Chapter 5 - THE SHOWDOWN IN THE MORTUARY
Victoria swung the crackling stun baton in a wide arc!
Sarah reacted instantly, shoving Maya out of the way and taking the blow across her shoulder! The massive electrical surge threw Sarah against the wall, her body seizing as she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
"Sarah!" Maya screamed.
Victoria didn't hesitate. She stepped over Sarah’s limp body and advanced on Maya, cornering her against the double doors of the old mortuary.
"No more live streams. No more clever tricks," Victoria hissed, raising the scalpel high into the air. "You die in the dark, just like Eleanor!"
Maya didn't run. Something inside her broke—the fear that had plagued her for two years vanished, replaced by an incandescent, white-hot rage.
As Victoria lunged with the scalpel, Maya dropped low, grabbing a heavy rusted metal fire extinguisher from the wall mount. With every ounce of strength in her body, she swung it upward!
CLANG!
The heavy extinguisher smashed into Victoria’s jaw!
Victoria let out a sickening screech as blood sprayed from her mouth. She stumbled backward, dropping the scalpel, her eyes wide with shock.
Maya didn't stop. She threw the heavy extinguisher straight into Victoria’s chest, knocking her off her feet. Victoria crashed onto an old metal gurney, which rolled wildly across the slick floor before smashing into the wall.
Panting heavily, Maya ran to Sarah’s side, checking her pulse. She was breathing, but barely.
BANG!
The double doors of the mortuary were kicked open from the outside.
Julian Sterling stood in the doorway, framed by the glare of tactical flashlights from his remaining mercenaries. His suit was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot and unhinged.
"It’s over, Maya," Julian said, raising his pistol and pointing it directly at her forehead. "You’ve destroyed my reputation. You’ve destroyed my company. But you will not survive to see the trial."
Maya slowly stood up in front of Sarah’s body, protecting her. She stared down the barrel of the gun without blinking.
"Shoot me then," Maya said, her voice eerily calm. "Every camera in this hospital was broadcasting. SWAT is already in the building. If you pull that trigger, you guarantee your own execution."
Julian’s finger tightened on the trigger. "I don't care about the execution. I care about finishing what I started."
"Julian! Stop!" Victoria coughed from the floor, spitting blood, clutching her broken jaw. "Don't shoot her! Look behind you!"
Julian didn't lower his gun. "Shut up, Victoria!"
"No! Look at the monitors!" she screamed in horror.
Julian cast a quick glance at the wall-mounted security monitor near the door.
The live broadcast was still running. But it wasn't showing Maya anymore.
It was showing a secure server room deep within the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Crimes Division.
A loud, deep voice boomed through the hospital’s intercom system—a voice that didn't belong to Julian, Maya, or any hospital employee.
"Julian Sterling, this is Special Agent Marcus Thorne, FBI. Stand down immediately. We have overridden your internal security override."
Julian’s face went pale. "What... what is this?"
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"Your wife didn't just leak the files to social media," Agent Thorne’s voice continued. "She routed the master ledger directly into our federal evidence database ten minutes ago."
Julian turned his head violently toward Victoria. "What did he say?! Wife?!"
