Chapter 8 - SMOKE AND SHADOWSCrawling through the narrow ventilation shaft was like sliding through the bowels of a mechanical nightmare. Metal edges scraped against Elina’s elbows, and the acrid smell of burning wiring filled her lungs, making every breath burn.
Against her chest, baby Leo whimpered softly, waking up from the commotion. But miraculously, he didn't scream. He curled his tiny hands into the wool of his father's coat that Elina had wrapped around him, trusting her completely.
Keep moving, Elina told herself, tears of exhaustion stinging her eyes. Just keep moving.
With one final push, she kicked open the rusted exit grate at the end of the line, tumbling headfirst out of the shaft and onto the cool concrete floor of the backup generator building.
Fresh, cool night air hit her face like a blessing.
She scrambled to her feet, clutching Leo tight, and bolted out the side exit door into the overgrown shrubbery surrounding the estate perimeter. Gunfire still echoed from the main house, orange flames licking up into the night sky as a section of the mansion caught fire.
"Hey! Over there! She’s coming out of the generator annex!"
Elina froze. Two armed men in tactical gear rounded the corner of the building, flashlights cutting through the darkness straight toward her.
Panic surged through her veins. She turned and sprinted toward the dense forest line bordering the estate, her worn-out sneakers slipping on the damp grass.
Crack! A bullet whined past her ear, chipping the bark of an oak tree inches from her head.
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She threw herself behind a massive boulder, panting heavily, trying to muffle Leo's soft whimpers with her jacket. The footsteps grew closer. The beam of a flashlight swept across the ground just feet away from where she hid.
She was trapped.
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