Chapter 4 - The Narrow Escape
Panic surged through my veins as Arthur’s footsteps echoed closer.
He wasn't alone; I could hear the heavy boots of at least two other men walking beside him.
I looked around the storage unit desperately for another way out.
There was a metal ventilation grate near the ceiling at the back of the room.
I pulled a stack of heavy boxes against the wall to create a makeshift staircase.
I climbed up and used my flashlight to smash the screws holding the grate in place.
"Hurry, climb up," I whispered to the girls.
I hoisted April up first, then Rachel, and finally Lucy.
I squeezed my own shoulders through the narrow opening just as Arthur reached our door.
We crawled on our stomachs through the dusty, cramped air duct.
Below us, I heard Arthur kick a box across the concrete floor.
"They were just here!" he screamed in rage.
"Find them, and don't worry about being gentle."
Elena’s voice suddenly drifted up through the vents, sharp and chilling.
"If the old man has the evidence, I'll take care of him myself," she said.
"Just make sure you secure the girls."
We crawled for what felt like miles until we found another grate leading to the exterior alleyway.
I kicked it open, and we dropped down into the wet grass behind the facility.
We ran through the shadows all the way back to where I had parked the truck.
By the time we got back to my house, the sun was starting to rise.
I locked all the doors and sat at the kitchen table.
I needed to see what was on the USB flash drive Rose had left.
I plugged it into my laptop, hoping to find the final piece of evidence.
A video file appeared on the screen, showing Rose sitting in a hospital bed.
But halfway through her speaking, the screen suddenly went completely black.
A red warning box flashed violently across the monitor.
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The text read: "Location Acquired. Uploading Coordinates."
The green light next to my laptop’s webcam turned on all by itself.
