Vardy drove with mounting irritation to the dilapidated building, cursing under his breath. The structure loomed ahead, a forsaken relic of the past. "How did Devon think it was a good idea to use a place like this?" Vardy muttered, his frustration clear.
The building's exterior was cloaked in shadows, the only light coming from a waning moon that barely pierced the thick darkness. Vardy pulled up to the crumbling entrance, the tires crunching over gravel. The night was eerily silent except for the occasional distant howl of wind.
Fern yanked Devon out of the car with little regard for his comfort. Devon staggered and nearly fell but managed to stay on his feet. Vardy, his patience worn thin, gave Devon a rough kick. "Start talking. Where is she?"
Devon, wincing from the pain, gasped, "Ms. Autumn is hidden somewhere inside this building. We were planning to use her to blackmail Barlor for a hefty ransom. The original plan was to blow up the building once we had the money. That way, we could get rid of Barlor and walk away with a fortune. We hoped to impress Mr. Lane, but we didn't realize Ms. Autumn and Mr. Lane were already connected..."
Vardy's eyes widened in alarm. "Blow up the building? Did you set a time bomb?"
Devon, now trembling with fear, nodded frantically. "Yes! We rigged it with a timer. It's set to go off in less than an hour."
Vardy's face turned pale. He turned to Fern, his voice taut with anxiety. "We have to find her now! If the building blows up, we won't just lose Ms. Autumn; we'll be in deep trouble ourselves."
Meanwhile, Linda's situation was dire. The room she was confined to was pitch-black, save for a sliver of moonlight that seeped through a grimy window high above. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the occasional drip of water from a leaky pipe.
Linda tried to cry out for help, but the duct tape around her mouth muffled her screams into inaudible groans. Her wrists and ankles were bound tightly with nylon rope, cutting into her skin with every movement. She wriggled desperately, but the rope was too sturdy, and she made little progress.
In the darkness, her eyes adjusted to the faint light filtering through the small window. She heard a ticking sound that grew increasingly ominous. Her heart raced as she recognized it as the sound of a ticking clock—a sure sign of a bomb.
Forced to stay calm, Linda took deep breaths, focusing on her escape. She crawled on her stomach, maneuvering slowly across the room. The floor beneath her was cold and uneven, littered with debris from the building's decay. Her progress was slow, but determination fueled her movements.
As she approached the door, she found it partially ajar. She squeezed through the gap into a narrow, dimly lit hallway. The hall stretched out in both directions, lined with decrepit doors and broken windows. Linda took a quick survey of her surroundings, realizing she was likely about twenty floors above ground.
Her hands were still bound, but she managed to find a sturdy pillar nearby. With a surge of strength, she banged her head against it, hoping the noise might alert someone to her plight. She winced from the pain but continued to call out with muffled cries.
Desperation fueled her escape attempts. She moved swiftly down the hallway, glancing over her shoulder frequently. The ticking was louder now, echoing ominously through the empty building. She needed to find a way out before it was too late.
Meanwhile, outside the building, Vardy and Fern were frantic. Vardy's face was a mask of urgency as he barked orders. "We need to find Ms. Autumn and get her out of here before the bomb detonates."
Fern nodded, his expression cold but focused. "Start searching every floor. We don't have much time."
The two men began their search, splitting up to cover more ground. The building's interior was as desolate as the outside, with layers of dust covering everything and a musty smell pervading the air.
Back in the hallway, Linda was nearly at her breaking point. The ticking grew louder, and her panic intensified. She spotted an emergency exit sign flickering weakly in the distance and made a beeline for it.
As she moved, she saw a flicker of light ahead and heard muffled voices. She prayed it was Vardy and Fern. She stumbled towards the source of the light, her heart pounding with fear and exhaustion.
Finally, she reached a doorway with a faint beam of light coming through. She tried to push it open but found it jammed. Frantically, she pounded on the door with her bound hands, her desperation mounting as the ticking continued to echo around her.
Just as she felt her hope slipping away, she heard footsteps approaching. The door burst open, and Vardy and Fern rushed in. Vardy's eyes widened as he saw Linda. "There she is! We need to get her out now!"
Fern's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. Linda's ankle was visibly swollen, a result of her desperate struggle to free herself. Without a word, he scooped her up into his arms with practiced ease. Linda's initial surprise quickly turned to acceptance as she settled against him.
"What are you doing?" Linda's voice held a mix of confusion and concern.
Fern's expression was serious. "You're injured. Why didn't you say anything?"
Linda shook her head, wincing slightly from the pain. "It's nothing compared to what's happening now. Besides, he"—she glanced toward Barlor—"cares more about Viole."
Fern's gaze followed Linda's and then softened slightly as he looked back at her. "You fool," he murmured, a note of frustration in his voice. "Hold onto me tighter."
Linda complied, wrapping her arms around him as securely as her injured state allowed. She could feel the warmth of his body through the fabric of his clothes, providing some comfort amid the chaos.
Vardy's urgent shout cut through the tension. "Hurry! The bomb is about to go off!"
Fern's pace quickened as he navigated the dark, crumbling corridors of the building. The ticking sound had grown more erratic, and the occasional distant thud of the device made it clear that they were running out of time.
Barlor, carrying Viole with determined strides, kept glancing back. His concern for Linda was evident, though he remained focused on the immediate task of escaping. The corridors seemed endless, their shadows stretching out like menacing fingers.
Linda's mind raced as they moved. The weight of Fern's arms around her was reassuring, but the urgency of their escape overshadowed any comfort. The building's instability became more apparent with each step; dust fell from the ceiling, and loose debris scattered across the floor.
As they turned a corner, Linda noticed a set of stairs leading down. She pointed toward them, hoping it would provide a quicker route to safety. Fern adjusted his hold on her and changed direction, descending the stairs with swift, careful steps.
Vardy followed closely behind, his footsteps echoing off the walls as his face remained set in a grim line, every muscle in his body tense with urgency. "Keep moving!" he urged, his voice carrying just above a whisper but laced with a sense of panic that was impossible to ignore. His eyes darted around, searching for any sign of trouble, as he pushed the group forward. "We're almost out of time!" The pressure weighed heavily on him, his mind racing through every possible scenario, knowing they were running on borrowed time.
The group finally reached the ground level, and the cold night air hit them like a breath of fresh life, a sharp contrast to the stifling heat and tension that had gripped them inside the building. The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and the faint rustle of leaves in the breeze. Fern carried Linda toward the exit, his face a mask of determination, each step he took calculated and precise. His expression was focused, his jaw set as he blocked out the pain and fatigue that threatened to overtake him. His only concern was getting Linda to safety, and nothing else mattered in that moment.
Outside, the night seemed eerily calm, the stillness wrapping around them like a shroud, a stark contrast to the chaos and danger they had just narrowly escaped. The building, now behind them, loomed ominously in the darkness, its shadows stretching out like claws. The distant sound of sirens pierced the night air, growing louder as help raced toward them, yet it did little to calm their frayed nerves. Fern, his heart still pounding from the adrenaline, gently set Linda down on the cold, hard ground, his eyes never leaving her as he took a step back to assess her condition. He ran a hand through his hair, his mind torn between relief and the nagging worry that something else could go wrong.
Barlor, having finally placed Viole down beside Linda with great care, rushed over to them, his face a whirlwind of emotions—relief, concern, and the lingering fear that they weren't out of the woods yet. His breathing was heavy as he knelt down, his eyes locking onto Linda's. "Linda, are you alright?" he asked, his voice soft but edged with anxiety, his hands hovering as if unsure whether to comfort her or keep his distance.
Linda nodded, her face pale and her eyes reflecting the trauma of what they had just endured. Her hands trembled slightly as she brushed a strand of hair out of her face, trying to gather her composure. "I'm fine," she replied, though her voice wavered, betraying the cracks in her calm exterior. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Just a bit shaken," she added, her gaze dropping to the ground as if the words were too heavy to meet their eyes.
Fern, standing close by, observed the interaction with a guarded expression, his body still tense as he watched the scene unfold. He had done what he could, playing his part in their escape, but the uncertainty of what lay ahead gnawed at him. It was clear that the situation was far more complex than he had initially anticipated, and the weight of that realization hung heavily over him.
Vardy, finally catching his breath after the frantic dash to safety, glanced at the building, his mind already calculating the next move. "We need to get out of here before the bomb goes off," he said, his voice steady but urgent, each word spoken with the gravity of their situation. "It's already been set to explode." His eyes flicked back to the group, his concern for their safety evident in the lines etched deeply on his face.
Barlor nodded, the weight of the situation pressing down on him as he turned his attention back to the ominous structure that loomed in the distance. The thought of what could happen if they lingered too long sent a chill down his spine.
"We'll wait for the authorities and make sure they handle the situation," he agreed, his voice firm but his heart pounding in his chest.
"For now, let's get out of here."