Chapter 4 - The Rat in the Dark
The concussive force of the explosion knocked me backward off the crate. I shielded Noah’s body with my own as concrete debris rained down upon us. Vincent returned fire immediately. The muzzle flash of his handgun illuminated the dark tunnel in brief, violent bursts. "Run!" Vincent shouted to me over the deafening gunfire. I grabbed Noah’s hand and sprinted deeper into the abandoned maintenance shaft. My worn-out boots slipped on the wet concrete, but pure adrenaline kept me moving. Vincent and his bleeding driver covered our escape. We navigated through a maze of rusted pipes and dead-end corridors. I could hear the heavy boots of Carlo’s mercenaries echoing behind us. They were hunting us like animals. Vincent finally caught up to us, his suit covered in dust and blood. "The driver didn't make it," Vincent said grimly. He led us to a heavy steel door at the end of the tunnel. With tremendous effort, he forced the rusted lever down and pushed the door open. We stepped out into the freezing night air, finding ourselves at the edge of the city’s industrial river. A small, battered speedboat was tied to the dock. "Get in," Vincent ordered, untying the thick ropes. We scrambled into the boat as the tunnel door behind us began to rattle violently. Vincent started the engine, and we sped out onto the dark, choppy water. The freezing spray of the river hit my face like tiny needles. I huddled close to Noah beneath a tarp I found in the back of the boat. Vincent steered us toward a distant, desolate shoreline. "How did they find us so fast?" I asked him over the roar of the engine. Vincent gritted his teeth. "Carlo couldn't have tracked the SUV," Vincent muttered. He turned around and stared intently at me. "Someone has a tracker on them," Vincent said dangerously. He moved toward me and grabbed the blue designer coat Noah was wearing. Vincent ripped the collar open and dug his fingers into the thick padding. He pulled out a small, blinking red microchip. "My own brother bugged my son," Vincent whispered in horror. A loud splash to our right made us both jump. A military-grade helicopter rose from the tree line, shining a massive spotlight directly onto our tiny boat.
