Chapter 6 - The Poisoned Air
The panic room was entirely silent except for the frantic crying of the triplets.
Dante struggled to his feet, clutching his bleeding shoulder tightly.
"We have to manually override the vent seals from the outside," Dante gasped.
"The only way out is through the main library doors, and Victor's men will be waiting," I said.
The air in the room was already growing incredibly stale and heavy.
Sophie began coughing, burying her face into her mother's apron.
I looked at my children, knowing I could not let them die in this steel cage.
"There is a secondary escape hatch beneath the floorboards," I revealed to the group.
It was a secret smuggler's tunnel built during prohibition that led directly into the surrounding forest.
"Why didn't we just use that in the first place?" Dante asked, bewildered.
"Because the tunnel is completely rigged with pressure mines, and I am the only one who knows the safe path," I explained.
I walked to the center of the room and pulled back the heavy rug.
I entered a passcode into a hidden floor tile, and a square metal hatch hissed open.
The pitch-black tunnel smelled of damp earth and ancient concrete.
"Elena, you carry the babies, and Dante, you cover our rear," I instructed.
We slowly climbed down the rusty ladder into the suffocating darkness of the tunnel.
I turned on my tactical flashlight, revealing a narrow path fraught with deadly explosives.
"Step exactly where I step," I warned them, moving forward with agonizing caution.
We navigated the dangerous maze for ten minutes, the air growing colder as we neared the exit.
Suddenly, a blinding spotlight illuminated the tunnel from the far end.
"I knew you would never die quietly in a box, Adrien," Victor's voice echoed through the tunnel.
He was standing at the exit with six heavily armed mercenaries, blocking our only path to freedom.
May you like
He raised an assault rifle and pointed it directly at my head.
"End of the line, Boss," Victor smiled maliciously.
