Chapter 8 - The Ascent
Sienna and Viktor screamed in sheer agony as the scalding steam blistered their skin.
The entire tunnel filled with a thick, blinding white fog.
Mara grabbed Dante's heavy arm and dragged him forcefully to his feet.
She guided him blindly through the burning fog, relying entirely on her photographic memory of the blueprints.
They reached a rusty iron ladder leading up to a forgotten street-level maintenance grate.
Dante groaned in pain with every step, his strength rapidly failing him.
Mara pushed him from below, refusing to let him give up and die in the dark.
They finally breached the surface, tumbling out onto a quiet, rain-slicked Manhattan alleyway.
The cold night air was a massive relief in their burning lungs.
Mara supported Dante's heavy weight, guiding him toward a nearby 24-hour pharmacy.
She broke the glass door with a heavy trash can, ignoring the loud burglar alarm.
She quickly gathered bandages, antiseptic, and medical superglue to seal his bleeding gunshot wound.
Dante watched her work with absolute awe, mesmerized by her calm, steady hands.
He reached out and gently touched the small scar on her left forearm.
He whispered that she was the most beautiful, extraordinary woman he had ever truly seen.
Mara felt her heart skip a heavy beat, but she forced herself to focus on the bleeding.
Loud police sirens began echoing from the end of the dark street.
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Dante's face fell into a grim, defeated expression.
He told Mara that Viktor owned the local police precinct, and they were walking right into a trap.
