Chapter 7 - THE RACE AGAINST THE CLOCKBack at the digital security gate, Lily stared at the blinking red keypad in desperation. She punched in every code she knew—Victor’s birthday, Ethan’s birthdate, the estate’s establishment year—but each attempt only produced a harsh, buzzing error sound.
“WARNING: GAS LEAK DETECTED IN SUB-LEVEL 2. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.”
The automated voice echoed through the corridors, accompanied by the distinct, unmistakable odor of natural gas seeping up from the lower levels. Lily coughed, waving her hand in front of her face as the air grew heavy and toxic.
"Ethan!" she gasped, remembering the toddler locked inside the upstairs study.
Without the keypad working, she had to find another way around. She remembered the old architectural blueprints of the mansion she had cleaned last week—there was an old servant's dumbwaiter shaft hidden behind the wooden paneling next to the security gate.
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Lily dropped to her knees, frantically searching along the baseboards until her fingers brushed against a rusted iron ring. She yanked hard. With a loud screech of protesting metal, a narrow vertical panel popped open, revealing a dark, vertical shaft just wide enough for a person to squeeze through.
Without a second thought, Lily crawled inside the cramped, dusty shaft, grabbing the thick hemp rope. Using every ounce of strength she possessed, she began pulling herself upward toward the second-floor study, praying to whatever gods listened that she would reach Ethan before the gas reached the upper levels.
