Chapter 10 - The Trap Springs Shut
The heavy iron door slammed shut behind them with a definitive, bone-chilling click that echoed off the damp concrete walls of the small basement cell. Elena spun around, throwing her weight against the cold metal surface and hammering her bruised fists against it with frantic desperation.
"No! Open the door! Let us out!" Elena screamed, her voice cracking as raw panic flooded her veins.
Viktor didn't waste time shouting at the closed barrier. He immediately raised his firearm and fired three precise rounds directly into the electronic keypad mechanism. Sparks showered down in a brilliant cascade of orange light, but the heavy reinforced deadbolt inside the frame held firm, rendering the weapon completely useless against the thick steel reinforcement. The high-pitched ticking sound from the corner of the room suddenly shifted into a harsh, continuous rhythmic beep that accelerated with every passing second.
"Viktor, the lock won't budge!" Elena cried, turning back to face him as tears streamed down her face.
Viktor lowered his smoking gun, his dark eyes instantly shifting away from the door to assess their new prison. The cell was no more than ten feet square, devoid of any windows or ventilation shafts save for a small exhaust grate high up near the ceiling. In the center of the room, a young girl—no older than twelve, with tangled brown hair and wide, terrified eyes—was tied securely to an old metal chair with thick plastic zip-ties. A small, modified digital timer unit was strapped securely to the base of the chair, its red LED numbers flashing rhythmically: 00:02:45.
"Elena!" the young girl whimpered, struggling against her restraints. "Who are these people? Why did they lock us in here?"
May you like
Elena rushed past Viktor, falling to her knees in front of her sister and immediately using her own bruised,
---
