Chapter 13 - The Shadows in the Tunnel
The subterranean exit tunnel beneath the abandoned asylum smelled heavily of damp earth, rust, and stagnant water.
Cold water sloshed up around Jax's knees with every heavy, agonizing step he took through the pitch-black darkness.
He carried Clara in his arms, her body weak and shivering violently against his chest from extreme exhaustion.
Clara’s pale head rested against Jax's shoulder, her breathing slow and shallow as fresh air re-entered her starved lungs.
"Jax... we have to find Mark and Lily..." Clara whispered hoarsely, her raw throat hurting with every word.
"They are safe, Clara," Jax replied softly, his voice echoing against the narrow concrete walls of the drainage pipe.
"They made it out to the rooftop," Jax added, stepping over a pile of sharp rusted iron debris lying in the water.
"I promised Mark I would bring you back to them, and I never break my promises," Jax said with absolute conviction.
Behind them, deep within the dark shadows of the tunnel, a soft, dripping wet footstep sounded in the water.
Jax froze instantly in his tracks, his sharp senses heightening as his grip on Clara tightened.
He slowly turned his head back into the vast darkness, his eyes searching the black space behind them.
The sound of dripping water was the only noise echoing through the claustrophobic concrete pipe.
"Who's there?" Jax demanded, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous growl that vibrated through the tunnel.
No answer came from the pitch-black void behind them, only the slow, rhythmic sloshing of disturbed water.
Evelyn Vance emerged slowly from the shadows like a ghost, her silver hair soaked and wild across her pale face.
Her elegant crimson dress was torn and covered in black mud, clinging to her skin in wet rags.
In her right hand, she dragged a heavy four-foot steel pipe through the water, creating a sharp metallic screech.
Her eyes were completely bloodshot, filled with an unhinged, psychopathic rage that had completely shattered her calm facade.
"You took everything from me, Jax," Evelyn rasped out, her voice sounding ragged and unnatural.
"Thirty years of building my empire, thirty years of planning... destroyed in one single night," she hissed through her teeth.
"It's over, Evelyn," Jax said coldly, stepping backward while shielding Clara with his heavy body.
"The police know what you did, your hospital network is falling apart, and Clara is alive," Jax added firmly.
"You have nowhere left to run, and no one left to bribe," Jax stated, staring straight into her insane eyes.
Evelyn let out a high-pitched, hysterical laugh that rang violently against the tight walls of the concrete tunnel.
"Do you really think I care about money or empires anymore, Jax?" Evelyn screamed, her face twisting in madness.
"If I can't have Clara's inheritance, then no one will ever touch a single penny of it!" she declared wildly.
"I will bury both of you in this tunnel, and then I will hunt down that little brat Lily myself!" Evelyn shrieked.
She raised the heavy steel pipe high above her head and charged forward through the water with terrifying speed.
Jax couldn't dodge effectively in the narrow tunnel without dropping Clara onto the jagged concrete floor.
He shifted his body sideways, taking the full impact of the heavy steel pipe directly across his broad back.
A sickening crunch echoed through the dark pipe as intense pain exploded through Jax's ribs and spine.
Jax grunted in agony, falling to his knees in the cold water but keeping Clara lifted safely above the surface.
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"Jax!" Clara screamed in terror, reaching out her weak hands as Evelyn raised the metal pipe a second time.
"Die! Just die, you worthless trash!" Evelyn screamed hysterically, swinging the pipe down with all her strength toward Jax's head.
