Chapter 9 - The Leap of Faith
Mr. Henderson hit the bottom of the maintenance pit with a sickening thud.
Caleb was now left entirely alone to face his deranged, murderous teacher.
The fire was spreading incredibly rapidly, eating through the wooden storage pallets near the metal cage.
Malik dropped to his knees, struggling to breathe in the thick, toxic black smoke.
Mrs. Baxter casually walked around the wall of fire, picking up a heavy steel pipe from the floor.
She tapped the pipe against her hand, walking slowly toward Caleb.
"Your father is going to be incredibly disappointed in you, Caleb," she taunted him.
Caleb refused to back down, his eyes darting frantically around the burning room.
He dodged her first vicious swing and grabbed a large red fire extinguisher mounted on the brick wall.
He pulled the safety pin and sprayed the thick chemical foam directly into her face.
Mrs. Baxter shrieked in absolute agony, dropping the steel pipe and clutching her burning eyes.
Caleb used the heavy metal base of the extinguisher to smash the rusty padlock on Malik's cage.
The lock shattered on the third strike, and Caleb pulled his coughing friend out of the smoke.
They grabbed a heavy rope from the wall and pulled Mr. Henderson out of the pit just in time.
The basement ceiling began to groan loudly, threatening to collapse under the intense heat.
They carried the injured agent up the emergency exit stairs and kicked open the exterior door.
They burst out into the cool, fresh evening air, gasping desperately for oxygen.
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But their relief was instantly shattered by the sound of a pistol cocking in the darkness.
Caleb's father, Arthur Vance, stepped out of the shadows with a loaded gun pointed directly at his son.
