“Is it part of the elevator shaft?” Joe asked.
The dusty foreman pulled down his goggles and spoke up. “No – no elevator shaft I’ve ever seen. The blueprints don’t show anything here but a narrow space.”
“What’s behind it?” Hitchens asked.
“We’ll see in a minute.” The foreman clicked his radio. “Bring up the radar, boys.”
The SAC continued, “Can ground-penetrating radar see through metal?”
“We got us a new mechanism here, sir. Worked with the techies myself to come up with something brand new. Figured now would be a great time to test it out.”
Three guys came lumbering up the stairs with the boxy contraption.
“She ain’t none too pretty to look at, but she just might show us what we want to see.”
After adjusting the setting, the foreman grabbed a wide paddle and leveled it against the metal. The minutes ticked by until the radar started a feed. All eyes were on the readout.
The foreman let fly with a low whistle. “Well isn’t that just something else.”
Joe butt in. “What? What’s there?”
“Boys, looks like we have some sort of separate shaft butted up behind the main shaft here. Doesn’t stop at ground level.”
Hitchens eyed the foreman. “Well where does it stop then?”
“From my readings – it doesn’t.”
Chapter 56 – Sins of the Past
“I want her found!”
Marcus had never seen Debrille lose it like this. Maybe he’d actually have a heart attack this time and save so many lives. At least Samantha had gotten away. Timing his own escape had to be perfect. Forcing his normal expression in the meantime – key to his survival.
How had he ever been sucked into the Elite’s mindset? If only he could go back…go back to before he’d lost Iris and the baby. Their deaths had left him too distraught to think clearly. So much death surrounded him. Perhaps now he’d have a chance to make a new life and live once again.
Debrille shook as he strode up to Marcus. “Search the north chambers. Find her and find out who else is behind this. A damn hole-punch? Someone had to have helped her. She couldn’t have gotten far on that leg.”
“Rest assured. I will find her.”
“Report to me immediately whatever you find. I’ll be reviewing video feeds in the COM.”
The teams were divided up and sent into various sectors of the labyrinth. Marcus kept his boys busy for a couple of hours searching every square inch of every room, waiting for just the right opportunity to slip away to his own quarters. He’d have to be quick with the hole-punch – no time to numb the pain. They’d be watching the monitors closely as well. He could only hope to get to the surface before they caught onto him.
One of the men called out, “Dr. Marcus, I found something.”
“What is it?”
“Just a blank notebook, but it looks like someone may have left indentions from writing on the previous pages.”
Marcus swallowed the tremble of concern and had the presence of mind to keep his calm demeanor. “It’s just a notebook. Probably nothing.”
“But sir, it was in the trash, and you know what a stickler Debrille is about wasting anything around here.”
“Hmm, yes. You two,” Marcus called as he snapped his fingers, “go with him to take this notebook to Debrille. It could be a very important piece of evidence.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the three left the room, Marcus continued his pretense of searching the quarters with the remainder of his team. Inside he sweat over the notebook. He was screwed, so screwed and backed between nothing but barricades. If he had any chance of getting out with his life, he had to act now.
“Men, I’ve an idea to discuss with Debrille. I’ll be back in ten.”
The tile echoed his footsteps as he stepped into the corridor. He wanted nothing more than to take off in a sprint but merely satisfied himself with a rapid walk. The sound of his heartbeat thudded in his ears. Debrille and his entourage were expected around every corner. When he closed his bedroom door behind him, he felt more exposed than ever. No need to waste time covering the camera. He flicked off the lights and felt his way around.
The hole-punch was right where he’d hidden it under his mattress. The painkillers were still in his medicine cabinet – he swallowed three. The ear chip lined up perfectly. He’d die either now or later if he didn’t get out immediately. He bit his lip and squeezed.
The pain told him he was still alive. It was more intense than expected, but he’d experienced worse. The gauze bandage slopped over the entire ear – couldn’t be neat in the dark. A quick rummage through his closet produced a full backpack. He pulled out the pistol and stuffed it in the small of his back. Then he slunk out the door and headed for the surface shafts.
The closer he neared increased his desire to run for it. Finally he could stand it no longer and took off in a sprint. The technicians were as surprised as he was when he rounded the corner.
The backpack hit the ground as he pulled the 9-mm from his waist. Two shots neatly through the temples and all was clear. The ride to the surface would be agonizing, minutes like hours. The tube pressurized after the door slid shut.
No movement.
The door slid back. Debrille glared at him, surrounded by his entourage. Marcus’ heart sank, but he remained stoic. No escaping the inevitable.
“I never would have suspected you.”
Marcus stared down the barrel of the Glock. A report – then darkness.
***
Twenty-four hours come and gone. Still no Marcus. The convenience store hadn’t been the most ideal place to do it, but she’d managed to crop her hair and color it black. After successfully making it to the cathedral, Samantha had changed the dressing of her throbbing ear with delicacy and her hiding place every two hours. She was rapidly running out of unseen nooks in the gigantic cathedral, but fear kept her moving. Just a few hours more. Maybe he had to spend more time covering her tracks. Or maybe he needed to disable the camera on a new shaft.
Even though she kept mostly to her hiding places, Samantha couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of the cathedral. She hadn’t stepped into a church since Gramm’s funeral. There’d been no peace then, but something about this place stirred a sense of awe. Memories of home came flooding over her, of her mother, of comfort, of belonging, of being loved.
Oh Marcus, where are you?
Had he set her up? No – she’d begun to see a completely different Marcus over the past weeks, a man with feelings, a man of compassion, a man who’d wanted to escape almost as much as she did. What if…? She couldn’t allow herself to consider the possibility.
The hours ticked down. Twenty-four hours dwindled away. The ache in her heart grew. The more hours that ticked off the clock the more she came to the inevitable conclusion. Her heart echoed the fears of her mind.
Marcus was dead.
The realization brought tears coursing down her cheeks. She curled up on the floor of the confessional, her latest hiding place. She almost didn’t care any longer. Nearly two days since she’d had any sleep. It washed over her in her grief.
***
Samantha’s heart nearly stopped. Someone had entered the confessional. Silence – then a clearing of the throat. The man’s gentle voice called softly.
“It’s a bit early, but we work on God’s clock not our own, eh?”
Samantha stayed put. She didn’t know whether to stir and make a run for it or to respond.
The priest called again. “I’ll be happy to hear your confession when you’re ready.”
It slipped breathless from her mouth before she could stop it. “Confession?”
“It must be a terrible burden to carry to bring one in at such an hour.” His voice held no disdain, only concern.
If he only knew the weight of the baggage she carried. “I’m not Catholic.”
“God created everyone. He hears all His ch
ildren.”
“But I’m not anything. I don’t even believe in God anymore. Not sure I ever really did.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re still right here – right now. Maybe it’s right where you need to be.”
The pressure built in her heart and mind like an old steam engine about to burst at the seams. It spilled from her lips in a torrent.
She told him of her death and rebirth, of the Elite, Debrille and Marcus. Sex, lies, death and murder. Warner. Gramm. Momma. Her life was laid bare until as far back as she could remember. The hours melted away like the wax of a candle. The wall around Samantha’s heart crumbled until there was nothing left to say. Decay was spent. Life flickered.
The priest released her with the words go in peace. As Samantha stepped from the confessional, she felt as a butterfly emerging from the cocoon after a long winter. She stood at the top of the cathedral steps and let the night wind blow through her hair. The sun would peek out soon.
Closing her eyes, she breathed the air of freedom. How long she would have that freedom she didn’t know, but she’d hold onto it for as long as humanly possible. Fear dropped like a weight from her shoulders. She descended the steps, chose a direction, and ran off into the waning darkness.
***
He watched from the shadows as the girl descended the steps and ran off into the night. The collar nearly choked him. He pulled it off and tossed it into the alcove over the body of the priest.
Eric Laturno double-tapped his ear as he stared into the darkness then spoke softly. “Don’t worry.”
“I’ve found her.”
Stay tuned for the upcoming sequel
Piercing the Darkness
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[email protected] Additional Works by D A Bale
The Deepest Darkness Series Book Two
Piercing the Darkness
The Study
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