Chapter 7 - The Father's Sins
Red warning lights bathed the security hub in a chaotic, pulsing glow.
Elara tightened her grip on Marcus, pressing the blade hard enough to draw a single drop of blood.
"Turn off the alarms!" she screamed over the noise.
Marcus grinned, revealing bloodstained teeth.
"Alexis already initiated the self-destruct protocol for the entire underground facility," Marcus gloated.
He pointed to a massive digital timer on the main screen counting down from ten minutes.
"He is purging all the evidence, including the animals, the guests, and you."
Elara shoved Marcus away, kicking him hard in the chest to keep him down.
She rushed to the main console, her fingers flying across the keyboards.
She tried to override the self-destruct sequence, but the system required a biometric retinal scan.
Candidate 03 dropped down from the vent, looking terrified at the flashing red numbers.
"We have to get out of here, Elara!" she pleaded.
Elara stared at the screen, her heart breaking for the innocent animals trapped in the cages below.
She realized she could not stop the explosion, but she could open the electronic locks.
She furiously typed a command code, bypassing the individual security protocols for the holding pens.
"What are you doing?" Marcus gasped, clutching his chest on the floor.
"I am giving them a fighting chance," Elara replied coldly.
She hit the enter key with a resounding smack.
Deep within the bowels of the facility, hundreds of heavy steel doors slid open simultaneously.
The deafening roar of lions, tigers, and bears echoed through the ventilation shafts.
Elara grabbed Candidate 03's hand and sprinted toward the emergency exit stairwell.
They burst through the doors and began climbing toward the surface level.
The sounds of panicked guards screaming and automatic gunfire echoed from the floors below them.
The animals were taking their brutal revenge on the men who had tortured them.
Elara reached the ground floor lobby, which was completely deserted.
She looked out through the glass doors and saw a private helicopter waiting on the estate's helipad.
Alexis Vernet was walking briskly toward the chopper, carrying a silver briefcase.
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He stopped abruptly, turning to look back at the burning building.
He was holding a small remote detonator in his left hand, his thumb hovering over the trigger.
