Chapter 12 - Escape into the Rain
Evie sprinted down the claustrophobic concrete corridor, her bare feet slapping loudly against the freezing floor. She passed the bodies of two tactical officers, their tactical gear proving entirely useless against Silas’s armor-piercing rounds. She didn't stop to check their pulses; she knew they were gone. The ruthless efficiency of the Vanguard syndicate was on full display.
Behind her, she heard a furious, agonizing roar. Silas had recovered from the blow to the face. The heavy thud of his boots echoed down the hallway, rapidly closing the distance.
"You can't outrun me, little girl!" Silas shouted, his voice a horrifying, raspy gargle caused by the damage to his vocal cords. "Your father paid for a job, and I always finish my contracts!"
Evie rounded a sharp corner, spotting a heavy emergency exit door glowing faintly under a red exit sign. She slammed her body weight against the heavy push-bar. The door burst open, and she stumbled out into the freezing, torrential rain of the industrial park.
The cold water was a shock to her system, instantly soaking through her thin hospital gown. She scrambled to her feet, running blindly into the maze of stacked shipping containers and abandoned construction equipment surrounding the safe house.
The heavy metal door slammed open again. Silas stepped out into the rain, raising his suppressed pistol. He fired twice. One bullet struck a metal shipping container mere inches from Evie’s head, showering her with sparks and rusted shrapnel.
She dove behind a massive yellow bulldozer, pressing her face into the muddy ground, trying desperately to silence her ragged breathing.
"The clock is ticking, Evelyn!" Silas taunted, slowly stalking through the rain, his boots crunching on the gravel. "It's 11:52. You have eight minutes left to live. Make it easy on yourself. Come out, and I promise I'll make it quick. You won't feel a thing."
Evie looked around the muddy construction yard. She was trapped. She had no weapon, no phone, and no physical strength left to fight a highly trained cartel assassin.
But as she stared at the massive treads of the bulldozer, a wild, desperate idea formed in her mind. Her grandfather had taught her how to drive heavy farm machinery when she was a teenager on his rural estate. The ignition panel of the bulldozer was exposed, the keys dangling mockingly in the ignition. The construction crew must have left them in a rush.
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Silas’s footsteps were getting closer. He was just on the other side of the bulldozer.
Evie took a deep breath, leaped up into the open cabin of the machine, and aggressively twisted the key. The massive diesel engine roared to life with a deafening, mechanical scream.
