Chapter 11: The Last File
884 Words
Smoke poured through the underground chamber.
The flames spread from shelf to shelf, swallowing years of secrets within seconds.
Damien tightened his grip on Aurora's hand.
"Move!"
They raced through the tunnel as burning debris crashed behind them.
The heat became unbearable.
One of the security officers stumbled, disappearing into the thick smoke.
"Help him!" Aurora cried.
Damien turned, but before he could reach the officer, part of the ceiling collapsed between them with a deafening crash.
"There isn't time," the old maintenance worker shouted. "The whole place is coming down!"
Reluctantly, Damien pulled Aurora forward.
They reached the staircase just as another explosion echoed beneath the hotel.
The hidden chamber began collapsing into itself.
When they finally emerged onto the abandoned thirteenth floor, the heavy iron door slammed shut behind them.
Silence.
Only the distant sound of sirens drifted through the hotel.
Aurora leaned against the wall, struggling to catch her breath.
Then she felt something inside the pocket of her coat.
Confused, she reached inside.
Her fingers closed around a small object.
She slowly pulled it out.
It was a black flash drive.
Tiny.
Unmarked.
"I've never seen this before," she whispered.
Damien stared at it.
"You must have picked it up while we were down there."
Aurora shook her head.
"No..."
"It feels like someone put it there."
---
Outside the hotel...
Police officers surrounded the building.
Guests stood wrapped in blankets as firefighters rushed inside.
News reporters crowded behind the barricades.
Bright camera flashes lit the night.
Damien quickly led Aurora into the back seat of one of his cars.
"We're not going to the police station?" she asked.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
He looked out of the window.
"Because I don't know who I can trust anymore."
The convoy pulled away from the hotel.
Neither of them noticed another vehicle quietly following from a distance.
Its headlights remained off.
---
An hour later...
They arrived at Blackwood Manor.
The enormous estate sat alone behind towering iron gates.
Security guards patrolled every entrance.
For the first time since meeting Damien, Aurora noticed something strange.
The mansion looked less like a home...
And more like a fortress.
Damien led her into his private study.
He locked the door behind them.
"This room isn't monitored."
Aurora frowned.
"You're sure?"
"As sure as I can be."
He placed the flash drive on his desk.
"If someone wanted us to find this..."
"They also wanted someone else to miss it."
He inserted the drive into his computer.
The screen remained black for several seconds.
Then a single folder appeared.
LAST FILE
Damien clicked it.
A video began to play.
The image was grainy.
The date in the corner read:
Three Years Ago
Aurora's heart pounded.
The video showed the deck of the yacht.
Guests laughed under strings of lights.
Music played softly in the background.
Then the camera moved.
It focused on Aurora.
She was smiling.
Standing beside Damien.
He slipped a ring onto her finger.
The guests applauded.
Aurora covered her mouth.
"We..."
Damien nodded.
"Yes."
Before either of them could speak again, the camera suddenly shook.
Someone began running.
A frightened voice shouted,
"She's found it!"
The laughter stopped.
Panic spread across the deck.
The recording skipped.
When it returned...
A man in a dark coat was arguing with another guest.
His face remained hidden from the camera.
Only one thing stood out.
A silver ring engraved with a raven.
Aurora's breathing became uneven.
"The raven..."
"We've seen it before."
Damien nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The mysterious man turned toward the camera.
Just before his face became visible...
The screen froze.
A message appeared.
FILE CORRUPTED
"No!" Aurora cried.
Damien immediately searched the flash drive.
Nothing else.
Only one audio recording remained.
He pressed play.
Static filled the room.
Then an elderly man's voice spoke.
"If you're hearing this..."
"...I've already been killed."
Aurora and Damien exchanged a glance.
The voice continued.
"The truth isn't hidden in the yacht."
"It isn't hidden in the hotel."
"It isn't hidden in the marriage."
A long pause followed.
"It's hidden in the child."
Aurora frowned.
"What child?"
The recording crackled again.
"You have less than seventy-two hours."
"They know she's remembering."
The audio suddenly ended.
The room fell silent.
Damien slowly leaned back in his chair.
"There was a child..."
Aurora looked at him.
"You knew?"
"I thought..."
He hesitated.
"I thought the child died that night."
Before Aurora could ask another question, every light in the mansion went out.
Darkness covered the room.
The backup generator failed to start.
Somewhere in the hallway...
A clock chimed midnight.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then footsteps echoed outside the study door.
Slow.
Deliberate.
They stopped directly outside.
A folded envelope slid beneath the door.
Neither of them moved for several seconds.
Finally, Damien picked it up.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed Aurora standing beside a little girl of about five years old.
The child's face was clearly visible.
Aurora's wasn't.
Someone had carefully cut her face out of the picture.
On the back, written in elegant black ink, were seven chilling words:
"Find her before they remember who she is."
Aurora stared at the message.
Her pulse quickened.
She looked at Damien.
"Who is the little girl?"
Damien's face turned pale.
"I was hoping..."
"...you would tell me."
- Writer
