Chapter 11: Trapped in the Vault
The heavy iron door rattled violently as someone threw their weight against it from the outside. A massive deadbolt slid into place with a definitive thunk, sealing the archives vault completely.
"They locked us in!" Clara cried out, running to the door and rattling the brass handle in vain. "Mom, we're trapped!"
Eleanor rushed to the metal door, pounding her fists against the cold steel.
"Jonathan! Open this door!" Eleanor screamed, her voice cracking with desperation. "You can't bury this forever!"
Arthur didn't panic. He calmly walked over to the metal desk, picked up the thick leather ledger, and tucked it safely inside his canvas jacket.
"Save your breath, Eleanor," Arthur said grimly, shaking his head. "Jonathan didn't lock us in here to negotiate. He locked us in here to wait for the city inspectors to clear the condemned wing tomorrow morning. By the time anyone opens this door legally, we'll be old news."
Maeve turned away from the door, scanning the cramped, windowless archive room with sharp, analytical eyes. Decades of living on the streets had taught her one vital lesson: there was always a way out if you stopped panicking and started looking.
"There's an old ventilation shaft behind those shelving units," Maeve pointed out, her voice cutting through the panic of the room.
Clara and Eleanor turned to look. Pushed against the back wall was a massive bank of sliding metal shelves packed to capacity with heavy medical records.
"We'll never be able to move that by ourselves," Clara said, her shoulders slumping in despair. "It weighs tons."
"We don't have a choice," Maeve said firmly, walking over and placing her hands against the cold steel frame. "Help me."
Eleanor didn't hesitate. She rushed over, pressing her weight against the side of the shelving unit, while Clara joined them on the opposite end.
"On three," Arthur instructed, stepping in to lend his tall frame to the effort. "One... two... push!"
With a agonizing screech of rusted metal sliding across concrete, the heavy shelving unit groaned and shifted an inch. Their muscles strained to the absolute limit, sweat beading on their foreheads as they pushed with every ounce of strength they possessed. Slowly, agonizingly, the massive metal wall slid sideways, revealing a dark, square ventilation opening cut into the brick behind it.
Arthur pulled a heavy wrench from his back pocket and slammed it against the rusted grating covering the shaft until the screws sheared off with a sharp metallic snap.
"Go, go, go!" Arthur urged, boosting Clara up into the dark opening first.
Clara scrambled inside, turning around to reach down for Maeve. Maeve grabbed her hand, pulling herself up into the duct, while Eleanor pushed from below.
May you like
Just as Arthur started to climb up after them, the heavy iron door to the archives flew open with an explosive crash, and two towering bodyguards rushed into the room with flashlights blazing.
***
