Chapter 6 - The Tunnels
The freight elevator creaked and groaned as it descended into the darkness.
The air grew damp and smelled of rust and old concrete.
I leaned against the metal wall, breathing through my teeth as another contraction passed.
"The muscle relaxants should kick in soon," Dr. Reed said, holding a flashlight.
"Once the synthetic oxytocin clears your system, the labor should stop."
The elevator stopped with a harsh jolt, and the heavy grated doors slid open.
We stepped out into an abandoned maintenance tunnel beneath the city streets.
It was pitch black, illuminated only by the thin beam of Dr. Reed’s flashlight.
"David knows these tunnels, he will lead us to the next subway station," she explained quietly.
David walked ahead, checking the damp walls for markings.
Every step sent a jolt of pain through my healing incision and my cramping uterus.
"I cannot believe he did this," I whispered, the reality of my marriage finally sinking in.
"Every smile, every kiss, it was all just a performance to monitor his experiment."
"Psychopaths view people as property, Anna," Dr. Reed said gently, supporting my weight.
"Sylvia taught him that the Mitchell bloodline is superior, and you were just the vessel."
Suddenly, the sound of echoing footsteps reached our ears from the corridor behind us.
We froze, the silence of the underground amplifying the terrifying noise.
Someone was down here with us.
"Turn off the flashlight," David hissed, pressing himself against the damp brick wall.
Dr. Reed clicked off the light, plunging us into total, suffocating darkness.
My heart pounded so loudly I was sure the men hunting us could hear it.
"Spread out, find them," a rough voice echoed down the tunnel.
It was not Aaron; it was a hired thug, someone paid to do his dirty work.
"They cannot have gone far, the pregnant one is slowing them down," another voice replied.
I bit my lip so hard I tasted copper, desperately trying not to cry out as a cramp hit me.
Dr. Reed grabbed my hand, pulling me forward into the pitch-black void.
We shuffled slowly, feeling our way along the wet, slimy bricks.
Suddenly, a bright beam of light swept across the tunnel behind us.
"There they are!" a man shouted, the sound of a gun cocking echoing through the air.
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"Run!" David screamed, pushing us forward.
I abandoned all caution, sprinting through the darkness on pure, maternal adrenaline.
