Criminal Truths

Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Enemy Within

The chill of the night air was a welcome relief after the oppressive heat of the tunnels. Samantha and Daniel didn’t stop to catch their breath. They couldn’t afford to. Blackwood’s men were relentless, and their pursuit would not end so easily. They needed to move, and they needed to move fast.

Samantha’s mind was racing. What had they just uncovered? The Forsaken Facility. Project Lazarus. The hidden horrors beneath the city. The pieces were starting to come together, but they were still too far from the truth. And the truth? It was something far darker than either of them had imagined.

They found a narrow alley, away from the prying eyes of the city. The streetlights flickered overhead as they crouched behind a stack of crates. Samantha could feel the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, but there was no time to process everything that had happened. They had to plan their next move.

Daniel leaned against the wall, catching his breath. "We need to get out of the city. They’ll be looking for us everywhere. We can’t risk staying here much longer."

Samantha nodded, her mind already moving ahead. "We need information. We need to figure out what Blackwood is really after. The Forsaken Facility can’t just be some secret lab. He’s working on something bigger. Something that could affect everyone."

Daniel’s eyes met hers, his expression serious. "You think it has something to do with the disappearances? The ones we’ve been seeing in the cases we’ve been working on?"

Samantha paused, considering. It made sense. All the missing people, the strange circumstances, the whispered rumors. It all pointed to something much more sinister.

"I think Blackwood’s involved in more than just research," Samantha said softly. "He’s creating something. A weapon, maybe. Or a virus. I’m not sure yet. But we need to stop him before it’s too late."

"We will," Daniel said, his voice firm. "But we need help. We can’t do this alone."

Samantha hesitated. They had no allies left. Everyone they had trusted so far had either betrayed them or turned out to be working for Blackwood in some way. But there was one person she knew who could help them—the one person who still had connections to the outside world.

"I know someone," Samantha said, her voice low. "Someone who can help us find more information. But it’s risky. She’s not exactly… a friend."

"Do we have any other choice?" Daniel asked.

Samantha shook her head. "No. We don’t."

She led him through the streets, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. They needed to avoid surveillance cameras and any patrols sent out by Blackwood’s men. The city was alive with the sound of cars and people, but to Samantha, it felt eerily quiet, like a predator stalking its prey.

After what felt like an eternity of weaving through alleyways, they arrived at a small, nondescript building tucked between two larger structures. It looked abandoned, but Samantha knew better. This was where her contact worked—an underground hacker named Ivy. Ivy had been on the fringe of the law for years, but she was one of the best when it came to getting information from places it wasn’t supposed to be.

Samantha knocked on the door in a specific rhythm, and after a moment, the door opened just wide enough for a pair of eyes to peek through.

"I didn’t expect you," Ivy said, her voice tinged with suspicion.

"We need your help," Samantha replied, her tone urgent. "It’s about Blackwood. He’s working on something… something dangerous. We need to find out everything we can about Project Lazarus."

Ivy’s eyes flicked between Samantha and Daniel, assessing them. Then, she opened the door wider, gesturing for them to enter. "Come in. But you better have a good reason for dragging me into this mess."

Once inside, Samantha quickly explained the situation—everything that had led them here. Ivy listened intently, her fingers tapping the surface of the table as she processed the information.

"Project Lazarus?" Ivy repeated, frowning. "I’ve heard whispers. Blackwood has been involved in some pretty shady things over the years, but this… this is something new. I’ll need time to dig deeper, but I can get you the information. It’ll be risky though. If Blackwood finds out I’m helping you, we’ll both be targets."

Samantha nodded. "We don’t have a choice. We need everything you can find—location, key players, anything related to the project."

Ivy sighed, pulling out a laptop and beginning to type furiously. "Give me a few hours. I’ll see what I can pull up. In the meantime, you should get some rest. You’re both going to need it."

Samantha glanced at Daniel. He looked tired, but he didn’t show it. They had been running on adrenaline for too long, and Samantha knew it would only take a matter of time before exhaustion caught up with them. But rest wasn’t an option. Not yet.

"Thanks, Ivy," Samantha said, turning toward the door. "We’ll be back in a few hours."

As they stepped back into the cold night air, Samantha’s mind was filled with dread. What would they find when Ivy dug deeper? Was it really possible that Blackwood’s experiments had gone this far?

"How much longer do you think we have?" Daniel asked, his voice low.

Samantha didn’t answer right away. The weight of everything they had uncovered so far felt like it was pressing down on her chest, making it harder to breathe. They were up against something much bigger than they had initially realized, and the truth was more terrifying than either of them had anticipated.

"We don’t have much time," Samantha said finally. "Whatever Blackwood is planning, it’s going to happen soon. We need to stop him before it’s too late."

But deep down, Samantha knew they were running out of time—and the enemy wasn’t just Blackwood.

The real enemy was the one inside.

-end of chapter 16