Chapter 5 - Midnight at Crestwood
The midnight sky was pitch black, heavy with rain.
Crestwood Preparatory looked like a dark, gothic fortress sitting atop the hill. Silently, my mother and I slipped through the side perimeter gate, avoiding the sweeping beams of the security cameras.
"Ava, this is dangerous," my mother whispered, her body shivering from cold and fear. "If the police catch us here..."
"If we don't get those blueprints tonight, Hale gets away with everything, Mom," I said, sliding Martha’s keycard into the side door of Building 4.
BEEP. The indicator light flashed green. The door unlocked with a soft click.
We slipped inside. The air inside Building 4 was thick and chemical, smelling faintly of formaldehyde and cheap paint. My eyes watered almost instantly.
"Martha was right," I whispered, pulling my shirt over my mouth. "The ventilation is toxic."
We hurried down the dark hallway toward the basement stairs. Down in the sub-basement, row after row of steel filing cabinets filled the cold, damp room.
"Find the folder labeled 'PROJECT OAKWOOD'," I instructed, shining a small flashlight across the drawer labels. "That was the codename for the construction project."
We searched frantically. Minutes ticked by.
11:45 PM.
"I found it!" my mother gasped, pulling a thick blue folder from the back of a rusted cabinet.
I opened it. Inside were structural analysis reports signed by an independent engineer, marked with huge red stamps: FAILED - UNFIT FOR HUMAN OCCUPANCY - CRITICAL STRUCTURAL HAZARD.
Directly beneath it was a wire transfer receipt: $2,000,000 paid from Crestwood Offshore Holdings to Hale’s private account.
He didn't just cut corners—he stole the safety budget and put thousands of children’s lives at risk!
Suddenly, the overhead lights flickered on.
CLICK.
"I must admit, I am genuinely impressed," a dark, smooth voice echoed from the doorway.
We whirled around.
Headmaster Victor Hale stood at the entrance, flanked by two armed security guards. In his right hand, he held a heavy brass emergency flare.
"I knew Martha was a weak link," Hale smiled cruelly, stepping into the room. "I had my men follow her. And now, you’ve made this so incredibly easy for me."
"Hale, you're insane!" my mother screamed, shielding me. "You put toxic chemicals in a school with children!"
"Children are replaceable, Ms. Moore. My empire is not," Hale said coldly. He struck the flare against the wall. A brilliant, blinding red flame sparked to life.
"In a few minutes, an unfortunate short circuit will burn this entire basement to ashes," Hale said, his eyes reflecting the crimson fire. "And tragically, two trespassers will be caught inside."
He tossed the burning flare onto a pile of loose blueprint paper near the door.
"Lock them in," Hale ordered.
The guards slammed the heavy steel fire door shut.
THUD!
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The heavy deadbolt clicked into place from the outside.
Flames instantly erupted across the dry paper, spreading rapidly toward the wooden shelving units. Smoke began to fill the room!
