chapter 7. The Only Way Out
1192 Words
"There was never a way out."
Victor's laughter echoed through the hidden speakers before the basement fell silent.
The red timer on the wall continued counting down.
01:59...
01:58...
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
"There has to be another exit!" I cried.
James immediately scanned the basement.
Every wall.
Every corner.
Every ceiling beam.
His sharp eyes missed nothing.
"Sir!"
One of the security guards pounded on the steel door.
"It's reinforced!"
James walked over and grabbed the handle himself.
He pulled with all his strength.
Nothing.
The door didn't move.
Another guard fired two shots into the lock.
The bullets barely left a scratch.
"It's bulletproof steel," James said grimly.
The countdown continued.
01:31...
My father leaned weakly against the wall, struggling to breathe.
"I'm sorry, Rosie."
Fresh tears filled my eyes.
"No."
I rushed to him and held his trembling hands.
"Don't apologize."
"I should have told you the truth years ago."
His voice cracked.
"But I was afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
He looked at James before answering.
"The people who are hunting you now."
James frowned.
"You knew Victor?"
"No."
My father shook his head.
"But I knew the family he works for."
The room fell silent.
"What do you mean?" James asked.
My father's breathing became uneven.
"Twenty-five years ago..."
"I promised someone I would protect a baby girl."
He looked into my eyes.
"That baby was you."
My chest tightened.
"I don't understand."
"You weren't abandoned."
His words hit me like a wave.
"You were hidden."
James's expression changed.
"Hidden from who?"
Before my father could answer—
The timer beeped again.
01:00
One minute left.
"We're running out of time," a guard shouted.
James turned toward the wall behind the old boiler.
"There."
Everyone looked where he was pointing.
A faint c***k ran across the concrete.
James grabbed a rusted iron pipe lying on the floor.
With one powerful swing—
CRASH!
Concrete exploded into pieces.
Behind the wall...
A narrow tunnel appeared.
One of the guards stared in disbelief.
"A secret passage."
James turned to us.
"Take Michael."
"What about you?" I asked.
"I'm making sure everyone gets out."
"I'm not leaving without you."
His gray eyes met mine.
For a brief moment...
The fear disappeared from his face.
Instead, there was something else.
Something warm.
"Rose."
He gently cupped my cheek.
"If we both argue..."
He smiled faintly.
"...we'll both die."
My throat tightened.
"I don't care."
"I do."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"I've spent my entire life with nothing to lose."
His thumb brushed away the tears on my face.
"But now..."
He hesitated.
"...I finally have someone worth coming home to."
Time seemed to stop.
I searched his eyes.
Was he...
Confessing?
Before I could ask—
The timer screamed.
00:30
The guards rushed my father toward the tunnel.
James grabbed my hand.
"Run!"
A violent explosion shook the basement.
The lights flickered.
Chunks of concrete crashed from the ceiling.
The tunnel began collapsing behind us.
Then—
I heard James shout my name.
"Rose!"
I turned just in time to see the floor beneath him c***k open.
His body disappeared into the darkness.
"James!"
My scream echoed through the collapsing tunnel.
Without thinking, I broke free from the security guards and ran back toward the opening.
"Rose, stop!" one of them shouted.
I ignored him.
Dust and smoke filled the air, making it difficult to breathe.
The ground continued to shake beneath my feet.
"James!"
Then I heard it.
A low groan.
"I'm... here."
Relief washed over me.
I dropped to my knees beside the massive concrete slab that had trapped his leg.
James was alive.
His face was covered in dust, and blood trickled from a cut above his eyebrow, but his gray eyes were still fixed on me.
"You weren't supposed to come back," he said, forcing a faint smile.
I shook my head, tears streaming down my cheeks.
"I told you..."
My voice broke.
"I'm not leaving without you."
James looked at me for a long moment.
For the first time since we met, the walls around his heart seemed to c***k.
One of the guards rushed over.
"Sir, we have less than a minute!"
"Lift it!" I cried.
Four guards grabbed the slab and pushed with all their strength.
It didn't move.
Another explosion shook the basement.
Pieces of concrete crashed from the ceiling.
James looked toward the collapsing tunnel.
"Take Rose and her father."
"No!" I shouted.
"I'm staying."
"Rose..."
"I mean it!"
I grabbed his hand tightly.
"If you die..."
Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.
"...I'm not walking out of here either."
James's breathing caught.
His fingers slowly intertwined with mine.
For a brief second...
The world around us disappeared.
The explosions.
The collapsing walls.
The danger.
None of it mattered.
Only him.
Only us.
He reached up with his free hand and gently brushed the tears from my face.
"You really are stubborn."
A weak laugh escaped me.
"I learned from you."
The corner of his mouth lifted into the smallest smile.
Then he turned to his guards.
"On my count."
Everyone took their positions.
"One..."
The slab shifted slightly.
"Two..."
It lifted another inch.
"Three!"
With one final effort, the guards pushed the concrete aside.
James pulled his leg free.
"Move!" he shouted.
He grabbed my hand, and together we ran into the tunnel.
Behind us, the basement erupted in a deafening explosion.
A wall of fire chased us through the narrow passage.
The heat burned against my back.
Just as we reached the tunnel exit, another blast threw us forward.
James wrapped his arms around me as we hit the wet ground outside.
For several seconds...
Neither of us moved.
Rain poured over us, cooling the heat from the explosion.
I opened my eyes.
James was lying on top of me, shielding me with his body.
"James..."
"I'm okay," he whispered.
"You?"
I nodded.
"I'm okay."
Our eyes met.
Neither of us looked away.
Slowly...
Without realizing it...
The distance between us disappeared.
His face was only inches from mine.
My heartbeat quickened.
Then—
A loud clap echoed through the forest.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Victor stepped out from the shadows, completely unharmed.
He smiled as though he had just watched a perfect performance.
"Beautiful."
His gaze shifted between James and me.
"I was wondering how long it would take before you fell in love with each other."
James stood immediately, pulling me behind him.
Victor's smile grew wider.
"But that's exactly what I wanted."
I frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Victor's eyes locked onto mine.
"Because now..."
He slowly pulled a small remote control from his pocket.
"...you finally have something left to lose."
He pressed the red button.
James's phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
The color drained from his face.
"What is it?" I asked.
James slowly turned the phone toward me.
It was a live video feed.
Someone had broken into Sterling Manor.
And standing in the nursery...
Holding a framed photograph of James's late mother...
Was a woman I recognized instantly.
My mother.
The woman I had believed was dead.
- Writer
