Chapter 32 - Into the Darkness | I didn't hesitate. I sprinted toward the low wooden door, ducking as bullets whined past my head, shattering glass bottles above me and drenching me in vintage wine that looked terrifyingly like blood.
I threw my weight against the small door. It gave way, revealing a narrow, damp tunnel cutting through the earth. I scrambled inside and slammed the latch shut just as Marcus’s gun went silent in the room behind me.
"Marcus!" I cried out softly, but I knew I couldn't go back.
I turned and ran blindly down the pitch-black tunnel, my lungs burning, my hands scraping against the rough stone walls. The tunnel sloped upward, leading away from the main estate.
After what felt like an eternity of running through darkness, I saw a faint glimmer of moonlight ahead. I burst through a rusted iron grate and fell onto the cold, wet grass of the surrounding forest.
I lay there for a moment, gasping for air, clutching my chest. I was bleeding from several small cuts, my clothes were ruined, and my company was in chaos.
In the distance, the main mansion was engulfed in flames, bright orange fire leaping into the night sky, burning away the last physical evidence of the Vance dynasty.
I pulled myself up onto my feet, using a nearby tree for support. I was completely alone in the middle of a dark forest, miles away from the city, with armed killers searching for my body.
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But as I looked at the burning mansion, a strange, terrifying calm washed over me.
They had taken my company, my trust, and my friends. But I was still breathing.
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