Chapter 54: The Ice Tomb
Chapter 54: The Ice Tomb
The world was upside down. Smoke, shattered glass, and the smell of burning coolant filled the crushed cabin of the SUV.
Sarah kicked the broken rear door open, crawling out into the freezing snow. Her ribs burned with every breath, but she had the travel pod clutched tight in her arms. Hope was crying inside, a sound that gave Sarah the strength to stand despite the agonizing pain in her leg.
Her father was slumped in the front seat, pinned by the steering column. He looked up at her through a bloody visor. "Run, Sarah... the tunnel... the old maintenance shafts..."
The helicopter touched down on the highway fifty yards away. Leo and Arthur stepped out into the snow, their black coats stark against the white landscape.
Sarah didn't look back at her father. She turned and sprinted into the dark mouth of the mountain tunnel, her boots slipping on the black ice.
The maintenance shaft was a labyrinth of wet concrete and rusted pipes. She ran until her lungs felt like they were bleeding, the sound of Arthur’s steady, rhythmic footsteps echoing far behind her.
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"You can't outrun a soldier in a box, Sarah," Arthur’s voice boomed through the concrete tunnels. "Give me the child. Leo will let you live. You can go back to America. You can have your old life back."
"My old life died on that staircase, Arthur!" Sarah shouted back, her voice echoing off the wet walls as she reached a massive steel blast door at the end of the corridor. It was locked. A heavy digital keypad blinked red.
