Chapter 5 - Flight into the Abyss — The Night the Blood Ran Cold
"Mom..." Sofía gasped, dropping the heavy wrench. It hit the concrete floor with a dull clang. "Is he... is he dead?"
Elena rushed over, checking Arturo’s pulse. It was strong, but he was completely out cold.
"No, but we have to leave right now," Elena said, grabbing Sofía by the shoulders. "If he wakes up, or if Don Ramiro’s men find out what happened, we won't survive the night."
They grabbed the canvas bag and ran out into the pouring rain. The storm was at its peak, the streets flooded with muddy water. They ran blindly through the dark, avoiding the streetlights, heading toward the outskirts of town where the long-distance bus terminal was located.
As they neared the terminal, the blinding headlights of a black SUV suddenly cut through the curtain of rain behind them.
The engine roared.
"Sofía, run!" Elena screamed, pulling her daughter into a narrow alleyway between two brick buildings.
The SUV screeched to a halt at the entrance of the alley. The doors flew open, and two men in heavy raincoats stepped out, flashlights cutting through the darkness. Elena recognized one of them—it was Clara, Don Ramiro’s personal bodyguard.
"Elena! Sofía!" Clara’s voice boomed over the thunder. "Don't make this harder than it has to be! Don Ramiro just wants to talk! We can settle this like family!"
"Keep running, Sofía! Don't look back!" Elena urged, pushing her daughter forward.
The alley led to an abandoned railway yard. They stumbled over rusted tracks and wet gravel, their breaths coming in ragged, painful gasps. The flashlights behind them were getting closer.
Suddenly, Sofía tripped, falling hard against a metal rail. She let out a sharp cry of agony, clutching her stomach.
"Mom! The baby... it hurts!" she screamed, curling into the wet gravel.
Elena knelt beside her, panic clawing at her throat. She looked back. The flashlights were only fifty yards away. They were trapped.
At that moment, the bright high-beams of another vehicle illuminated the railway yard from the opposite direction. A white pickup truck skidded to a halt nearby.
The driver’s side door opened, and a woman in a heavy yellow raincoat stepped out, holding a shotgun.
"Get in the back! Now!" the woman shouted.
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Elena didn't hesitate. She lifted Sofía, dragging her toward the truck. As they scrambled into the back seat, the woman fired a warning shot into the air. The blast echoed like a thunderclap, forcing Don Ramiro’s men to throw themselves behind a pile of old wooden ties.
The truck sped away into the night, leaving the monsters behind in the dark.
