Chapter 8 - The Engagement Party
I rolled off the thick canvas awning and crashed hard into the bushes below.
Pain flared in my left shoulder, hot and sharp, but I couldn't stop moving.
I clutched the precious glass vial tightly in my right hand.
Above me, I could hear Arthur shouting curses from the broken window.
The blaring security alarms of the laboratory echoed loudly into the night sky.
I stumbled out of the bushes and sprinted through the dark parking lot.
My breath came in ragged gasps as I forced my old legs to move faster than they had in years.
I reached my truck just as the distant wail of police sirens began to cut through the air.
I threw the truck into gear and sped away, ignoring the blood soaking through my shirt.
The drive back to the clinic was a blur of adrenaline and agonizing pain.
I burst through the back doors of Dr. Evans's facility, practically falling onto the floor.
Dr. Evans rushed forward and caught me before I hit the ground.
"I got it," I gasped, holding up the vial.
"It's the original toxin."
Dr. Evans took the glass vial with trembling hands and rushed to his lab equipment.
Lucy and Rachel ran over to me, their eyes wide with terror as they saw the blood on my coat.
"I'm okay, girls," I lied, trying to offer a reassuring smile.
Dr. Evans worked frantically, using the chemical structure to synthesize the exact counter-agent.
Twenty agonizing minutes passed while April's breathing grew shallower on the table.
Finally, Dr. Evans loaded a clear syringe with a pale blue liquid.
He injected it directly into April's IV line.
We all stood around the metal table, holding our breath in total silence.
Slowly, the color began to return to April's pale cheeks.
Her chest rose and fell in a steady, deep rhythm.
She opened her eyes and looked weakly at her sisters.
I felt a massive wave of relief wash over me.
But my relief was instantly shattered by the sound of heavy boots kicking open the clinic's front door.
May you like
"Police! Nobody move!" a voice shouted from the waiting room.
Arthur had completely twisted the narrative and reported me for kidnapping.
