Chapter 5 - Locked In
The heavy timber partition that disguised the attic door shuddered as two heavy steel deadbolts drove home into the reinforced frame. A motorized whir echoed inside the drywall, followed by the dull snap of an electronic seal. Victoria had triggered the containment protocol from the basement.
""Damn it,"" Mara muttered, stepping away from Lena and slamming the heel of her boot against the panel. The wood groaned but held firmly. ""Solid oak with a steel-plate core. She designed this space as a bunker.""
""She said no one ever leaves,"" Lena whispered, sinking back against the support beam. The bright tungsten light from the bare overhead bulb exposed the true horror of the attic: the corners were stacked with vintage trunks, child-sized furniture, and plastic bins marked with faded dates stretching back over a decade. ""She won't let us out. She'll burn the house down with us inside before she lets anyone see what’s up here.""
""She can't burn it,"" Mara said, examining the window. ""The masonry is double-thick brick. But she can cut the air.""
As if on cue, the faint draft of cool evening air flowing through the floor vents abruptly reversed. The hum of a high-power exhaust fan kicked on, sucking the air out toward the roofline. Dust swirled into the air, irritating Lena's throat and bringing on a violent fit of coughing.
Mara quickly drew her radio to her lips, pressing the push-to-talk button. ""David, are you reading me? We’re locked in the third-floor annex. Victoria engaged the perimeter lockdown. I need the main breaker cut.""
Only hiss answered. The thick insulation and attic shielding were dampening the signal, or Victoria was actively jamming the frequency.
""Mara,"" Lena gasped, her hand tightening around the rough fabric of Mara’s jacket. Her knuckles turned white. ""It's... it's happening. The water broke.""
Mara looked down. A clear liquid was pooling on the dusty floorboards around Lena's sneakers. The younger woman's face was flushed, slick with sweat, her teeth chattering uncontrollably from the shock of sudden labor.
May you like
Mara dropped to her knees, looking directly into Lena’s terrified eyes. ""Listen to me, Lena. Look at me. We are getting out of here. But right now, you need to lie down.""
A sudden sound interrupted them—not from the door, but from the floorboards directly underneath the metal chair. A muffled scratching, followed by a heavy metallic thump.
