PART 7 — The Woman in the Tunnel
The gunshot echoed through the tunnel.
Everyone froze.
Ethan squeezed my hand.
“Dad…”
“Keep moving.”
I forced myself to stay calm.
Behind us, footsteps thundered through the laboratory.
They were coming.
Thomas pushed open a steel door.
“Inside!”
We rushed through.
My father entered last and locked it behind him.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Noah whispered,
“Who shot the gun?”
My father looked at me.
“Northbridge security.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
Everyone turned toward me.
“That wasn't a security weapon.”
Thomas frowned.
“How do you know?”
“Because I heard my mother's voice after the shot.”
Silence.
Evelyn's face went white.
“She came here?”
My father nodded.
“She never left.”
“What?”
He looked toward the darkness ahead.
“Eleanor has been inside this facility for weeks.”
My heart stopped.
“But the monitor…”
“Was only a distraction.”
Suddenly, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel.
A woman stepped into view.
Eleanor.
She wasn't alone.
Two armed men stood behind her.
But Eleanor wasn't looking at me.
She was staring at Ethan and Noah.
“My grandchildren.”
I stepped in front of them.
“You're not taking them.”
She smiled.
“Marcus, I didn't come for them.”
I frowned.
“Then why are you here?”
Her eyes moved to my father.
“I came for him.”
My father raised his head.
“You should have stayed away.”
Eleanor laughed softly.
“You still don't understand, Richard.”
She reached into her coat and pulled out a small metal case.
“Your research was never about longevity.”
My father stared at the case.
“What did you do?”
Eleanor opened it.
Inside was a vial filled with dark red liquid.
She looked at me.
“This is the treatment that can save you.”
I didn't move.
“What does it cost?”
Her smile disappeared.
“One life.”
My blood ran cold.
Evelyn whispered,
“Whose?”
Eleanor looked directly at Ethan.
Then at Noah.
“That's what you have to decide.”
My father suddenly shouted,
“RUN!”
The lights went out.
And in the darkness, I heard someone unlock the door behind us.
TO BE CONTINUED…
