Chapter 4 - The Poisonous Truth
I dropped the plastic bags onto the floor, my heart completely stopping in my chest.
I rushed to the shattered window, terrified that Robert's men had already tracked us down.
I saw a trail of fresh blood leading across the dirty asphalt toward a rusted, abandoned dumpster.
"Maya?" I whispered frantically, creeping into the dark alley with my car keys held like a weapon.
A tiny, trembling hand reached out from behind the rusted metal container.
Maya was hiding in the shadows, her face completely pale and covered in a thick layer of cold sweat.
"They drove past the motel, Mom, I saw their black car," she gasped, clutching her stomach violently.
I helped her stand up, realizing her skin was burning with a dangerously high fever.
"The capsule is dissolving faster, the heavy metals are entering my bloodstream," Maya cried out in pain.
We had less than a few hours before the toxic battery acid completely destroyed her internal organs.
I dragged her back to our SUV, knowing we could not stay in this exposed location for another minute.
We needed a surgeon immediately, but every legitimate hospital in the state would alert Robert’s corporate security.
Maya weakly pulled a small, crumpled piece of paper from her jeans pocket.
"I memorized this phone number from his encrypted files before I swallowed the drive," she whispered.
She explained it belonged to a brilliant underground doctor who had previously worked with Robert before he was betrayed.
I snatched the paper and dialed the number on my cell phone with frantically shaking fingers.
A harsh, raspy voice answered on the third ring, sounding deeply suspicious.
"Dr. Aris, I have the stolen data vault, and my daughter is dying," I pleaded desperately into the phone.
There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line.
"Bring her to the abandoned veterinary clinic on 4th Street, but if you are followed, I will kill you both," Dr. Aris replied.
The line went dead, leaving me with absolutely no other choice but to trust a criminal.
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As I started the engine, my phone buzzed with a chilling text message from Robert.
The message was a live video feed of my sister tied to a chair in her own living room.
