We were Born to Die

Chapter 16

Beads of sweat dotted my forehead as Enrico's voice crackled through the earpiece, cutting through the tense loud shrill noise of the alarm. "Don't panic," he commanded, his voice steady and commanding, but beneath it, I could sense urgency. And I tried, really tried, to heed his words, to push down the rising tide of fear threatening to overwhelm me.

With trembling hands, I carefully tucked the metallic disk into my bag, its weight a stark reminder of the dangerous game we were playing. "I'm working on the door," Zane's voice chimed in next, his tone determined despite the gravity of our situation. "The door will be locked, and you need to find a way to get out on your own." He added, his words like a sharp slap, snapping me back to the reality of our predicament.

"Was this supposed to make me feel better or worse?" I shot back through the earpiece, my frustration bubbling beneath the surface. There was a low grunt in response, and I knew I need to think fast, to focus and find a way out before it was too late.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm the rapid flutter of my heart. I needed to assess the situation, to consider all the possible outcomes and devise a plan of escape. And then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit me.

"Min-Woo," I said into my earpiece, my voice steady now, filled with a newfound sense of determination. "Don't come to rescue me. Instead, go to the ground floor and come out with a car." I instructed, my confidence unwavering despite the danger that loomed around me.

"Ryder," I called out next, my gaze flicking toward the window as I scanned the streets below. "Where are you?" I demanded, my voice urgent now, knowing that time was running out.

"On 9th." Ryder's voice crackled through the earpiece, his tone echoing my own sense of urgency. It was perfect, exactly what I needed.

"Now, I need you to break the window." I commanded, "And then, shoot a rope with something sturdy." my words quick and precise as I searched the room for something strong enough to hold my weight. The door began to bang, the sound echoing through the room like a death knell, and I needed to act fast.

"Bella, be quick." Zion's voice rang out, his words a stark reminder of the danger that surrounded us. "I'm losing access to the door." He warned, his tone urgent as the seconds ticked by.

Another relentless bang echoed through the room, jolting my heart into a wild rhythm. Without a moment's hesitation, I sprang into action, scanning the cramped space for something – anything – to barricade the door. My eyes landed on a sturdy shelf, and with determination fuelling my movements, I lunged towards it, muscles straining as I attempted to shift it into place. But to my dismay, the shelf refused to budge, mocking my efforts with its immovability. As if fate itself conspired against me, the tranquillity of the moment shattered along with the window, the glass exploding into a cascade of glittering shards. I knew without a doubt that it was Ryder, my heart simultaneously leaps with excitement and dread at his arrival. Peering cautiously outside, I beheld the daunting sight below, a thrilling rush coursing through my veins as adrenaline surged through me.

With newfound resolve, I focused on the task at hand, my senses sharpened to a razor's edge. Another resounding thud echoed through the room, and there it was – a lifeline dangling before me, a lifeline I had requested. Surveying my surroundings, I searched frantically for something sturdy enough to anchor the rope. And then it hit me – a metal pipe, sturdy and reliable.

With nimble fingers, I secured the rope to the pipe, my movement swift and precise despite the chaos unfolding around me. But before I could enact my escape, the door exploded inward, a swarm of guards flooding the room with urgency and authority. "Freeze," their command sliced through the air, and I obeyed without question, my heart hammering against my ribs in anticipation. "Hands on your head," one of them barked, and I compiled, every fibre of my being poised for the impending chaos.

"On the count of three, duck." Ryder's voice, a steady anchor amidst the turmoil, resonated in my ears. One. Two. Three. With practiced grace, I dropped to the ground, my breath catching in my throat as the guardwho had ordered me to raise my hands crumpled to the ground, blood staining his forehead. The room erupted into chaos, gunfire filling the air with deafening intensity. Instinctively, I sought refuge behind the makeshift barrier of the shelf, every movement calculated and precise as I concealed myself from view, my heart pounding in sync with the rhythm.

In the tense, blood stained room, every moment felt like an eternity. It was as if time had slowed down, each heartbeat echoing in my ears louder than the chaos around me. One by one, Ryder took out the guards, but some of the guards sought refuge just like me, hiding behind the towering shelves tainted with blood.

I pressed my back against the cold metal, trying to steady my ragged breaths. "I can't see them. They'r-" Ryder begin, his words trailing off as the line crackled and cut in half, leaving me grasping at silence. Panic clawed at my chest as I frantically touched my earpiece, hoping for a shred of communication, but all I received was eerie silence. "Ryder," I whispered desperately into the void of my earpiece, but there was no response.

"Enrico, Zion, can you hear me?" I pleaded, my voice tinged with desperation, clinging to the slim hope that they were still there.

"Yeah. But it seems like Ryder is out." Enrico's voice crackled through the static, sending a shiver down my spine as the implications of his words settled in.

My heart sank at the mere thought of Ryder being incapacitated, vulnerable amidst the chaos that surrounded us. And then, as if the situation couldn't worsen, the lights flickered and died, plunging the room into an inky darkness that seemed to swallow me whole. Panic surged through me like a tidal wave as I realized the gravity of our predicament. This was a bad idea, a reckless gamble that had gone horribly wrong.

"If you come out now, we won't hurt you, and maybe you get to live." One of the guards taunted, his words slicing through the darkness like a knife. My muscles tensed as I caught the sight of the lasers lining the walls, a deadly obstacle course that threatened to ensnare me in its deadly embrace. I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach as I realized the direness of my situation. I was trapped, surrounded by enemies with nowhere to run.

"I'm doomed," I muttered to myself, the words a bitter realization of my own mortality. But just as my despair threatened to consume me, a muffled curse and a sudden commotion shattered the silence, a beacon of hope in the darkness. Min-Woo. The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning, igniting a spark of determination within me. With renewed vigor, I mustered all my strength ready to face the whatever came in my way. As a guard passed by me, oblivious to my presence, I moved with silent grace, my movements fluid and precise. With a swift strike, I incapacitated him, rendering him unconscious before moving to the next target.

Before I could move on to the next target, Min-Woo appeared beside me. Without a word, he subdued the guard with a quick and brutal twist of his hands, the sickening snap of bone echoing through the darkness.

In that moment, my heart was racing faster than ever before, pounding against my chest like drumbeat echoing through the room. Min-Woo stood there, his eyes locked on mine with a determination that my breath catch in my throat. We moved together, our steps synchronized as we navigated through the shadows careful not to attract the attention of the guards.

Then, then just three steps away from the window, he halted me, positioning himself protectively in front of me. My breath hitched as he slowly removed his belt, a gesture that, despite the danger we faced, ignited a strange flutter in my chest. It was undeniably reckless, but there was something undeniably alluring about the way he took charge in the face of adversity. His gaze flickered towards the guards one last time, a silent exchange passing between us before he made his move. Without warning, he hurled a box of files aside, creating a diversion that bought us the precious seconds we needed to escape. The room erupted into chaos as the guards reacted, the deafening sound of gunshots echoing off the walls. In that moment of pandemonium, he pulled me close, his arm wrapping securely around my waist. With swift efficiency, he tied his belt around the rope, creating a makeshift harness that would serve as our lifeline. And then, without hesitation, we leaped out of the window, plunging into the abyss below.

The rush of cold air whipped against my skin as we descended, the adrenaline coursing through my veins masking the fear that threatened to consume me. It was exhilarating, the thrill of the escape mingling with the danger that lurked just beneath the surface. But our luck was short-lived. As we neared the fifth floor, the guards above us opened fire, the sound of bullets whizzing past us like deadly whispers in the wind. Panic threatened to overwhelm me, but he held me tighter, shielding me from harm as best he could. We plummeted downwards, the gunfire relentless in its pursuit. Yet miraculously, none of the bullets found their mark, as if some unseen force was watching over us.

The gunshot shattered the silence, echoing off the walls of the alley, and my heart lurched in my chest. I knew instantly who it was – Ryder, with his cocky smirk and devil-may-care attitude. Even in the amidst of danger, his voice crackled through the earpiece, "I'm back, bitches." He said, his tone laced with bravado and a hint of urgency.

Beside me, Min-Woo tensed, his grip tightening on my hand as we crept closer to our objective. But as we neared the third floor of the building, disaster struck.

The rope holding us snapped, the sound like a gunshot in the stillness. Panic surged through me, my heart pounding in my ears as we plummeted towards the ground below. I screamed, the sound ripped from the depths of my soul, and Min-Woo pulled me close, his arms wrapping around me protectively. "No," I choked out, the word barely a whisper as we crashed through the glass ceiling, shards raining down around us. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs, pain shooting through every inch of my body.

I tried to move, to push myself up from the cold, hard ground, but it was like my limbs were made of lead. Darkness crept into the edges of my vision, my head spinning with dizziness. I struggled to focus, to make sense of the blurry figure looming over me. And then, with a final effort, I reached out towards the shadowy shape, my voice barely a whisper. "Help," I pleaded, the word hanging in the air like a prayer.