The Fifth Founder
621 Words
The underground railway tunnel shook violently.
Chunks of concrete crashed around Hope and the others as they ran toward the emergency exit.
Marcus looked over his shoulder.
"Faster!"
A deafening explosion echoed through the complex.
The ground beneath their feet trembled.
Hope's heart pounded.
She couldn't stop thinking about Alexander.
He had been trapped behind the collapsing steel door.
"No..." she whispered.
"He can't be gone."
Ethan gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Alexander is stronger than you think."
Hope looked at him.
"You believe he survived?"
Ethan nodded.
"Richard Knight once told me something about his son."
«'When the world gives Alexander only one path... he'll always find a second.'»
Hope held onto those words.
She had to.
---
Minutes later, the group emerged from the railway tunnel onto a deserted hillside behind Raven Hall.
The moment they reached safety, a massive explosion ripped through the ruins.
Flames shot into the night sky.
The ground shook beneath their feet.
The ancient remains of Raven Hall collapsed into themselves.
Marcus stared silently.
"Everything..."
"...is gone."
Hope watched the burning ruins with tears in her eyes.
If Alexander was still inside...
There would be no chance of survival.
---
Back at Kingsley Estate...
Doctors examined Ethan while the rest of the family gathered in Adrian's library.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Noah embraced his older brother tightly.
"I thought I'd lost you."
Ethan smiled weakly.
"It'll take more than Raven to get rid of me."
Despite the reunion, Hope remained quiet.
She stood by the window, staring into the darkness.
Lily approached her.
"You're thinking about Alexander."
Hope didn't deny it.
"He risked everything to save us."
"And I left him behind."
Lily squeezed her hand.
"You did what he wanted."
Hope closed her eyes.
"It still doesn't feel right."
---
Late that night...
Marcus entered the library carrying a sealed evidence bag.
"We recovered this from the railway tunnel."
Inside was Alexander's wristwatch.
Its glass was cracked.
Hope's heart sank.
Marcus sighed.
"It was the only thing we found."
Silence filled the room.
Hope carefully took the watch from the bag.
As she turned it over...
She noticed something unusual.
The second hand wasn't moving.
It was frozen at exactly...
11:17.
Hope frowned.
"That's strange."
Ethan suddenly stood.
"Let me see."
The moment he looked at the watch, his expression changed.
He smiled.
Hope blinked.
"What is it?"
Ethan looked directly at her.
"This isn't broken."
"It's a message."
He turned the watch over and pressed the crown inward three times.
Click.
A tiny compartment opened.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
Hope carefully unfolded it.
It contained only six words.
«The fifth founder is still alive.»
Everyone stared at the message.
Marcus spoke first.
"That's impossible."
Hope slowly looked at Ethan.
"You know something."
Ethan hesitated.
For years he had kept Adrian's final promise.
But that promise was now destroying his family.
He took a deep breath.
"There's something your grandfather told me..."
"...that I swore never to reveal."
Hope stepped closer.
"What was it?"
Ethan's voice barely rose above a whisper.
"There weren't four founders of Project Raven."
"There were five."
The room fell silent.
Lily frowned.
"Who was the fifth?"
Ethan looked toward Adrian's portrait hanging above the fireplace.
"He erased that person's name from history."
Hope's heartbeat quickened.
"Why?"
Ethan answered with haunted eyes.
"Because if the world discovered who the fifth founder really was..."
"...everything the Kingsley family believes about its past would collapse."
At that exact moment...
The front doorbell rang.
Marcus checked the security monitor.
A lone man stood outside the estate gates.
His clothes were dusty.
His face was bruised.
But there was no mistaking him.
Hope gasped.
"Alexander..."
He had survived.
- Writer
