Chapter 10 - DUST AND STEEL|
The basement smelled of wet earth, rot, and old memories.
Enzo clicked on a small tactical penlight, sweeping its sharp white beam across stacks of moldy cardboard boxes, broken lawnmowers, and rusted metal shelving.
"Where is it?" Enzo asked softly.
I walked straight to the far corner near the old coal chute, kneeling down in the damp dirt beside the heavy iron gas meter. My hands were covered in black grime as I ran my fingers along the bottom brick of the foundation wall.
I pushed hard against the third brick from the left.
With a dull grinding sound, the brick slid inward three inches, revealing a small, dark cavity behind the drywall.
I reached my arm deep into the cold space until my fingers brushed against cold, heavy steel.
"Found it," I whispered, pulling out a faded, olive-green military ammunition canister sealed with thick rubber gaskets.
Enzo knelt beside me, inspecting the heavy steel latch. "Your father knew what he was doing. This box is waterproof and EMP-shielded."
Suddenly, the floorboards above our heads creaked loudly.
CREAK.
Enzo instantly killed his penlight, plunging us into pitch darkness. He pulled me behind the heavy brick furnace, placing a gloved hand firmly over my mouth to keep my breathing silent.
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Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed from the kitchen directly above the basement stairs.
"Search the ground floor," a harsh, unfamiliar voice ordered from upstairs. "The camera on the street caught a black SUV two blocks away. They're here."
