Chapter 7 - The Skyward Escape
The intense heat from the flames blistered my skin as we climbed higher into the smoky darkness.
The rusted metal stairs groaned terribly under our combined weight, threatening to collapse at any moment.
Julian kicked open the heavy roof access door, and we finally spilled out into the cool, rainy night air.
I laid Brandon gently on the gravel roof, checking his pulse as his fever seemed to spike dangerously high.
"We are trapped up here," I cried, looking over the edge at the massive flames consuming the ground below.
Julian pulled out his encrypted phone and dialed a specialized emergency frequency.
"My private evacuation team is exactly two minutes away," he promised, wrapping his heavy coat around my shivering children.
He pulled me into a tight, comforting embrace, resting his chin gently on the top of my head.
"I am never letting you go again, Claire," he whispered passionately against my hair.
The deep, rhythmic thumping of helicopter blades suddenly echoed through the stormy sky.
A sleek, black tactical helicopter emerged from the clouds, hovering directly over the burning warehouse roof.
A rope ladder dropped down, and a heavily armed medic rapidly descended to assist us.
The medic strapped Brandon and Emma into secure evacuation harnesses, lifting them safely into the hovering aircraft.
Just as Julian reached out to grab the ladder for himself, the roof access door burst open.
Victoria stood there, completely unbothered by the smoke, holding a high-powered sniper rifle aimed directly at Julian's back.
"Did you really think you could outsmart me, little boy?" Victoria mocked over the roaring wind.
May you like
She pulled the trigger without a single ounce of hesitation.
I screamed in horror as Julian was violently thrown forward toward the edge of the burning roof.
