Chapter 8 - The Prison Break
Vincent stared at the map, his mind racing with terrifying calculations.
It was currently 3:00 AM, and the sun would rise in less than four hours.
“I need to get out of this cell right now, Dom,” Vincent stated with absolute conviction.
Dominic nodded, pulling a small, plastic keycard from his pocket.
“I bribed the night shift sergeant to look the other way for exactly ten minutes,” Dominic explained quickly.
He unlocked Vincent’s handcuffs and handed him a police tactical jacket to blend in.
“We walk out the back loading dock, my car is waiting in the alley,” Dominic instructed.
They moved silently through the quiet, dimly lit corridors of the precinct.
The bribed officers conveniently ignored them as they slipped out the heavy metal exit doors.
They jumped into Dominic’s waiting sports car and sped away into the dark, snowy night.
“Isabella gave me the exact coordinates of the Blackwood Mining Facility,” Dominic said, navigating the treacherous, icy roads.
“It has been abandoned since the seventies, completely off the grid.”
Vincent gripped the dashboard tightly, staring blindly at the falling snow.
He prayed he was not three years too late.
They drove for two agonizing hours, deep into the treacherous, mountainous terrain north of the city.
The roads turned to dirt, completely covered in thick, untouched snow.
They finally parked the car near a rusted chain-link fence bearing a faded "DANGER: CONDEMNED" sign.
Vincent and Dominic grabbed flashlights and heavy crowbars from the trunk.
They hiked through the freezing woods until they found the massive, wooden entrance to the main mineshaft.
Two of Romano’s armed guards were standing near the entrance, smoking cigarettes to stay warm.
Vincent didn't hesitate for a second.
He moved silently through the snow and struck the first guard with the heavy crowbar, knocking him out instantly.
Dominic tackled the second guard, securing his weapon before he could even shout a warning.
They dragged the unconscious men into the bushes and approached the heavy wooden doors.
A strong, nauseating smell of sulfur and natural gas leaked from the cracks in the wood.
“They already started pumping the gas,” Dominic whispered, covering his mouth.
“We can’t use guns down there, a single spark will blow the entire mountain apart.”
Vincent nodded, discarding his firearm into the snow.
He grabbed a heavy iron pry bar and forced the heavy wooden doors open.
They stepped into the pitch-black, suffocating darkness of the abandoned mine.
The air was incredibly thick and hard to breathe.
They used their flashlights to navigate the crumbling, dangerous tunnels.
“Sofia!” Vincent yelled, his voice echoing endlessly into the dark abyss.
There was absolutely no answer.
They searched for twenty minutes, checking dozens of empty side tunnels and collapsed caverns.
May you like
Vincent’s heart began to sink into absolute despair.
Suddenly, a faint, metallic tapping sound echoed from a blocked tunnel to their left.
