Trapped in Shadows
1021 Words
Chapter 29 — Trapped in Shadows
(Dual POV — Aria & Damian)
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Aria’s POV
The world became chaos.
The floor beneath us cracked like fragile glass, and I felt my body falling. My scream was swallowed by the roar of collapsing steel.
I hit the ground hard, pain shooting up my side, dust and smoke choking my lungs. Somewhere nearby, alarms wailed and metal beams screeched as the entire warehouse groaned under the weight of destruction.
“Damian!” I coughed, pushing broken pieces of concrete off me.
Silence.
Panic surged like ice in my veins.
Then I heard it — a groan, low but steady. I scrambled toward the sound, crawling over debris, my palms scraped raw against jagged concrete.
“Aria.”
The moment I heard his voice, weak but alive, relief hit me so hard my knees almost gave out. Damian lay half-buried beneath a steel beam, blood running down his temple, his breaths ragged but steady.
“Don’t move,” I whispered, grabbing a pipe to wedge beneath the beam.
He caught my wrist, his grip surprisingly strong despite the blood loss.
“Don’t. You’ll hurt yourself.”
I shook my head violently, tears mixing with the dust on my cheeks.
“Shut up, Damian. I’m not leaving you here.”
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Damian’s POV
The pain was sharp, slicing through my ribs every time I inhaled. But I couldn’t let her see it.
Victor had planned this — every explosion, every collapsing wall. He wanted me buried alive.
And if he found Aria before I got her out…
Not an option.
“Listen to me,” I rasped, grabbing her face with my bloodied hand, forcing her frantic gaze to meet mine.
“You need to find the north exit. Now. I’ll—”
“No.” Her voice broke, but her eyes burned with something fierce, something unyielding.
“I’m not leaving without you.”
Stubborn woman.
Before I could argue, another blast shook the ground beneath us, sending dust raining down from above. A section of ceiling collapsed barely a few feet away, crushing a pile of crates into splinters.
I swore under my breath and forced myself upright, ignoring the tearing pain in my side.
“Fine,” I growled, “but we move. Now.”
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Aria’s POV
We limped through the darkened corridor, Damian’s arm heavy around my shoulders, the sound of sirens and explosions growing louder with every step.
The emergency lights flickered, painting everything in bloody red.
Suddenly, movement flickered in the shadows ahead.
I raised the pistol instinctively, my voice trembling but firm.
“Who’s there?”
A figure stepped into the light — tall, lean, dressed in black tactical gear.
Lucas. Relief nearly knocked me off my feet.
“Thank God,” I breathed. “We need to—”
“Not so fast,” Damian cut in sharply, raising his own weapon despite his injuries.
“Password.”
Lucas’s eyes narrowed, jaw tightening.
“Black Sun.”
Damian lowered his gun instantly.
“Boss,” Lucas rasped, sweat dripping down his face, “Victor’s men are retreating, but it’s a trap. He’s herding us toward the south wing.”
I blinked, confused.
“Why would he do that?”
Lucas hesitated, his gaze darting to Damian.
“Because the entire south wing is rigged to blow.”
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Damian’s POV
Of course.
Victor never played fair.
“We cut through the north stairwell,” I ordered, my voice steel despite the throbbing pain in my ribs.
“We make for the secondary tunnel beneath the main generator room.”
Lucas hesitated.
“Boss… there’s something else.”
My jaw clenched.
“Spit it out.”
“It’s Phase Two.”
The words hit me like a punch.
I’d heard whispers about Phase Two for years — a contingency plan Victor built for one purpose: to wipe out anyone who opposed him in one clean sweep.
And tonight, I was at the top of his list.
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Aria’s POV
Before I could process what Lucas said, gunfire erupted down the hallway.
Sparks burst from the walls, bullets ricocheting around us.
“Down!” Damian roared, pulling me to the ground and covering my body with his.
Lucas returned fire, taking down two of Victor’s men in quick succession, but more kept coming, shadows swarming from both ends of the corridor.
“Aria,” Damian rasped into my ear, his breath hot against my skin,
“when I say run, you run. Don’t look back. Do you understand?”
“No,” I shot back, gripping his jacket with trembling hands.
“If you think I’m leaving you—”
“You don’t get a choice.”
His tone was final, dangerous, the Damian that terrified everyone else — but not me.
Not anymore.
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Damian’s POV
I launched three shots down the corridor, covering Lucas as he reloaded.
Victor wasn’t trying to kill us here.
He was forcing us into his maze.
And if we didn’t get ahead of him, we’d never make it out alive.
“Lucas,” I snapped, “get her to the north stairwell. I’ll hold them off.”
“No!” Aria’s voice cracked like glass, sharp and panicked.
I turned to her, grabbing her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes.
“You trust me?”
She swallowed hard, nodding.
“Then go.”
Reluctantly, Lucas dragged her toward the stairwell, her protests fading into the chaos.
I stayed behind, waiting, breathing, counting their steps until I knew they were far enough.
Then I pulled the pin on a flash grenade.
The corridor lit up like lightning. Screams echoed. Shadows scattered.
But just as I turned to retreat, a single word hissed through the smoke:
“Damian.”
Victor.
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Cliffhanger Ending
Through the haze, his silhouette emerged — calm, steady, untouchable.
He aimed his gun at me, smirking.
“Round two.”
Before I could fire, the floor beneath us exploded again, sending both of us crashing into the darkness below.
And this time, there was no sound from Aria.
- Writer
