Chapter 4 - The Forgotten Prisoner
I stared at the ragged, broken man in absolute, paralyzed shock.
His clothes were practically rotting rags, and his hollow face was smeared with years of grime and despair.
"Who are you?" I asked firmly, keeping myself planted firmly between him and my daughter.
"My name is Arthur," he coughed violently, leaning heavily against the freezing stone wall.
"I used to be your father's business partner before he stole millions from the Vargas cartel."
My stomach dropped violently at the mention of the notorious, incredibly violent crime syndicate.
"Richard threw me down here to take the ultimate fall for his massive theft," Arthur explained bitterly.
"I survived by eating cave mushrooms and drinking dirty condensation, waiting for a chance to escape."
"There has to be a way out of this nightmare," I said desperately, looking around the cavern.
Arthur shook his head grimly, pointing a trembling finger toward the ceiling.
"The only exit is an old industrial freight elevator, but it can only be called from the surface controls."
Suddenly, a loud, terrifying mechanical screech echoed violently through the cavern.
The heavy metal chains above us began to rattle and shake violently against the stone.
A rusty iron elevator cage was slowly and loudly descending directly into the mine.
"Someone is bringing it down," Arthur whispered, his eyes wide with absolute panic.
We scrambled frantically back behind the rusted ore cart, hiding in the darkest possible corner.
The elevator hit the rocky ground with a heavy, deafening metallic clang.
The iron gate slid open with a screech, and two familiar men stepped out into the cavern.
One was my brother, Daniel, holding a heavy tactical flashlight.
The other was my father, Richard, holding a highly customized, suppressed pistol.
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"Find them immediately," Richard ordered with a completely cold, emotionless voice.
"The cartel wants absolute proof they are dead before they wipe my slate clean."
