My Year Abroad

Chapter 16

It was barely sunrise when they checked out from the hotel, and got back on the road. They were reaching the outskirts of San Diego to start the transition over the border. All of them were old enough to make the cross on their own, but they needed to secure passports.

Megan already attained one from performing in nationals, but the others weren't so lucky. She was waiting in the parking garage while the others went together. This was their second visit to gain one, and their last chance.

When learning about the process at the DMV they thought it was over, but Megan saved the day. She mentioned the regional passport agency, and there was a ray of hope. While waiting in the car she began to get anxious. Unable to stay seated she exited the car to pace the inside of the garage.

'Finally.'

"What did they say?" Megan approached.

"Eight fucking days." Jordan kicked a nearby can.

"Better than a month," Cameron stated.

"We could lay low till then, but not here," Jordan told Cameron.

"I need to visit the bank before we leave," Cameron replied.

"Good idea. I have a few cards to max out so I'll need the car." Jordan gestured for the keys.

"Why do we have to walk?" Megan retorted.

"You wanna spend time with your boyfriend right?" Jordan smirked.

"We aren't d-da-dating." Megan swung at Jordan.

"Then what were you doing last night?" Jordan wiped the blood from his mouth.

"We a-almost died so I was living a little."Megan was scared to look back.

'So that's what it was.'

"I saw one on the way here, and It's only a short walk." Cameron tossed the keys to Jordan.

"That's not the point." Megan turned to Cameron.

"Meet back at the dispensary." Jordan walked towards the car.

"We should get going." Cameron began walking to the exit of the garage.

Walking down the streets of San Diego one would expect to see a crowded street, but not today. Only teenagers or the homeless could be seen walking about. If it wasn't related to work, or essential business people stayed home. This wasn't a mandate, but simply out of fear for chaos ran the city not even twenty-four hours ago.

With minimal traffic, it was easy to maneuver on foot. They entered the bank and noticed right away that security was heavier than usual. Retrieving his savings would be no easy task.

Banks already try to keep your money within, but the recent panic led to a surge of withdrawals. The refusal was supposedly a matter of policy, but the real reason was Cameron turned eighteen recently allowing him to inherit his mother's money. Today's resupply would barely cover the withdrawal.

"You can't withhold his money." Megan glared at the teller.

"You can take eight hundred through the machines, but that's all we can do." The teller replied.

"Weston Financial has locations across the world, right?" Cameron asked.

"That's right, and most ATMs take our cards without hidden fees." The teller replied.

"Come on," Cameron told Megan.

"We aren't leaving." Megan retorted.

"I never said we were leaving." Cameron smiled at the teller.

'Why is he smiling?'

"What are we doing?" Megan investigated.

"Do a live stream or two. How many followers do you have now?" Cameron walked towards the lobby.

"Close to a mil, but most of them are abroad." Megan smiled retrieving her phone.

The teller could see the phone in Megan's hand and saw the stream start. Having been a few days since she posted the audience quickly grew. Megan's videos were typically sports-related, but the teller didn't know that. Cameron was still drawing attention from the crowd when the teller rushed to his manager.

"We made some calls, and will have it ready shortly." The teller said politely.

Megan ended the live stream the minute the teller left. She approached Cameron with a smile.

"Nice thinking," Megan bumped into him playfully.

"It only worked because of you," Cameron stated.

"Social media isn't so dumb now is it?" Megan smirked.

"It has its uses. Don't forget to ditch it when we leave." Cameron mumbled.

---

Before dawn, Murphy's team landed on the site of the second anomaly. They expected to find some readings, but the scene waiting for them shocked them all. The skinwalker's body was still frozen solid with the area around it.

Agents scoured the ridge for other signs of activity. Murphy's squad stuck around to analyze the skinwalker. Everyone was working from a safe distance except for Garrett. He was tapping the body casually.

"I can never kill the bastards." Garrett circled the body.

"I've watched you incinerate them," Omar replied.

"Destroying the physical body is only a temporary solution," Mika stated.

"How do you know this worked?" Omar asked.

"No matter what method you use their bones remain, and they radiate a foreign element. Are you picking up anything?" Murphy asked.

'It's looking more, and more like a weapon.'Murphy examined the damaged land.

"Make sure to get it all," Murphy announced while pointing at the rubble.

'Leaving behind evidence is risky, and they haven't acted boldly since the '50s. Maybe it's a declaration? No, it's foolish to reveal your hand to the enemy, and if they knew about her they would've attacked us directly.'

"How many bodies were found?" Murphy relayed.

"We've found a pool of blood, but that's it."

"There were two humans present during the attack."

This update led Murphy, and Mika to the crashed car. Murphy was talking to the agents about the contents of the vehicle. Examining the extent of the damage Mika's eyes lit up.

"Come look at this," Mika announced.

Murphy hobbled over to the rear of the vehicle and saw Mika pointing at the plate. The odds of finding a vehicle registered to the same city hours away from the last anomaly was no coincidence. Murphy immediately went on coms and had the assessment on Jeffery expedited.

"Great work Mika." Murphy smiled.

'There's no way this is a coincidence. At the very least we have witnesses to this event.'