Chapter 10 - The Long Way Home
Jack refused to let panic consume him in the suffocating darkness of the locked container.
He pulled a small tactical flashlight from his pocket and illuminated the small space.
Lena clung to his coat, terrified of the loud engine noises vibrating through the floor.
"Do not worry, we are going home," Jack promised her firmly.
He used his architectural knowledge to locate the structural weak point on the container's ceiling ventilation hatch.
Jack hoisted himself up, kicked the rusted grate repeatedly, and finally forced it open to the starry night sky.
He carefully lifted Lena through the narrow opening before climbing out onto the top of the containers.
The ship had barely left the harbor, and police boats with flashing sirens were already swarming the freighter.
Sarah had kept her word and called the authorities the moment Jack had left her at the pier.
The corrupt crew surrendered immediately as heavily armed SWAT teams boarded the massive vessel.
Jack carried Lena safely down to the police boats, wrapping her in his warm coat.
Several weeks later, the nightmare was finally over.
A private laboratory confirmed the DNA results, officially proving that Lena was indeed his missing daughter, Callie.
They sat together in their warm, brightly lit mansion, eating chocolate cake with blue frosting.
Callie smiled radiantly, her crescent moon birthmark visible as she swung her legs in her new chair.
Jack finally felt a profound, overwhelming sense of peace and true happiness in his repaired heart.
The front doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting their joyful morning.
Jack opened the heavy oak door to find a completely blank white envelope resting on the welcome mat.
He tore it open and found a handwritten letter from his wife, who had supposedly died of an illness four years ago.
May you like
"Good job keeping her safe for me, Jack," the chilling letter read.
"But you have absolutely no idea what is actually inside her blood."
