Chapter 8 - The Desperate Antidote
I dropped to my knees in the freezing mud and laid Leo flat on the ground.
His tiny chest was completely still, and his lips were turning a terrifying shade of blue.
I immediately began performing CPR, pressing rhythmically on his chest while rain poured down on us.
Vincent watched in absolute horror, holding Lucas tightly to keep the other twin warm.
I breathed air into Leo's lungs, begging the little boy to stay with us.
After what felt like an eternity, Leo suddenly coughed violently and gasped for a shallow, ragged breath.
He was alive, but his pulse was fading incredibly fast.
I desperately searched my memory, recalling the chemical structures I had briefly seen in Isabella's journal.
The toxic gas was a rare, synthetic botanical derivative that paralyzed the respiratory system over time.
Isabella had noted that the toxin could be temporarily neutralized by a massive dose of common adrenaline mixed with a specific alkaline plant extract.
I turned to Vincent and asked if the estate's massive glass greenhouse contained white belladonna flowers.
Vincent nodded quickly, stating that Isabella had planted hundreds of rare exotic flowers in the conservatory.
The glass greenhouse was located just two hundred yards through the thick woods.
We crept silently through the rain, dodging the sweeping flashlight beams of Julian's armed mercenaries.
We reached the massive glass structure, slipping through a shattered pane in the back wall.
The warm, humid air inside smelled heavily of damp earth and exotic blooming orchids.
I frantically searched the dark rows of plants until I found the distinctive white belladonna flowers.
I crushed the stems and leaves using a heavy clay pot, mixing the toxic sap with a shot of liquid adrenaline from my emergency first aid kit.
It was an incredibly dangerous, crude chemical cocktail that could easily stop a child's heart if the dosage was wrong.
I had absolutely no other choice if I wanted to keep the boys breathing until sunrise.
I carefully administered a tiny drop of the mixture under Leo's tongue, praying to God that my chemistry was correct.
I repeated the dangerous process for Lucas, who was barely conscious in his father's arms.
Within minutes, color slowly began to return to their pale cheeks.
The crude antidote was actually working against Blake's sophisticated poison.
We were just about to escape through the back door when the main greenhouse lights suddenly blazed on.
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Julian stepped out from behind a massive wall of ferns, holding his suppressed pistol completely steady.
He pointed the weapon directly at Vincent's head, smiling with pure, unadulterated malice.
