Chapter 14 - Reclaiming the Lost
The air inside the subterranean bunker was cold,
damp,
and smelled of rusted iron and stale air.
At the end of the long concrete corridor sat a single reinforced cell behind heavy bulletproof glass.
Inside,
huddled under a thin grey blanket on a small metal cot,
was a woman.
Her pale face was thin,
her hair dark and matted,
her eyes wide with exhaustion and terror.
"Sebastian?"
she whispered,
her voice barely audible through the glass wall speaker.
I rushed to the control panel beside the door,
slamming the manual release lever downward.
The heavy glass door slid open with a metallic clatter.
I stepped inside,
dropping my rifle to the floor,
falling to my knees right beside her bed.
"Sarah,"
I breathed,
wrapping my arms around her,
pulling her fragile body tight against my chest.
She buried her face in my neck,
sobbing uncontrollably,
her small hands clutching the back of my tactical vest as if afraid I would vanish into thin air.
"You came..."
she wept,
her tears soaking into my collar.
"They told me you were dead...
they told me you stopped looking for us..."
"I never stopped,
Sarah,"
I swore,
kissing her forehead,
her hair,
holding her as tight as I could.
"I searched every single day.
Every second."
"Lucas..."
she choked out,
looking into my eyes with desperate horror.
"Did they hurt Lucas?
Is my baby safe?"
A tear slipped down my cheek,
a rare smile breaking across my battle-worn face.
"Lucas is safe,"
I reassured her softly.
"He's at home,
warmed by the fire,
waiting for his mother.
And he brought a friend home who saved his life."
Sarah collapsed back against my shoulder in sheer,
overwhelming relief,
her body shaking with tears of joy.
"We have to leave now,"
I said,
helping her stand,
supporting her weight with my arm around her waist.
"Vance's remaining automated systems are set to destroy this facility."
As if on cue,
red warning lights began flashing along the corridor,
a mechanical siren wailing through the walls.
Warning: Demolition sequence activated.
Two minutes to detonation.
I lifted Sarah into my arms,
carrying her up the concrete stairs as my tactical team covered our escape.
We burst out of the guest house just as secondary explosions rocked the subterranean level,
collapsing the underground bunker into a crater of flame and smoke.
I carried Sarah safely into the armored SUV,
closing the heavy door against the burning ruins behind us.
"Take us home,"
May you like
I ordered the driver.
"It's time for this family to be whole again."
