AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Amelia... Sheryl..." he whispered under his breath, feeling an odd mix of despair and hope. They had to be close.
"Finn?" came a faint, cautious voice.
"Amelia! It's me, Finn!" he called out, trying to pinpoint the direction her voice came from. "Where are you?"
"Over here!" Amelia shouted back, her voice clearer now.
"Stay calm; I'm coming!" Finn reassured her, his gut twisting as he realized how dire the situation was. He turned a sharp corner, following the sound of her voice, and suddenly found himself face-to-face with Amelia and Sheryl, both trudging through a water-logged tunnel
"Thank God," Finn breathed.
"You're alive..." Amelia said, embracing him.
"I think so," Finn said. "Mulberry didn't make it, Amelia. But I phoned Rob to alert people he trusted down here. Backup is on the way."
"Mulberry?" Amelia's eyes teared up. "He's so young."
“I know,” Finn said. “But we have to focus on getting out of here.”
“Is someone on your tail?” Amelia asked.
Finn knew there wasn't time to get into the details. He'd only made it down there before Bryant found them because of the shortcut Drake had shown him, another staircase only known to the Keatings family.
"Are you both alright?" Finn asked urgently. "Can you make it out with me?"
"Did you find the other girls?" Sheryl asked.
"Three of them, yes," Finn said. "But listen, I came back down here... The killer's name is Bryant. Ex-military. Extremely dangerous, and he's down here looking for you. We need to move now!" Finn gripped his gun and led the way.
They moved through the tunnels, but the place seemed less certain this time, the path unsure. Too many winding tunnels led off before them. And now, about half a foot of water laced the floors.
Finn's ears picked up the faint sound of echoing footsteps, growing louder and more distinct with each passing second. He knew it could only be Bryant closing in on them.
"Amelia, Sheryl," Finn whispered urgently. "We need to move fast."
"Try this way," Amelia said, pulling the map out of her pocket that she took from the cellar. She ran her finger along one tunnel on the map as they moved.
"This way?" Finn said, his eyes scanning the darkened tunnels as he tried to recall the path he took earlier.
Amelia nodded.
Finn led them through the twisting passage, praying they'd soon see the night sky.
"Is he close?" Sheryl asked, her voice barely audible.
"Too close," Finn replied, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine. He pushed himself harder, urging Amelia and Sheryl to keep up with him. Every second counted now.
"Can you hear that?" Amelia whispered, her breath ragged from running. "It sounds like more water."
"Must be one of the castle's underground streams," Finn commented, listening to the soft, eerie gurgle of water somewhere nearby. The tunnel curved ahead, casting an even deeper shadow than before.
"Quickly, around this bend," Finn ordered, his pulse surging with adrenaline as they navigated the narrow turn. And then, just as they rounded the corner, Bryant rushed out from a shadowy side tunnel, his sinister gaze locking onto them immediately. He smacked Finn in the face and then grabbed Sheryl, putting a gun to her head.
"Ah, there you are," Bryant sneered, his malevolent eyes narrowing. "Thought you could get away, did you?"
"Let her go, Bryant," Finn growled, his grip on his gun growing tighter. "This is between you and me."
"Is it, now?" Bryant taunted, stepping closer. "Seems to me your little friends here are part of the equation too."
