Sacrifice

Thomas Morrison's POV

Thomas Morrison crawled through the burning wreckage of the police station, his body screaming with pain.

He should have been dead. The blast had thrown him twenty feet through a window. His ribs were broken, his lungs were full of smoke, and blood poured from a dozen cuts.

But Thomas Morrison wasn't dead yet.

Because his son was inside that mine, and Thomas had already failed his family too many times.

He dragged himself to his car and drove toward the mountain, his vision blurred. Every breath felt like knives in his chest. His hands shook on the driving wheel.

Thomas knew he was dying. The cancer had already been killing him slowly, and now the bomb injuries would finish the job within hours, maybe minutes.

But he had enough time. Just enough time for one last act of courage.

He reached the mine and saw the chaos—police cars, ambulances, crowds of people watching the mountain fall.

Nobody noticed one dying man stumbling into the forest, headed for an entrance only he remembered.

Years ago, when Thomas had been police chief, he'd explored these mines with his brother Dale. They'd found a hidden shaft that linked to the main tunnels. Thomas had kept it secret, thinking it might be useful someday.

Today was that day.

Thomas found the shaft and climbed down, his broken body protesting every action. The ladder was slick with his own blood, but he kept going.

At the bottom, he followed his memory through dark tunnels, listening for sounds. For his son's voice.

An explosion rocked the mine, and the roof rained dust and pebbles. Thomas stumbled but kept moving.

He heard gunshots ahead. Then Jake's voice, yelling.

Thomas pulled out the gun he'd taken from a dead cop and forced his legs to run.

He burst into a room and saw Vincent Webb standing over Jake with a rock raised high, ready to kill.

Thomas didn't pause. He fired.

Vincent fell, and Thomas collapsed beside him, his power finally gone.

"Dad?" Jake's voice was filled with shock and disbelief. "How are you alive?"

"Not for long," Thomas gasped. He could feel his life draining away with every breath. "But I had to... save you... one more time."

The mountain shook furiously. More rocks fell from the roof.

"We need to get out!" Maya shouted.

Thomas tried to stand but couldn't. His legs wouldn't work anymore.

"Leave me," Thomas told Jake. "Take the others and run."

"I'm not leaving you!" Jake protested.

"You have to." Thomas grabbed his son's hand. "I'm dying anyway, son. The cancer, the blast... I've got minutes left. But you have years. A whole life ahead of you."

Jake's eyes filled with tears. "Dad, please."

"Listen to me," Thomas said earnestly. The mountain groaned around them. "I spent so much time being scared. Scared of my brother's sins. Scared of standing up to Webb. Scared of dying from cancer. But tonight I learned something."

"What?" Jake asked.

"That the only thing worth being scared of is not being brave when it matters." Thomas coughed, and blood showed on his lips. "Promise me you'll be brave, Jake. Promise me you'll take care of Emma. Promise me you'll fight for what's right, even when it's hard."

"I promise," Jake breathed.

Thomas smiled. "That's my boy."

Another explosion shook the room. The rescue team was shouting for everyone to evacuate quickly.

"Go," Thomas said. "Now."

Captain Rodriguez and two officers grabbed Jake, pulling him away while he screamed his father's name.

Thomas watched them disappear into the tube, carrying his son to safety.

He was alone now. Alone in the dark with his pain and his memories.

Thomas thought about his wife, dead fifteen years because he'd been too afraid to stop Webb back then. He thought about Dale, his brother, perverted because Thomas hadn't been strong enough to guide him away from temptation.

He thought about all his mistakes.

But he also thought about tonight. About finally doing the right thing. About saving his son.

Maybe that was enough. Maybe one act of bravery could balance a lifetime of fear.

The ceiling above Thomas began to crack. Huge chunks of rock started falling.

Thomas closed his eyes and waited for the end.

But then he heard a voice. Small and scared.

"Help me."

Thomas forced his eyes open. In the corner of the chamber, partly hidden behind fallen rocks, he saw a small figure.

A child. Maybe seven or eight years old, with dark hair and frightened eyes.

Thomas's heart sank. How had a child gotten into the mine?

"Please," the child whined. "I'm scared."

Thomas tried to speak but only coughed more blood. He couldn't save this child. He couldn't even stand.

But he had to try.

Thomas pulled himself across the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Every inch was pain, but he kept moving.

He reached the child and saw it was a girl, stuck under a small beam that had pinned her leg.

"It's okay," Thomas whispered. "I've got you."

He used his last strength to lift the beam, freeing the girl's leg. She pulled free and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Run," Thomas told her. "Follow that tube. The relief team is there. Run and don't look back."

The girl paused. "What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you," Thomas lied. "Go!"

The girl ran, fading into the darkness.

Thomas fell on his back, smiling despite the pain. He'd saved one more life. His son and this unknown child.

That was enough. That had to be enough.

The roof finally gave way, and tons of rock came crashing down.

Thomas Morrison died thinking of his children and hoping they would forgive him for all the times he'd been too afraid to be the father they deserved.

Meanwhile, at the surface...

The little girl burst out of the mine entrance just as it collapsed totally. She ran right into Captain Rodriguez's arms, crying and babbling about the man who'd saved her.

"What man?" Captain Rodriguez asked.

"The hurt man," the girl said. "He pulled the rock off me and told me to run. He's still inside!"

Captain Rodriguez looked at the collapsed entrance with rising horror.

The rescue team checked their list. Everyone was accounted for except one person.

Thomas Morrison.

Jake, sitting in an ambulance getting his leg fixed, heard the commotion and understood immediately.

His father had gone back in. Saved one more life. And died a hero.

Jake's sadness was overwhelming, but beneath it was something else. Pride. His father had spent his whole life being afraid, but in his final moments, Thomas Morrison had been the bravest man living.

"Sir!" an officer called to Captain Rodriguez. "We found something in the collapsed part. A body."

They pulled the remains from the rubble. It was Thomas Morrison, his face peaceful, a slight smile still on his lips.

And clutched in his hand was a picture. Faded and burned, but still noticeable.

A picture of Jake and Emma as children, smiling with their father on a long-ago summer day when the family had been happy and whole.

Thomas Morrison had died holding the memory of better times.

Emma collapsed in tears when she saw the picture. Maya held her while Jake sat nearby, his own face wet with sadness.

But their mourning was broken by a shout from the search team.

"Captain! We found another body! It's Judge Brennan!"

Everyone turned.

The officers pulled Brennan's body from a different part of collapsed tunnel. But something was wrong.

"This isn't fresh," the medical examiner said, inspecting Brennan. "This man's been dead for hours. Long before the mine fell."

Captain Rodriguez's face went pale. "Then who was giving orders in the mine?"

An cop held up Brennan's wallet. Inside was an ID card, but the picture didn't match the dead man's face.

"This isn't Judge Harold Brennan," the cop said slowly. "According to his dental records, this is his younger brother, Martin Brennan. Harold must have switched places with him somehow."

Maya grabbed Captain Rodriguez's arm. "If Harold Brennan isn't dead..."

"Then he's still out there," Captain Rodriguez finished grimly.

Everyone turned to look at the trees surrounding the mine. Somewhere in those dark woods, the real Judge Brennan was fleeing.

And he was free to plot his revenge.