Chapter 20: Into the Lion’s Den and an Unexpected Truth
912 Words
The office felt thick—so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Alicia, Lucas, and Isabella sat around, each absorbed in their own tension, the anonymous call still hanging over them like a blade suspended by a fraying thread. Threats never helped, but somehow—somehow—they sharpened resolve.
“We can’t let them scare us,” Alicia muttered, fingers flying across the keyboard. Screens flickered with satellite images and sparse files on the research facility. “We need to take the initiative.” Her jaw was tight, eyes darting, restless. Why is it always me who wants to run headfirst into trouble? she thought, a fleeting flicker of doubt brushing her mind, quickly shoved away.
Lucas stared at the notebook address, rubbing the side of his neck. “Sure. But blind action? Not smart. We need info first… maybe map patrol patterns, security… everything.” His tone sounded calm, but his leg bounced once, twice, betraying his impatience.
“I don’t want you guys getting hurt,” Isabella said softly, tugging her sleeve. Fear lingered in her voice, the echo of previous captivity still raw. “Maybe we should wait for the police?”
Alicia stopped typing, reached across the table, and squeezed Isabella’s hand. “We can’t wait. Not anymore. Whoever’s behind this—they’re not idle. Waiting could cost lives.” She looked away, fiddling with a pen cap she didn’t realize she’d twisted to a sharp point. Why does pen feel heavier than a gun right now?
The research facility had belonged to a biotech company, abruptly closed years ago. Online, there was nothing—just a few satellite shots showing high walls, empty, ominous. The kind of place nightmares could stroll through freely.
“Looks like we have to go ourselves,” Lucas finally said, stretching, wincing slightly as old injuries protested. Still, his eyes burned with something dangerous—determination edged with recklessness.
“I’m coming too,” Alicia said, voice firm.
“No,” Lucas snapped, tone harsher than intended. “Too risky. You stay here. We go, you alert the police if something goes wrong.” His hand hovered over her shoulder, hesitating, almost as if he wanted to grab her arm and pull her back.
Alicia’s glare shot daggers. “I’m not some fragile vase! Do you forget everything we’ve been through?” She tugged on her jacket, restless. He thinks I won’t fight for this?
Lucas exhaled, hands raised in surrender, but eyes softening. “Fine. But stay close. No wandering off. Promise me.”
The three of them equipped themselves, shadows stretching long in the moonlight as they approached the facility. The drive was quiet. Too quiet. Breath sounded loud in the car, each inhale a countdown to whatever awaited.
Climbing over the wall, the compound stretched empty—like a skeletal hand reaching for them. Old buildings loomed, casting distorted shadows under the silver wash of moonlight. They followed a narrow path to the main lab, careful, quiet, tension coiling in every limb.
A sudden clang—Isabella kicked a tin can, and the sound split the night. All three froze, pulses hammering. Lucas’s hand brushed her shoulder. “Keep going. Eyes open.”
Inside, the chemical tang hit first, sharp and bitter. Old charts hung on cracked walls, diagrams of cells and DNA twisting like sinister art. Every step echoed.
“This place… has been abandoned for a while,” Alicia whispered, toeing dust aside.
A murmured conversation floated down the hallway. They crept toward the sound and found a heavy door. Lucas eased it open. Behind it—an enormous lab. Machines hummed softly, lights blinking. Figures in lab coats circled a table, arguing.
“Finally… they’re here,” Alicia murmured, astonishment flickering across her face.
One voice: “We can’t delay the experiment. Orders keep coming.”
Another: “The werewolf gene fusion is unstable. Another mistake—disaster.”
The leader: “Enough. Stick to the plan.”
Eyes met, Lucas and Alicia sharing the same shock. Dangerous experiments, alive and ongoing.
Then—a voice behind them. Calm, familiar, and wrong.
“You’ve arrived.”
Spinning around—heart skipping a beat—it was the mysterious officer from the station. Only now, the friendly mask had vanished. Triumph glittered in his eyes.
“You… you’re here?” Alicia stammered, disbelief clawing her throat.
A sardonic smile. “I’ve been here all along. From the start. Every twist, every move—you’ve been playing right into my hands. The ‘Arbiter’… you… all part of the plan. To perfect the werewolf gene project.”
Lucas lunged, fists tight, voice roaring: “Why? Why would you do this?!”
Eyes ablaze with obsession. “Power. Control. With the altered werewolf gene, an unstoppable army. The world… mine to command.”
Alicia trembled, rage and disbelief fighting in her chest. “You’re insane! This will destroy everything!”
He shrugged, almost bored. “Disaster? Only the weak call it that. You—none of you—leave now.” He pressed a button. Doors began to slide shut. Armed men flooded in, surrounding them.
Alicia’s pulse raced. Thoughts tumbled. Every route, every escape… shrinking fast. She clenched her fists, the pen she had twisted earlier rolling under her fingers like a forgotten talisman. Think. Think fast…
Trapped, yet alive. Determined, yet unsure. The lion’s den had teeth—and it wasn’t done yet.
- Writer
