Chapter 6 - The Forest Inferno
The blinding white light from the helicopters outside pierced through the gaps in the cabin walls.
Ryan and Chloe dropped to the floor, shielding the children from the intense glare.
"How did he find us without the tracker?" Ryan asked in a hushed, panicked whisper.
"Mark uses thermal imaging drones, they must have picked up our body heat," Chloe explained grimly.
A sudden, terrifying swoosh echoed through the air, followed by a massive explosion on the roof.
Flames instantly began to eat through the dry wooden shingles of the old cabin.
"He actually set it on fire!" Chloe screamed over the roaring sound of the blaze.
Thick, black smoke quickly filled the small room, making it impossible to breathe.
Ryan noticed an old, rusted storm cellar door set flush into the floorboards near the kitchen.
He grabbed the heavy iron ring and pulled with all his remaining strength.
The door creaked open, revealing a dark, muddy tunnel leading outward.
"Take the kids and go, I will hold them off!" Chloe yelled, pulling a pistol from her waistband.
"I am not leaving you behind again," Ryan declared firmly, grabbing her arm.
He forced Chloe and the children down into the cellar just as the cabin roof began to collapse.
They crawled through the muddy pipe, coughing violently as the smoke followed them underground.
They emerged in a deep ravine, nearly a mile away from the burning cabin.
The night sky was glowing orange from the massive fire behind them.
"We need a vehicle, or we will never outrun his thermal drones," Ryan stated, wiping mud from his face.
Chloe pointed toward a dark, paved road winding through the distant hills.
"Mark's heavily guarded pharmaceutical facility is just up that road," she revealed.
"Are you insane, that is the heart of his entire operation," Ryan argued.
"Exactly, which means their armored transport vehicles are parked in the underground garage," she replied with a determined smile.
They hiked through the freezing woods, finally reaching the towering steel fence of the facility.
Ryan used a heavy rock to smash the digital lock on a side gate.
They slipped into the shadows of the massive building, entirely undetected by the perimeter guards.
But as they reached the entrance of the garage, the heavy steel shutters suddenly slammed shut.
A dozen armed men stepped out from behind the parked cars, completely surrounding them.
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Mark stepped forward, clapping his hands slowly with a sinister grin on his face.
"Welcome to my fortress, little brother," Mark laughed.
