End of Time Revelation and Exodus

The checkpoint heaves like a choke point on a sinking ship. Floodlights wash the ramp in harsh white, and the boarding line surges as the sky splits with metallic shrieks. Ben stands at the threshold with the Martins packed tight behind them, while security shoves bodies back from the gate.

A shadow drops through the floodlights, then another, wing blades flashing as the Murder Drones dive toward the platform. People scream and duck. The crowd breaks sideways, but the officer plants himself at the ramp, rifle raised with shaking arms.

Ben reaches the bottleneck as security clears a narrow path ahead. Above, the swarm spreads out for the strike, cutting off any chance to wait. The ramp is open, the family is almost through, and the checkpoint is seconds from turning into a kill zone.

Ben hits the ramp and drives forward, carving a path with raw force as the Martins crowd in behind them. The line opens under the pressure, and the checkpoint staff lose their grip on the flow.

Cid slips past the barrier first, one hand reaching back to pull Martha through. Rachel and Amy follow tight, shoulders hunched against the panic around them.

The boarding threshold swallows them all in a rush of boots, static, and shouted names. The ship’s hatch yawns open above the ramp, bright interior light cutting across their faces.

Behind them, the first Murder Drones slash through the floodlit air and slam into the checkpoint crowd, forcing security to scatter fire toward the sky. Ben is on the line with the Martins, inside the gate’s reach as the ramp trembles under the stampede.