Chapter 4 - The Siege
The heavy metal door shuddered as something massive slammed against it from the outside.
“They have a breaching ram,” Dr. Aris whispered, his hands trembling.
“How did they find us so fast?” I asked, my mind racing.
“They track everything, Ethan.”
I looked down at my tuxedo jacket.
My phone, my watch, even the cufflinks Claire had gifted me this morning.
I ripped the expensive cufflinks off my sleeves and threw them onto the linoleum floor.
One of them shattered, revealing a tiny, blinking GPS transmitter hidden inside the silver casing.
Claire had literally tagged me like an animal.
“Is there a back exit?” I demanded.
“Through the basement, it leads to the old subway maintenance tunnels,” Dr. Aris said.
The metal door groaned, the hinges beginning to buckle under the assault.
I ran back into the examination room and helped my mother sit up.
The painkillers had taken the edge off her agony, but her eyes were still wide with fear.
“We have to go, Mom,” I said gently.
I supported her weight, wrapping my arm firmly around her waist.
Dr. Aris led us down a dark, narrow staircase into the damp basement of the clinic.
Above us, a horrific crash echoed through the building as the front door finally gave way.
Heavy boots pounded against the floorboards directly over our heads.
“Check every room!” a deep voice barked.
Dr. Aris pushed a heavy bookshelf aside, revealing a rusted iron door set into the concrete wall.
He unlocked it with a heavy brass key and pulled it open.
A wave of cold, stale air washed over us from the dark tunnel ahead.
“Go,” Dr. Aris urged, handing me a small flashlight.
“What about you?” I asked.
“I will stall them.”
I nodded, eternally grateful, and guided my mother into the darkness.
We walked for what felt like miles in absolute silence.
The tunnel was damp and smelled of old iron and standing water.
My mother leaned heavily on me, her breath ragged, but she never complained once.
Eventually, the tunnel ended at a metal grate opening up into a deserted alleyway.
I pushed the grate aside and helped her climb out into the cool evening air.
We were in the garment district, miles away from the clinic.
I thought we had finally lost them.
Then, a sleek black SUV turned the corner at the end of the alley.
Its headlights pinned us against the brick wall.
May you like
The passenger window rolled down slowly.
Sitting in the front seat, wearing her pristine white wedding dress, was Claire.
