PART 9 – The Battle in the Vault
Daniel didn't dive away. Nor did he fire his weapon. Instead, he grabbed the heavy steel lid of the vault cassette from the glass table and hurled it with full force straight at Vance's face.
The heavy metal struck Vance square on the nose. A loud cracking sound echoed through the vault room and Vance screamed in pain. He reeled backward, firing wild shots that ricocheted off the steel walls of the safe-deposit boxes. Sparks flew through the air.
"Cover!" Daniel yelled.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me behind the massive, open steel door of vault 408. Vance's two henchmen began firing like madmen. Bullets struck the thick steel of the vault door with deafening thuds, but failed to penetrate it.
The receptionist shrieked in terror and dived under the glass table, wrapping his hands over his head for protection.
Daniel pulled out his own gun. Leaning briefly around the steel door, he fired two targeted shots. The first bullet hit the armed man on the left in the shoulder, sending his weapon clattering to the floor. The second man quickly dived behind a row of deposit boxes.
"Arthur, listen to me," Daniel said hurriedly, checking his gun's magazine. "At the end of this hallway is the control panel for the emergency door. There's a red lever on the side. If you pull it, the emergency exit unlocks manually. Can you reach it while I keep them busy?"
I looked down the hallway. It was about fifteen meters of running without any cover.
"I... I don't know, Daniel," I stammered. "My legs..."
"You can do it, Arthur!" Daniel said firmly, looking me straight in the eyes. "You are the strongest woman I know. Think of Thomas. Think of the bus. Don't let them win!"
His words gave me a surge of adrenaline that banished my fear. I nodded.
"As soon as I start firing, run as fast as you can," Daniel said.
He stepped out from behind the steel door and fired a volley of shots at the position of the remaining henchman and the groaning Vance. Bullets clattered against steel and walls, forcing the men to keep their heads down.
"GO!" Daniel yelled.
I didn't think twice. With all the strength left in my seventy-four-year-old body, I sprinted down the hallway. My slippers clattered on the granite floor. The hallway seemed miles long. Every meter felt like an eternity.
Behind me, I heard Vance shout: "Shoot that old hag!"
A bullet whizzed past my ear and blew a hole in the panel right next to me. Wood splinters and dust flew into my face. But I didn't stop. I kept running.
I reached the end of the hallway. There hung the gray box of the control panel. On the side was a large, red emergency lever with a yellow warning label.
I grabbed the lever with both hands and pulled down with all my weight.
CLANG!
A heavy mechanical lock disengaged. A green light above the heavy steel emergency door began to flash, and the door popped open a crack.
"Daniel! The door is open!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Daniel turned around and began walking backward toward me, firing his final bullets to keep the men at bay.
But just as he reached the midpoint of the hallway, Vance scrambled up from the floor. His face was covered in blood. With a wild glare, he aimed his gun straight at Daniel's back.
"DANIEL! BEHIND YOU!" I screamed.
Daniel half-turned, but it was too late.
BANG!
The shot echoed through the vault room. Daniel stiffened. He dropped his weapon and grabbed his side. Blood immediately seeped through his dark wool coat. He collapsed to his knees on the cold granite floor.
"DANIEL!" I screamed, and without a thought for the danger, I ran toward him.
