Chapter 9 - THE ROAD TO BLACKWOOD MOUNTAIN
The first shot struck the windshield.
Detective Ruiz pulled Claire down.
Nathan fired through the side window.
Ethan grabbed the steering wheel as the driver lost control.
The vehicle slid across the frozen road and crashed into a snowbank.
Gunfire echoed through the trees.
Grant’s men advanced from behind the truck.
Detective Ruiz called for backup, but the radio remained dead.
Nathan kicked open the rear door.
“There is a hunting trail east of the road.”
“It leads toward the mountain.”
Claire looked at Ethan.
“We are not leaving Ruiz.”
“I’ll cover you.”
The detective reloaded her weapon.
“That is an order.”
Ethan helped Claire from the vehicle.
They ran into the forest with Nathan.
Snow reached their knees.
Claire’s injured ribs burned with every step.
Behind them, Detective Ruiz exchanged fire with Grant’s men.
Nathan led them beneath a fallen tree and down a narrow ravine.
Ethan grabbed his coat.
“How many people work for Eleanor?”
“Fewer than she believes.”
“How many are willing to kill for her?”
“Enough.”
A bullet struck the tree beside them.
Grant had followed.
Nathan fired back.
“Keep moving.”
They climbed toward an abandoned ranger cabin.
Inside, Nathan uncovered a metal hatch beneath the floorboards.
A ladder descended into darkness.
Claire hesitated.
“The shelter?”
“An outer tunnel.”
Ethan looked back through the window.
Grant’s men were approaching.
They entered the hatch.
Nathan closed it above them.
The tunnel smelled of wet stone and rust.
Emergency lights flickered along the walls.
Claire heard water flowing somewhere below.
“How far?”
“Almost two miles.”
Ethan supported her as they walked.
Nathan moved ahead with a flashlight.
“Why did Eleanor send you away?”
Ethan asked.
Nathan stopped.
“Because I saw her standing over our mother’s body.”
“You were twelve.”
“I told Victor.”
“He accused me of lying.”
“Eleanor convinced him I was unstable.”
“She sent me to the clinic.”
Ethan looked at him.
“The same clinic where Father was held.”
Nathan nodded.
“I escaped during the electrical fire.”
“Eleanor declared me dead and kept me hidden.”
“Why would you ever work for her?”
“So she would stop searching for me.”
“So I could learn what she had done.”
“So I could destroy her.”
Claire watched him carefully.
“Why did you not go to the police?”
“Eleanor owned the sheriff.”
“She funded judges.”
“She controlled doctors.”
“Every time I tried to expose her, someone disappeared.”
The tunnel divided ahead.
Nathan chose the left path.
Claire noticed a painted symbol on the right wall.
It matched a symbol she had seen during her captivity.
“You’re going the wrong way.”
Nathan stopped.
“No.”
“The shelter is right.”
“The right tunnel is flooded.”
“It wasn’t eighteen months ago.”
“It is now.”
Ethan looked between them.
Nathan raised the flashlight.
Water dripped from his sleeve.
Fresh water.
He had already been inside the flooded tunnel.
Claire stepped away.
“You came here before the station.”
Nathan’s expression changed.
Ethan moved between them.
“What are you hiding?”
A speaker crackled above their heads.
Eleanor’s voice echoed through the tunnel.
“My poor boys.”
“You never learned when a woman was lying to you.”
Steel doors slammed shut behind Ethan and Claire.
Nathan remained on the opposite side.
He did not look surprised.
Claire stared at him through the narrowing gap.
“You led us here.”
Nathan lowered his weapon.
“I’m sorry.”
The door locked.
Ethan struck it with both fists.
“Nathan!”
His brother’s voice came through the metal.
May you like
“She promised to let Sophie live.”
Then the tunnel began filling with water.
