CHAPTER 5 — The Man Who Knew Everything
Ethan ran through endless corridors.
Every exit was locked.
His phone had no signal.
His flashlight died.
Only soft white lights guided him forward.
At the end of the hallway stood an elegant office.
Someone sat behind a wooden desk.
An elderly man.
Gray suit.
Perfect posture.
Calm smile.
As if he had been expecting Ethan for years.
"Sit down," the man said.
"I've waited thirty-two years to meet you."
Ethan refused.
"Who are you?"
The old man smiled.
"My name doesn't matter."
"But yours does."
He slid an old birth certificate across the desk.
Ethan looked down.
His hands began shaking.
Mother:
Sarah Carter.
Father:
Blank.
Then another document.
A classified adoption record.
Followed by an old newspaper.
INFANT MISSING AFTER BLACKWOOD FIRE.
The infant's photograph looked exactly like Ethan.
"No..."
Ethan whispered.
"This isn't possible."
The old man nodded.
"You were never adopted."
"You were rescued."
The man slowly stood.
"I built the ghost stories."
"I spread every rumor."
"I sacrificed my own reputation."
"Because something far worse than ghosts was living underneath this hill."
Ethan stared in disbelief.
"You were protecting this place?"
The old man sighed.
"I was protecting you."
Then the security monitors lit up.
Dozens of armed men were entering the underground complex.
The old man looked at Ethan.
May you like
"They finally found us."
"They've come to finish what they started."
