The moment Ambrose shouted, the red beam under the sentinel intensified. A thin, focused line of light shot downwards — swift and precise.
The cabinet beside Jake didn't just break apart. It melted. The metal twisted and sagged like wax under a flame, leaving behind a gaping, smoking hole in the floor.
Jake's eyes widened. "Holy shit. It has a laser."
Zack grabbed Arya's wrist, pulling her back behind a column. "If it can melt solid steel that fast, what do you think it'll do to us?"
No one needed to answer.
The sentinel hovered lower, its red beam sweeping across the room. It was searching.
Jake clenched his jaw, his grip tightening around his weapon. "How many of those things are out there?"
Ambrose didn't look at him. He was calculating. Thinking. Then, he finally answered, "Enough to kill all of us."
The weight of the word settled in the pit of Arya's stomach.
Zack cursed under his breath. "We need to move — now."
