Chapter 15 - Life Amidst Fire
The battle above raged like a nightmare. Through the concrete walls, the rhythmic thunder of automatic rifle fire and breaching charges echoed continuously.
Inside the sterile chamber, I screamed, my hands gripping the metal rails of the delivery bed as Dr. Mercer guided me through the grueling labor.
"Push, Alina! You have to push now!" Dr. Mercer urged, her hands covered in blood. "The baby's heart rate is dropping!"
I gathered every remaining ounce of strength in my battered body, thinking of Dorian fighting in the dark corridors above, thinking of the life we had bled to protect. With a final, agonizing cry, I pushed.
A sharp, clear, loud cry suddenly broke through the sound of gunfire.
"It's a boy," Dr. Mercer breathed, holding up a small, wriggling baby covered in white vernix, his tiny lungs roaring with life. "He's breathing on his own! He's strong!"
Tears spilled over my eyes as she placed the tiny infant onto my bare chest. He was so small, so fragile, yet his heartbeat against my skin was fierce and unbroken.
"Leo," I whispered, sobbing with joy, kissing his tiny forehead. "Your name is Leo."
Suddenly, the lights inside the medical chamber flickered and died, plunging the room into pitch blackness. Emergency red back-up lights clicked on moments later, casting blood-red shadows across the walls.
The heavy steel blast door groaned mechanically, its locking pins retracting one by one.
I pulled Leo close to my chest, shielding him with my body as the heavy steel door creaked open.
A tall figure stepped into the red light, holding a silenced pistol.
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It wasn't Dorian.
It was Dominic—Noah’s brother.
