Chapter 851 - 853
He turned a corner and found a metal door with a keypad. No camera, but the keypad had fresh smudges. He didn’t hesitate. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tool Elias had given him, a small device that could mimic keystrokes once calibrated. He attached it to the pad, waited for the light to turn green, and stepped inside.
The room beyond was colder. A concrete box filled with monitors, maps pinned to the walls, and several black cases stacked against a desk. In the center, chained to a chair, sat Liam. His head hung low, but he was breathing. Jude moved quickly, checking the boy’s pulse and cutting the restraints. Liam stirred, eyes fluttering open in confusion and fear. Jude didn’t speak. He motioned for silence and helped the boy to his feet. They moved fast, but not fast enough.
The alarm blared.
Jude spun around, gun drawn, as the door slammed shut behind them. A voice crackled through the speakers, distorted but familiar. "You’re early, Jude. I wasn’t ready to play yet."
Jude grabbed Liam and pulled him behind cover as a section of the wall slid open, revealing a corridor filled with red light. Footsteps thundered toward them. He fired once, twice, warning shots. It bought them a few seconds. He tossed Liam a flashlight and pointed toward the vent near the ceiling. "Climb. Now."
Liam didn’t argue. He scrambled up with the desperation of someone who had tasted death and didn’t want seconds. Jude covered him until the boy disappeared, then turned and ran in the opposite direction, drawing the pursuit away. He darted down the hallway, dodging through doors and sliding over debris until he reached the boiler room. He ducked inside and waited.
The door burst open moments later. Two men entered, rifles raised. Jude dropped from the overhead pipe and took the first down with a blow to the neck. The second fired, grazing Jude’s shoulder. Pain exploded through him, but he didn’t stop. He rammed into the man, slamming him into the boiler. The rifle clattered to the floor. Jude grabbed it and knocked the man out with the butt.
He didn’t waste time. He found the emergency ladder and climbed to the upper level. Liam was waiting at the edge, trembling, but alive. They fled across the rooftops, breath ragged and hearts pounding, until the factory was just a silhouette in the distance. Only then did they stop.
Jude collapsed against a vent, clutching his bleeding shoulder. Liam sat beside him, silent. After several minutes, the boy finally spoke. "Why... why are they after you?"