Chapter 10 - The Horizon
The blaring red emergency lights cast long, terrifying shadows across the chaotic laboratory.
I drove the surgical scalpel into the thigh of the guard holding me, forcing him to drop his weapon.
I caught his falling rifle before it hit the ground and immediately shot the second guard in the chest.
The CEO spun around and fired three rapid shots, but I dove behind a reinforced steel surgical cabinet.
The bullets sparked against the metal, buying me precious seconds to assess the dangerous situation.
The automated voice echoed through the room, announcing that only four minutes remained until total facility destruction.
I peeked around the cabinet and laid down suppressing fire, forcing the CEO to take cover near the computer terminal.
I sprinted across the open floor, sliding perfectly to a halt right next to Eli's examination table.
I frantically unbuckled the heavy leather straps binding my crying son and pulled him tightly against my chest.
I promised Eli that everything was going to be okay as long as he kept his eyes closed and held on to me.
My mother suddenly rushed into the laboratory, holding a loaded shotgun and screaming my name.
She looked at the terrified child in my arms and the destructive chaos her ambition had caused.
For the first time in my entire life, I saw genuine regret completely wash over her cold face.
The CEO aimed his handgun directly at my back, preparing to execute me while I was holding my son.
My mother raised her shotgun and stepped directly into the line of fire, taking the bullet meant for me.
She collapsed to the floor, bleeding heavily as she desperately fired her weapon at the CEO.
Her blast shattered the computer terminal, sending an explosion of electricity into the CEO's body.
He screamed in agony as the high voltage completely paralyzed his muscles and dropped him to the ground.
My mother looked up at me with tears in her eyes and told me to run before the blast doors sealed.
I held Eli tightly and sprinted out of the laboratory, leaving my parents behind in the burning ruins of their empire.
I burst through the heavy steel blast doors just seconds before they slammed shut forever.
Jackson was waiting for us in the armored SUV, revving the engine as I threw Eli into the back seat.
I climbed into the passenger side, and we sped away from the facility at maximum speed.
A massive underground explosion violently shook the desert floor, turning the night sky completely bright orange.
The Vanguard Dynamics secret facility was completely erased from the face of the earth, taking my treacherous parents with it.
Within a week, the FBI had recovered Jackson’s stolen data files and completely exonerated me of all false charges.
The corrupt officials tied to the genetic weapons program were arrested, and my military record was entirely restored with full honors.
Six months later, we were finally living peacefully in a beautiful wooden house near the sunny California coast.
Jackson was cooking a warm dinner in the kitchen, and Eli was laughing joyfully while building a sandcastle outside.
Sitting at the very bottom of the stack of letters was a heavy black envelope without any return address.
My military instincts immediately flared as I recognized the familiar wax seal stamped on the back.
May you like
I tore it open and found a single, terrifying photograph of my parents tied to steel chairs in a dark basement.
A handwritten note on the back simply said that they were still alive and waiting for me to play the next game.
