Chapter 7 - The Underground
The concrete stairs seemed to spiral downward forever into the depths of the earth.
Faint, fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting sickly yellow shadows against the damp walls.
The muffled thud of explosives from the floor above shook dust into my hair.
I reached the bottom of the staircase and stepped into a massive, pristine underground laboratory.
Rows of glowing computer mainframes and medical equipment filled the vast space.
Sitting at the center of the room, sipping a glass of red wine, was the man I had married.
Carl looked completely healthy, the pale, sickly complexion of a dying man entirely gone.
"Welcome home, darling," he said with a charming smile that now looked purely predatory.
I raised Arthur's gun, pointing it directly at his chest with trembling hands.
"The men upstairs are going to breach that door any second, Carl."
He took a slow sip of his wine, entirely unbothered by the gun or the threat.
"Those doors are reinforced titanium, they won't get through before we finish our business."
He stood up and slowly walked toward a massive steel vault set into the far wall.
"Toss me the flash drive, and I will show you a secret tunnel that leads straight out of the city."
"Why did you pretend to have cancer?" I yelled, refusing to lower the weapon.
"Because the syndicate poisoned me with a slow-acting neurotoxin when they found out I was stealing from them."
"I needed them to think I was dying naturally so they wouldn't finish the job."
He tapped the steel vault with his knuckles.
"The antidote, along with fifty million in untraceable bearer bonds, is locked inside this vault."
"The vault is sealed with a dual-biometric lock that requires the DNA of the account holder and their legal spouse."
"You married me just to open a door," I whispered, the sickening reality finally sinking in.
Carl smiled, holding out his hand.
"A marriage of convenience, truly."
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the entire facility, throwing me to the floor.
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The steel door at the top of the stairs blew completely off its hinges.
The syndicate had brought heavier weapons.
