Austin POV

The easy trip I had anticipated did not happen. Traffic was heavy due to the string of checkpoints, seemingly placed deliberately, despite our urgency. We passed several more checkpoints before finally making progress. By the time we reached Zambales, it was already dawn, and exhaustion had made me fall asleep during the drive.

I woke up to the slight jolt of the vehicle. We had stopped on the side, and Jake was not in the driver’s seat. Noticing the light outside, I rolled down ...