The tunnels seemed to stretch endlessly, twisting and narrowing in ways that made every step feel like a gamble. Kieran led them silently, the soft click of his boots against damp concrete the only sound breaking the suffocating quiet.
Daniel's mind raced. Who is this guy really? he wondered. And why does he care?
Aisha's hand never left his. Her grip was tight, almost desperate, but her eyes stayed alert, scanning the shadows. Every corner seemed to hide movement, every echo a potential threat.
"Why did you really help us?" Daniel asked again, his voice low enough to avoid carrying.
Kieran's hooded head tilted slightly. "Because your problem… is bigger than you realize. And if they get their hands on what you've found, it won't just be you who suffers."
A chill ran down Daniel's spine. "What do you mean?"
"Let's just say," Kieran said, "the people after you aren't just mercenaries. They answer to someone… much higher up. Someone with a reach you wouldn't believe."
Aisha swallowed hard. "So we're… what? Pawns?"
"Potential casualties," Kieran admitted bluntly. "But maybe not. If we play this right."
They came to a dead end. A rusted ladder led upward to a grate barely large enough to squeeze through. Kieran inspected it quickly, then nodded. "Here. One at a time."
Daniel went first, pushing the heavy metal grate aside. The outside air smelled of damp earth and faint smoke. When Aisha climbed up, she gasped, tasting freedom—and fear—simultaneously.
But it didn't last. The faint echo of footsteps above made them all freeze.
"They're here," Kieran whispered. "We've been spotted."
Daniel's fists clenched. "Then it's now or never."
Kieran pointed to a narrow alleyway leading between crumbling buildings. "Move. Fast. And keep low."
As they sprinted, Aisha's mind couldn't stop racing. Who was Kieran, really? How much did he know? And most terrifyingly… could they even trust him?
A shadow flickered in the corner of the alley, and Daniel realized with a sinking feeling that the chase wasn't just going to end in survival—they were being drawn deeper into a web they didn't fully understand.
And somewhere in the darkness, someone—or something—was waiting.
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