Chapter 69 - The Escape Through the Sump
The utility tunnel was a nightmare of dripping pipes, frozen mud, and knee-deep runoff water that smelled of rust and decayed leaves. The icy water soaked through my boots instantly, freezing my legs to the bone, but the adrenaline surging through my veins drowned out the pain.
"Keep your head down, Lily, run!" I urged, carrying her under my arm whenever the water got too deep, my lungs burning as if filled with broken glass.
Behind us, heavy footsteps splashed through the dark tunnel, accompanied by the harsh beam of tactical lights bouncing off the curved brick ceiling.
"They're coming, Mommy!" Lily sobbed, her little fingers digging into my neck.
"They won't get you, baby. I promise you, they will never touch you!"
We reached an iron ladder bolted to the wall, leading upward toward an overhead street grating where the faint gray light of the snowstorm filtered through. I shoved the dossier into my jacket, grabbed Lily, and climbed. Every muscle in my arms screamed in protest, but I hoisted her up through the rusted bars first, squeezing through the narrow gap into the blinding white storm above.
We emerged into an alleyway behind an abandoned textile mill, fifty yards from the riverbank. The wind was a roaring gale now, tearing at our clothes and blinding our vision.
A car horn blared through the blizzard.
I froze, terror gripping my heart, preparing to fight with my bare hands. But through the wall of white snow, Campbell’s battered truck lurched forward, its front bumper crumpled and one headlight smashed out.
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The passenger door flew open. Campbell leaned across the console, blood streaming down the side of his temple from a jagged gash, his teeth bared in pain. "Get in! NOW!"
I threw Lily into the cab and dove in after her, slamming the door just as two figures emerged from the alleyway, their weapons raised. Bullets shattered the rear window of the truck, spraying glass across the back seat as Campbell slammed the accelerator to the floor, the tires screaming on the ice before catching traction and rocketing us onto the empty, snow-covered avenue.
