Chapter 5 - THE DESPERATE RUN
Marcus moved with incredible speed for a man his age.
He jammed a heavy iron bar from the broken bench into the door mechanism from inside the cell.
At the same time, Ryan swiped the stolen master keycard across the electronic reader beside the cell door.
The heavy magnetic lock clicked and buzzed green.
Ryan shoved the cell door open with immense force.
The heavy iron door slammed directly into the first private guard, knocking him backward onto the hard floor.
The second guard reached for his sidearm.
Marcus lunged forward, throwing a heavy right hook that connected squarely with the guard's jaw.
The guard stumbled backward, dropping his flashlight and stun gun.
Evelyn shrieked in terror, stumbling backward onto the slick linoleum floor.
"Guards! Stop them! Kill them!" Evelyn screamed hysterically, her polished composure completely shattering.
Ryan didn't waste a single second.
He picked up the guard's fallen keycard and briefcase containing Evelyn's private documents.
"This way!" Marcus shouted, pointing toward a heavy red fire exit door at the end of the private corridor.
Ryan and Marcus sprinted down the hallway as alarm bells began to blare throughout the facility.
Red emergency strobe lights flashed intensely, painting the concrete walls in blood-red hues.
"They locked down the perimeter!" Ryan yelled over the deafening alarm.
"Not the service tunnels!" Marcus shouted back.
Marcus pushed open the heavy fire door, revealing a steep, metallic staircase descending into total darkness.
They threw themselves down the stairs, taking three steps at a time.
Behind them, the sound of shouting guards and rushing footsteps echoed down the stairwell.
"Freeze! Stand down!" a voice bellowed from above.
A gunshot shattered the air, the bullet ricocheting violently off the steel railing next to Ryan's head.
Sparks flew through the dark air.
Ryan ducked low, driving his legs faster.
At the bottom of the flight, Marcus slammed his body against an iron door leading to the city's underground drainage system.
He inserted his silver key into the manual override lock.
The old lock resisted for a terrifying second before finally turning with a loud CLICK.
Marcus yanked the door open, letting cold, damp air rush into their faces.
"Get in!" Marcus ordered.
Ryan leaped into the dark, wet tunnel just as another round of gunshots tore through the doorframe.
Marcus slipped in behind him and slammed the heavy iron door shut, throwing the mechanical bolt from the inside.
Heavy thuds slammed against the outside of the door as Evelyn's guards tried to force it open.
"That door won't hold them for long," Ryan panted, wiping sweat and blood from his forehead.
"It doesn't have to," Marcus said, pulling a small, glowing tracking device from his pocket.
"Where did you get that?" Ryan asked, breathing heavily.
"I slipped it into Evelyn's coat pocket when you shoved her against the bars," Marcus said with a dark laugh.
Ryan looked at the small screen.
A bright red dot was moving rapidly across a digital map of the city.
"She isn't staying to direct the search," Ryan noticed, his eyes narrowing.
"Of course she isn't," Marcus said sternly.
"She’s heading straight to the private medical clinic where she had Sarah taken," Marcus revealed.
"She’s going to force Sarah to sign the drug admission papers before we can reach her," Marcus warned.
Ryan pulled out the stolen legal documents from the briefcase.
His eyes scanned the top page, and his blood ran completely cold.
"It's worse than that, Marcus," Ryan whispered in horror.
"What is it?" Marcus asked.
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"She isn't just taking Leo," Ryan said, his voice trembling with terrifying rage.
"She’s signed an authorization order to have Sarah involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility offshore... tonight."
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