Chapter 5
The dense Virginia pine forest swallowed Vincent in absolute, suffocating darkness as the midnight gale whipped the wet branches against his shoulders.
His boots sank deep into the freezing mud of the overgrown mountain trail, every breath burning his lungs like liquid ice.
He clutched the heavy brass key inside his pocket, using the faint, intermittent flashes of lightning to navigate the treacherous ridge.
Behind him, the distant rumble of Cole’s tactical vehicles echoed through the valley, confirming that the federal hunt was intensifying.
He knew he only had minutes before the elite tracking units picked up his footprints in the mud and closed the trap permanently.
Through the thick curtain of pine needles and swirling fog, the massive concrete retaining wall of the abandoned Cold War bunker loomed into view.
Heavy steel reinforcement bars, rusted and scarred by decades of mountain weather, locked the subterranean entrance into the hillside.
Vincent scrambled down the steep embankment, sliding the last ten feet on his knees until he collided hard with the concrete foundation.
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His trembling fingers brushed against the cold metal casing of the emergency access panel hidden behind a thick growth of wild ivy.
The rain poured down his neck, soaking his ruined navy blue suit as he reached desperately into his pocket for the brass key.
