My grandpa was a very frugal man.

knocks them backward like rag dolls. The colonel grabs my arm, pulling me through a side door.

We sprint through narrow passageways until we reach a maintenance exit. We burst into the cold night, breathless. Sirens howl in the distance.

The colonel looks at me, breath ragged. “You just activated something ancient. There will be more of them. They won’t continue reading …