NO WAY OUT
1227 Words
Chapter Five
The door shook under another hard hit
This time louder, more violent, like whoever was outside had no intention of being patient
My heart jumped into my throat as I instinctively stepped back
“Adrian…” my voice came out lower than I expected “What is happening”
He didn’t answer immediately
His eyes were fixed on the door, sharp, calculating, like he was already three steps ahead of whatever was about to happen
“They’re not here to talk,” he said finally
Another bang
The wood cracked slightly near the handle
My chest tightened
“Then what do they want”
He turned to look at me then, really look at me, like he was measuring something
“You”
That single word sent a cold wave through my entire body
“No,” I shook my head immediately “That doesn’t make sense, why would Ethan”
“Because you weren’t supposed to be here asking questions,” Adrian cut in, his tone calm but urgent at the same time “And now you are”
Another hit
This time something snapped
The lock
I flinched
“Okay, I believe you,” I said quickly, my voice rising slightly “So what do we do now”
He moved fast after that
No hesitation
No wasted motion
“Come with me,” he said, already heading toward the back of the room
“There’s no time”
I followed immediately, my pulse racing as the sound of the door being forced open echoed behind us
Wood splintering
Voices shouting
Footsteps rushing in
Adrian pushed open another door I hadn’t even noticed before
A narrow passage
Dark
Tight
Barely enough space to move through
“In here,” he said
I didn’t argue
I stepped in, the air colder, heavier, the darkness pressing in as he closed the door quietly behind us
For a second, everything went silent
Too silent
Then
“They were just here” a voice from the other room said
Deep
Unfamiliar
My breath caught
“They couldn’t have gone far” another replied
Closer
Too close
Adrian’s hand suddenly found my wrist, firm but not rough
“Stay quiet,” he whispered
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me properly
My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure they could hear it
The footsteps moved around the room
Slow
Careful
Like they were searching
Every second stretched longer than the last
Then one of them spoke again
“Check the back”
My body went still
Back
That meant this way
I looked at Adrian, panic rising in my chest
He didn’t look panicked
Just focused
He leaned closer slightly
“There’s a way out,” he whispered “But we have to move before they find this door”
I swallowed hard and nodded
He guided me forward, deeper into the narrow passage
Each step felt too loud
Too slow
Behind us, I heard something
A creak
Then
“That door”
My stomach dropped
They found it
“Move faster,” Adrian said quietly, his grip tightening slightly as we picked up speed
The passage turned sharply, then opened into a small back exit
A metal door
Old
Rusty
But it looked like freedom
Adrian pushed it open carefully, just enough for us to slip through
Cool night air hit my face instantly
Relief almost followed
Almost
“Go,” he said
I stepped out quickly, my legs moving before my mind could catch up
We were behind the building now, in a narrow alley with barely any light
“Where now” I asked, my voice shaking slightly as I looked around
Adrian stepped out behind me and closed the door softly
Then he grabbed my hand again
“We don’t stop,” he said “Not here”
We started moving
Fast
The alley stretched ahead, dark and quiet, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that we weren’t safe yet
Because we weren’t
A loud crash came from behind us
The door
They broke through
“They’re out back” someone shouted
My heart jumped
“They’re coming” I said, panic rising again
“I know” Adrian replied, his pace increasing
We turned a corner quickly, then another
My breathing became uneven, my chest tight from the sudden rush
“Where are we going” I asked
“Somewhere they won’t expect”
That didn’t exactly comfort me
We reached the end of the alley and stepped onto the street
For a second, everything felt too open
Too exposed
Then headlights flashed suddenly
A car pulled up sharply in front of us
I froze
Adrian didn’t
He pulled me back instantly, positioning himself slightly in front of me
The car door opened slowly
And someone stepped out
Tall
Familiar
My breath caught
No
No way
“Ethan…” I whispered
He stood there like nothing was wrong, like this was just another normal meeting
Calm
Controlled
Untouched by everything that had just happened
His eyes moved from me to Adrian, then back to me again
“You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be, Lena,” he said evenly
My chest tightened
“Difficult?” I echoed “You sent people after me”
“They were there to bring you back” he replied calmly
“Back to what?” my voice rose slightly “Whatever you’ve been hiding from me?”
Something flickered in his eyes then
Not anger
Not exactly
Something colder
“You shouldn’t have left things alone,” he said
“I wouldn’t have if you told me the truth,” I shot back
Silence stretched between us for a second
Then Ethan’s gaze shifted briefly to Adrian
“That was a mistake,” he said
Adrian didn’t respond
But I felt the tension in his grip tighten
“Come with me, Lena,” Ethan said, his voice softer now, almost persuasive “This doesn’t have to get worse”
I stared at him
At the man I had spent three years with
The man I thought I knew
And for the first time… he felt like a stranger
“What happened the night of the accident?” I asked suddenly
His expression didn’t change
But he didn’t answer either
That was answer enough
I took a small step back
“I’m not going anywhere with you”
Something in his gaze darkened slightly
“Don’t do this” he said quietly
“Do what?” I replied “Stop trusting you?”
Another pause
Then he sighed softly
Like I had just disappointed him
“That’s unfortunate”
The moment the words left his mouth, something shifted
I didn’t see it coming
I only felt it
A sharp sting at the side of my neck
My breath caught
My body went stiff
“What”
My words faded instantly as dizziness hit
Strong
Sudden
My vision blurred
“Lena!” Adrian’s voice sounded distant now
Too far away
I tried to move
Tried to stay stan
ding
But my legs gave out
The last thing I saw before everything went dark
Was Ethan stepping closer
Calm as ever
As if this had always been the plan
And just before I lost consciousness completely
I heard him say
“Take her”
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