Chapter 12 - The Vertical Drop
The green glow of Viktor’s tactical goggles illuminated the narrow aisle with a ghostly, monochromatic light.
“Got you,” Viktor grunted, lunging forward with a heavy boot aimed directly at Julian’s chest.
Maeve reacted on pure adrenaline. She grabbed a loose industrial cable dangling from the server rack and whipped it forward, catching Viktor across the ankles. Viktor cursed loudly as his feet swept out from under him, sending his heavy frame crashing hard onto the concrete floor.
“Go, Julian! Get in!” Maeve screamed, shoving the paralyzed man backward through the open maintenance hatch.
Julian didn't hesitate. He hoisted his torso over the steel threshold, dropping headfirst into the dark vertical cavity of the freight elevator shaft, catching himself securely by his strong forearms on the heavy vertical cable running down the center.
Maeve scrambled backward right behind him, squeezing her body through the narrow gap just as Viktor lunged forward from the floor, his thick fingers grabbing only the empty air and the frayed fabric of her beige maid apron.
With a sharp kick, Maeve slammed the heavy steel maintenance hatch shut from the inside, dropping the thick security latch into place just as Viktor’s fists hammered furiously against the other side of the metal.
“Open this door, you little bitch!” Viktor roared, his muffled voice echoing inside the concrete shaft.
Maeve hung suspended by her hands alongside Julian in the damp, echoing vertical drop, breathing heavily as her muscles trembled with exhaustion. Below them, a dim, swinging work light cast a faint yellow glow down the length of the dark shaft, revealing an old-fashioned maintenance ladder bolted directly into the concrete wall leading all the way down to the street level.
“Are you alright?” Julian asked, his voice steady despite the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He was supporting his weight entirely on his muscular arms, his useless legs dangling freely below him in the open air.
“I’ve been better,” Maeve panted, looking down the dizzying drop. “How do we get down from here? I can't carry you down a vertical ladder.”
“You don't have to carry me,” Julian said, pointing downward with his chin. “Look at the emergency brake cable running parallel to the ladder. It’s a gravity-assist winch used for heavy equipment repairs.”
Maeve followed his gaze. A thick steel cable ran through a mechanical pulley system attached to a leather harness hanging just three feet below them.
“If we strap me into the harness,” Julian explained rapidly, “and you operate the friction brake wheel on the wall, we can lower ourselves down to the alley exit without using our legs at all.”
Maeve swallowed hard, looking at the complex gear system. “And if I lose my grip on the brake wheel?”
May you like
“Then we drop thirty stories straight onto the concrete,” Julian answered flatly, his dark eyes meeting hers with absolute seriousness. “Trust me, Maeve. It’s still a better ending than what Viktor and Elena have planned for us upstairs.”
---
