Chapter 9 - The Blizzard Escape
"They are not real cops!" Emily screamed, violently pulling Julian backward into the shadows.
The fake police officers immediately opened fire, their bullets sparking wildly against the stone walls.
Julian grabbed Lily and shoved Emily roughly into a narrow side passage.
They sprinted desperately through the maze of ancient catacombs beneath the estate.
The deafening sounds of heavy gunfire and shouting echoed terrifyingly close behind them.
"The tunnel exits directly into the woods behind the frozen lake," Julian panted.
They burst out of a rusted iron gate and plunged straight into the raging blizzard.
The freezing wind hit them like a physical wall, completely stealing their breath.
Julian forced them to keep moving, wading through knee-deep snow to hide their tracks.
Emily could barely feel her own hands and feet in the sub-zero temperature.
She helped support Julian’s heavy weight as his wounds continued to bleed freely into the snow.
"We are almost there," Julian encouraged them, pointing to a dark cabin in the distance.
They pushed through the heavy pine trees, absolutely exhausted and freezing to death.
The Volkov hitmen had completely lost their trail in the blinding white storm.
They finally reached the wooden porch of the hidden safehouse.
Julian punched a secret code into the keypad, and the heavy oak door swung open.
A wave of glorious, radiating heat instantly washed over their freezing bodies.
They stumbled inside and quickly locked the reinforced door behind them.
Emily collapsed onto the plush rug, pulling Lily tightly into a warm, protective embrace.
Julian slumped heavily into a chair, completely drained of all energy.
They had miraculously survived the worst night of their entire lives.
"You are finally safe now, Emily," Julian whispered softly.
May you like
Then, a deep, raspy chuckle echoed from the dark corner of the living room.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, nephew," an older man said.
