Chapter 14: The Final Escape
1220 Words
"You think you can leave without paying for it?"
The roar of someone’s voice echoed through the dark room, reverberating off the ceiling of the old building—once a five-star hotel—now used as a prison. But before that moment, just minutes earlier…
Alisha was still standing frozen. Her eyes widened in disbelief at what had just happened. The two large guards who had been holding weapons and guarding the exit door were now opening it wide, as if welcoming them like VIP guests.
Lucas stood calmly beside her, hands in his pockets and one eyebrow raised. “Well? Didn’t you say you wanted to get out of here?”
His baritone voice snapped Alisha out of her daze. Her heart pounded wildly. She even forgot how to breathe for a moment. What just happened? Did Lucas have... supernatural powers?
“You…” she murmured, her eyes fixed on the two guards now standing stiffly, soulless like robots. “Do you have hypnosis powers or something?”
Lucas gave a slight smile, as if it were the most ridiculous question he’d ever heard.
“Nope,” he replied casually. “What matters is, we can leave now. Are you coming or not? Don’t forget your promise. You said you’d give me anything I want.”
Alisha swallowed. She had indeed said that—as a condition for Lucas to help her escape this captivity. But at the time, she thought they’d die together, not fight the guards and win.
Before she could ask more, footsteps echoed hurriedly from the hallway.
“Stop right there!”
The shout froze them. Alisha knew that voice. She knew it too well. Rico.
Rico came in with eyes blazing in rage. He snatched a weapon from one of the still-dazed guards and pointed it at Lucas.
“You think you can just escape?! Without giving me anything?!” he screamed, his hoarse voice filled with emotion. “I’ll kill you right here, Lucas!”
Lucas remained calm, but his eyes sharpened like a hawk. He stepped slightly forward, positioning himself as a shield between Rico and Alisha.
“Rico, stop!” Alisha cried in panic. “You’re insane!”
“Shut up, Alisha!” Rico barked. “You traitor! You side with that stranger? After everything I did for us?”
Alisha stepped back, trembling. Her hand instinctively reached for Lucas’s arm.
Lucas muttered under his breath, “This guy talks too much.”
He quickly scanned the surroundings. On the floor were rusty metal shards and splinters from a broken table. In a split second, he kicked both. The wood shot into Rico’s face and struck his eye. The weapon slipped from his grip.
“My eye!” Rico screamed.
Lucas didn’t waste the opportunity. He grabbed the larger metal piece and drove it into Rico’s leg with full force.
A scream of agony tore through the air.
“AAARRRGHHH!”
Rico fell to his knees, clutching his bleeding leg. Meanwhile, the two guards who had let them pass still stood like statues—dazed, lifeless.
Lucas turned to Alisha. “Your job. Now.”
“What?” Alisha looked panicked.
“Call the police. I’ll hold them here.”
Alisha didn’t respond. She immediately ran, leaving the place. Her footsteps echoed down the long, musty hallway.
The abandoned building was near the coast, surrounded by mostly inactive tourist spots. Alisha kept running, glancing left and right, hoping to find something to contact the police.
No signal. Her phone—taken by Rico when she was first kidn*pped.
She ran out of the building, across a gravel road, and saw a lone pole with a dusty metal box beneath it.
A public phone.
With trembling hands, she lifted the receiver and dialed the emergency number.
“Hello, emergency 112. How can we help you?”
“Yes! I... I’ve been kidn*pped! My friend is still inside! We’re at the west beach, abandoned hotel building number four! Hurry!” Alisha’s voice was nearly choked with panic.
“Alright, we’re sending a unit now. Please stay where you are and do not—”
Click.
Someone ended the call from behind.
Alisha froze. Slowly, she turned around.
Someone was standing there. He didn’t look like a cop. Dark clothes. Cold eyes, sending a clear and unpleasant message.
“Sorry, miss. But you weren’t supposed to leave.”
*
Meanwhile, inside the building, Lucas remained on guard. Rico could no longer stand, though his mouth still spewed curses.
“You think you’ve won? Hah?! The cops won’t make it in time! My people will come, and you’ll—”
Smack!
Lucas slapped Rico’s face expressionless. “Too much talk. Better shut up.”
The once-hypnotized guards began moving slowly, as if regaining awareness. Lucas eyed them sharply.
“You... what did you do to us earlier?” asked one, voice raspy.
Lucas shrugged. “I just talked. You chose to open the door.”
“I don’t remember anything,” whispered the other.
Lucas sighed. He didn’t need confessions. He just needed time until the police arrived.
But time wasn’t on his side.
From outside, heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoed. Not officers.
Lucas stood alert, gripping the metal rod he used earlier.
Someone opened the building door slowly.
Not police. But a man in a black suit, face shadowed under a hat, eyes like dark voids.
*
Alisha struggled. She scratched and kicked the man who caught her, but he was too strong. She was nearly dragged back to the building when a loud honk stopped them both.
A police car.
Flashing blue lights approached quickly. The man released her grip and ran into another alley. Alisha collapsed to the ground, panting—but relieved.
The police had arrived. They came.
Officers quickly surrounded the building while others rushed to Alisha.
“He’s inside!” she shouted. “Lucas is inside! And... and Rico! They’re all still in there!”
*
Lucas faced the man in the black suit. No weapon in his hand, but a threatening aura radiated from every step he took.
“Lucas Greystone? I don’t like getting involved,” the man said calmly. “But our boss said, you must be brought to headquarters.”
Lucas raised the metal rod. “Who is your boss?”
“You’ll find out soon.” The man smiled faintly.
Lucas tensed. “What do you mean? Are you another debt collector? Damn it, Lucas, how many debts did this guy have?” Ethan spoke inwardly, since Lucas’s memories didn’t detail how many debts he’d left behind.
“I’ll give you a choice,” the man continued. “Leave now, and we’ll consider this over. But if you wait for the police… everyone you know will become the next target.”
Lucas stared sharply, considering.
The police would arrive in seconds. But this threat... was bigger than he thought.
“Decide now, Lucas,” the man said quietly. “Or we’ll write the ending of this story for you.”
*
Lucas lowered the metal rod slowly. Outside, sirens wailed louder. He stared deep into the man’s eyes.
“You’re not from around here,” he said.
The man just smiled, then whispered, “And you have no idea... who you’re really dealing with.”
- Writer
