Miles had clearly made a playlist for the drive. The music started as soon as we hit the highway. "This okay?" he asked, gesturing to the speakers. "Perfect. Very on-theme."

"Do you know the range on this thing?" "Typically about 2 to 5 miles," she says, her eyes, the color of warm honey, locked onto the radio as if willing it to crackle to life.

“Talk.” The lead driver’s voice lowered. “Box truck on the shoulder, no hazards. Looks dead.” “Distance?” “Three hundred yards.” “Speed?” “Seventy.” “Drop to fifty,” Lenny said. “Two, cover my right. Three, check rear. Don’t—” He didn’t finish.

For the moment the path was clear. Kennedy’s voice was a breath. “How far from here?” “Six miles of mixed track and road,” Reyes answered. “If nothing else forces us off it.” Fiona pressed her palm harder against her thigh and felt the bandage give under the pressure. Fresh blood slicked her fingers. She wiped them on her jeans and adjusted her grip on the case. The notebook under her shirt was a hard rectangular reminder that the record still had to be kept if any of them reached the end of those six miles.

"Just for a second. I felt them respond." Dr. Thorne's expression softened. "The bond is holding. That's good. That's very good. It means you're maintaining the connection even at this distance." "How far away are they now?" Eve asked. Dr. Thorne checked her phone. "Based on the time and assuming they're driving at highway speeds? Probably sixty to seventy miles. They're making good time." Sixty to seventy miles. Such a small distance in the grand scheme of things. But it felt like continents. Like galaxies. Like an impossible chasm that could never be crossed.