Emma's Escape

Emma Morrison's POV

Emma Morrison slammed her elbow backward into Judge Brennan's stomach with all her power.

Brennan gasped and relaxed his grip just enough for Emma to twist away. She ripped the tape off her mouth and screamed.

"Jake! I'm here!"

But her voice just echoed through the empty tunnels. Jake was still buried under rocks somewhere behind her, and Emma was alone with two killers.

Dale raised his gun, but Emma was already running.

She dove into a side tunnel, her heart racing as gunshots rang out behind her. Bullets sparked off the rock walls, missing her by inches.

"Get her!" Brennan shouted. "She knows too much!"

Emma ran faster than she'd ever run in her life. The cave twisted and turned, going deeper into the mountain. Her gymnastics training helped her jump over gaps and duck under low-hanging rocks.

Behind her, she could hear Dale and Brennan chasing, their flashlights bouncing off the walls.

Emma's own phone was dead, so she ran in full darkness, using her hands to feel along the rough stone walls. Her fingers were bleeding but she didn't care.

She had to live. Had to warn Jake about Dale's betrayal. Had to get help.

Emma turned a corner and found herself in a large chamber. She stopped, breathing hard, trying to figure out which way to go next.

That's when she saw the filing boxes.

Dozens of them, lined up against the cave walls. Emma opened the closest one and pulled out a folder.

What she read made her blood run cold.

These weren't just records of Webb's crimes in Millbrook. These were files about criminal plots in twelve different states. Drug trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, murder for pay.

Webb hadn't been working alone. He was part of a huge organization that went across the whole country.

Emma kept reading, her hands shaking. The files mentioned politicians, judges, police chiefs, even FBI agents who were part of the network.

"This is bigger than anyone thought," Emma whispered.

One folder caught her eye. It had her father's name on it: Thomas Morrison.

Emma opened it and felt tears spring to her eyes. Inside were reports her father had written years ago, when he was still police chief. He'd been investigating Webb's organization in secret, gathering proof, planned to expose everything.

But he'd gotten sick with cancer before he could finish. And Webb had stolen all his study.

"Dad was a hero," Emma realized. "He tried to stop them."

More footsteps echoed in the distance. Dale and Brennan were getting closer.

Emma grabbed as many folders as she could carry and kept running. These files were proof that could destroy Webb's entire organization. She had to get them to safety.

The tunnel opened into another room, this one filled with electronic equipment. Emma saw computer servers, communication devices, and a big control panel covered with switches and displays.

One display showed a timer counting down: 28:15... 28:14... 28:13...

Twenty-eight minutes until the mine burst.

Emma's mind raced. If she could warn the rescuers outside, they might be able to get in and save everyone before the bombs went off.

She found a radio among the tools and turned it on. Static crackled through the speaker.

"Hello?" Emma said into the microphone. "Can anyone hear me? This is Emma Morrison. I'm stuck in the Sterling Mine."

More static. Then a voice broke through.

"Emma! This is Captain Rodriguez. We can hear you! Are you hurt?"

Relief rushed through Emma. "I'm okay, but Jake is buried. And there are two people trying to kill me. Judge Brennan and Sheriff Dale Morrison."

Silence on the other end. Then Captain Rodriguez spoke again, her voice shocked. "Dale Morrison? He's supposed to be under arrest."

"He's working with Brennan," Emma explained quickly. "They're trying to flee with the evidence. And there's more—Webb was part of a huge criminal group. I found files about crimes in twelve states."

"Emma, listen carefully," Captain Rodriguez said. "We're going to get you out. But we need you to do something first. Can you see the control box near the radio?"

Emma looked at the panel with its dozens of switches and buttons. "Yes."

"There should be a switch called 'Ventilation Override.' If you flip it, it'll open the old air vents and give us another way in."

Emma searched the panel and found the switch. But next to it was a scribbled note that made her stomach drop.

"Warning: Opening vents will trigger secondary explosions."

"Captain," Emma said slowly. "If I open the vents, it'll cause explosions."

"We know," Captain Rodriguez said sadly. "But it's the only way to get inside before the main timer runs out. You'll have to run as soon as you flip that switch."

Emma's hand hovered over the switch. If she did this, she might not make it out alive. But Jake was still buried. Tommy and Danny were shot. They needed help now.

She thought about her father, who'd died saving others tonight. About her mother, who'd taught her to be brave.

"Okay," Emma said. "I'll do it."

"Emma, wait—" Captain Rodriguez started to say.

But Emma had already flipped the switch.

Alarms started ringing throughout the mine. The ground shook as faraway explosions rocked the mountain.

Emma dropped the radio and ran, clutching the files against her chest.

Behind her, she heard Brennan's voice screaming. "She opened the vents! The whole plan is ruined!"

Emma ran through tunnel after tunnel, the mountain creaking and shaking around her. Rocks fell from the roof, nearly hitting her several times.

She had to find Jake. Had to get him out before everything fell.

Emma turned a corner and skidded to a stop.

Marcus Webb stood blocking her way.

But that was impossible. Webb was dead. Emma had watched him die from his injuries.

Then Emma looked closer and realized her mistake.

It wasn't Webb.

It was someone who looked almost exactly like him. Same height, same build, same cold eyes.

"Hello, Emma," the man said with Webb's voice. "I'm Marcus Webb's twin brother, Vincent. And you just made a very big mistake opening those vents."

Emma's mind reeled. Webb had a twin brother? Nobody had ever mentioned that.

Vincent smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. "Marcus always was the stupid one, making plans that based on too many variables. But I'm better. I've been watching from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to take over his organization."

He pulled out a remote control with a single red button.

"You opened the vents thinking you were helping your friends escape," Vincent added. "But what you actually did was activate the final step of my plan. When I press this button, the entire mountain will fall. Not in twenty-eight minutes. Right now. Killing everyone inside, destroying all the proof, and letting me disappear forever."

Emma backed away slowly. "You'll die too."

"No, I won't. I have my own getaway tunnel. But you, your brother, those two boys, and everyone else? You'll all be buried alive."

Vincent's finger moved toward the button.

"Any last words?" he asked.

Emma looked at the folders in her arms—evidence that could destroy his entire criminal outfit. Evidence her father had died trying to gather.

She made a choice.

Emma threw the folders at Vincent's face and ran.

Vincent cursed and hit the button.

The mountain began to fall.