They didn't stop running until they hit the old maintenance tunnels beneath the east wing. Their pulses pounded in their ears. Behind them, distant shouts and gunfire rattled the concrete walls.
Iris collapsed against a rusted pipe, blood on her shirt, her father's blood. Her eyes were empty, staring at nothing.
"Iris," Ava whispered, grabbing her shoulders. "Look at me. We don't have time to break."
Iris lips parted. "He said… my mother… she was part of it…"
"We'll figure it out. But first we survive."
She nodded, slowly, the grief hardening into something colder. Something deadly.
Footsteps echoed in the tunnel. Jonas appeared out of the shadows, his face pale, gun in hand. "They're sealing the exits. We need another way out."
Ava glared at him. "Why help us now?"
His jaw tightened. "Because the Circle wants us all dead. Including me."
Iris rose, her voice a quiet snarl. "Then lead the way, traitor."
Jonas didn't flinch. He just turned and ran. They followed, their footsteps pounding in unison, hearts united by the same truth:
Trust no one. Kill anyone in our way. And never look back.