Chapter 7 - The Unlikely Escape
I froze completely as the blinding tactical lights pinned me against the brick wall.
A man with a megaphone ordered me to drop to my knees and put my hands behind my head.
I couldn't move, my arms wrapped protectively around Lucas as the red laser dots danced across my damp jacket.
Without missing a beat, Marcus grabbed a heavy metallic cylinder from his tactical vest and pulled the safety pin.
He hurled the smoke grenade directly at the feet of the advancing SWAT officers.
Thick, blinding white smoke instantly erupted, filling the entire warehouse floor in a matter of seconds.
Marcus grabbed my arm forcefully and dragged me toward a heavy iron grate set into the floorboards.
He kicked the grate aside with his heavy boot, revealing a dark, narrow utility tunnel.
"Get in, right now!" he yelled over the sound of confused shouting and chaotic gunfire echoing through the smoke.
I pushed Lucas down the ladder first, climbing down right behind him as Marcus pulled the heavy grate back into place.
We ran through the dark, damp maintenance tunnels for what felt like miles.
The smell of mildew and stagnant water was overwhelming, but the pure adrenaline kept my legs moving.
I was exhausted to my very bones, but the thought of protecting my grandson gave me an unnatural strength.
We finally climbed up a rusty iron ladder and emerged through a manhole cover into a quiet, deserted alleyway.
We were right in the heart of the financial district, surrounded by towering skyscrapers of glass and steel.
Marcus leaned heavily against a brick wall, pointing a trembling finger toward the massive marble columns of the First National Bank down the street.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a heavy, loaded pistol, pressing it firmly into my hands.
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He looked at me with pale, sweating skin and told me I had to go inside alone.
He unzipped his jacket, revealing a horrifying gunshot wound in his side that was bleeding out much too fast for him to take another step.
