Chapter 6 - The Metal Fortress
Mark watched the horrifying live feed as his blood ran completely cold.
Arthur looked directly into the camera lens, fully aware that Mark was watching.
The old crime lord promised that if Mark did not surrender the boy by dawn, his wife would die in pieces.
The video feed abruptly cut out, leaving the screen completely black.
Mark knew that walking into the slaughterhouse was absolute suicide, but he had no other choice.
He looked at his exhausted son sleeping on the dusty hay of the abandoned barn.
He could not bring the boy into a war zone, but leaving him alone was equally impossible.
Mark found a hidden root cellar beneath the barn floorboards, stocked with old canned goods and blankets.
He woke Jake gently and explained that they were going to play the ultimate game of hide and seek.
He promised the brave little boy that he would return for him as soon as he saved Mommy.
Jake nodded bravely, hugging his father tightly before climbing down into the dark, hidden cellar.
Mark covered the trapdoor with heavy wooden crates to ensure no one would ever find it.
He loaded the stolen shotgun and climbed back into the battered pickup truck.
He drove furiously toward the industrial district on the edge of the city limits.
The old slaughterhouse loomed in the early morning fog like a massive, decaying metal fortress.
The perimeter was heavily guarded by mercenaries armed with high-powered assault rifles.
Mark parked the truck a mile away and proceeded on foot through the tall, wet grass.
He silently eliminated two perimeter guards using stealth tactics from his military days.
He stole a tactical vest and an assault rifle from the fallen men to level the playing field.
He breached a rusted side door, stepping into the foul-smelling, dimly lit processing floor.
The massive room was eerily quiet, save for the sound of water dripping from the ceiling.
He moved methodically between the hanging meat hooks, his weapon raised and ready.
He finally reached the central office, kicking the heavy wooden door completely open.
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He expected to find a heavily armed trap waiting for him inside.
Instead, he found Arthur sitting alone at a desk, bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound to the chest.
