Chapter 8 - The Ghost
Elias tightly held his breath and aimed his loaded gun directly at the opening doorway.
A tall, imposing figure stepped slowly out of the hallway shadows.
It was the mysterious man with the severely scarred face from the hidden photograph.
He was casually holding a suppressed tactical pistol, but he purposefully did not raise it.
“Put the gun down on the floor, Elias,” the scarred man said calmly.
“Who the hell are you?” Elias demanded aggressively, refusing to lower his weapon.
“My real name is Victor.”
“I am the rogue agent who actively helped Anna successfully fake her own death.”
Elias kept his trembling weapon aimed perfectly steady at the man's chest.
“Why should I believe a single word you say?”
Victor slowly unzipped his dark tactical jacket and gently tossed a silver locket onto the concrete floor.
It was the exact custom locket Elias had proudly given Anna on their wedding day.
“She strictly told me you would be incredibly stubborn.”
Victor slowly raised his empty hands in a universally peaceful gesture.
“Apex tracked your stolen pickup truck, and their mercenary teams are closing in on this specific mountain right now.”
Elias stubbornly refused to lower his heavy gun.
“If you actually helped her escape, where is she right now?”
“She is anxiously waiting for both of you at the designated extraction point.”
“She intentionally sent me here to safely guide you straight through the hidden minefield.”
Elias frowned deeply in pure confusion and growing dread.
“What minefield?”
“The entire snowy perimeter of this old radar station is completely rigged with high-explosive landmines,” Victor explained quickly.
“Anna carefully set them up to buy us precious escape time.”
Victor walked confidently over to the terminal and typed a rapid sequence of override commands.
A digital topographical map of the mountain appeared, displaying a very narrow, safe path through the glowing red explosive grid.
“We have exactly ten minutes before the heavily armed Apex strike team fully arrives.”
Elias looked underneath the metal desk at his terribly trembling daughter.
He ultimately had absolutely no other choice but to blindly trust the armed stranger.
They frantically ran out of the dark bunker and back into the freezing, blinding mountain air.
Victor bravely led the way, carefully stepping over invisible tripwires deeply buried in the fresh snow.
They were exactly halfway across the massive clearing when they heard the unmistakable, rhythmic thumping sound.
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Elias looked up rapidly at the bleak grey sky in pure horror.
Three heavily armed military assault helicopters were rapidly descending straight down from the clouds.
