Chapter 4 - The Desperate Escape
The toxic gas aggressively burned Arthur's eyes and throat within mere seconds.
He dropped to the cold concrete floor to find the small pocket of breathable oxygen remaining.
Victoria had completely underestimated the man who had personally designed this entire mansion.
Arthur crawled desperately toward the heavy metal desk in the center of the hidden room.
He felt around the bottom of the steel leg until his fingers brushed against a small, hidden lever.
He pulled the mechanical switch with all the strength he had left in his burning lungs.
A narrow, dusty maintenance chute dropped open in the floor directly beneath the desk.
Arthur threw himself into the dark abyss just as the deadly gas completely filled the upper vault.
He slid down the steep metal tube and landed harshly in the underground storm drain beneath the estate.
Gasping for fresh air, he stumbled through the muddy water toward the distant street grate.
He finally pushed the heavy iron grate open and climbed out onto the rainy city sidewalk.
Arthur knew he could not trust the local police because Victoria's stolen money could buy anyone.
He sprinted through the dark streets toward the private hospital where his daughter was recovering.
He sneaked through the emergency room loading dock to avoid any potential mercenaries watching the main entrance.
Arthur quietly slipped into Chloe's hospital room and locked the heavy wooden door behind him.
Chloe was awake and crying softly in her sterile hospital bed.
He hugged her tightly and promised that he was going to fix this absolute nightmare.
He quickly unhooked her intravenous lines and wrapped a heavy blanket around her fragile shoulders.
Arthur knew they had to disappear completely to build a solid case against his corrupt wife.
They carefully sneaked down the fire escape stairs into the dark parking garage.
He broke the window of a random car and expertly hotwired the engine in seconds.
Just as the engine roared to life, a heavily armed mercenary stepped directly in front of the headlights.
The assassin raised an assault rifle and pointed it directly at the windshield.
Before the killer could pull the trigger, a loud gunshot echoed through the concrete garage.
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The mercenary collapsed onto the pavement to reveal a tall man standing in the shadows with a smoking pistol.
The mysterious savior stepped into the light, revealing a face Arthur had not seen in ten long years.
