Chapter 11 - The Phantom's Wake
Julian collapsed onto the cold sub-basement ledge, his leg bleeding heavily through his torn, water-soaked pants.
Marcus immediately unbuckled his tactical belt and wrapped a tight tourniquet around Julian's thigh to stop the bleeding.
"Stay still, Julian," Marcus whispered sharply into the dark. "If you open that wound further, you'll bleed out before we make it to the surface."
"What about Dad?" Julian choked out, his chest heaving as he stared up into the dark elevator shaft.
Marcus pointed his waterproof flashlight upward, catching the steady beam on Arthur resting on the high maintenance platform.
Arthur's head was resting against the steel ladder, his wide eyes looking straight back down at them.
His right hand was trembling violently as the nerve block slowly began to lose its grip on his muscles.
"He's alive, but Maria's men will be checking the wreckage at any moment," Marcus warned, hauling Julian up onto his feet.
Marcus threw Julian's arm over his shoulder, carrying most of the young man's weight as they began the steep climb up the emergency ladder.
Step by painful step, they ascended through the smoke-filled shaft until they reached Arthur's small steel ledge.
Arthur let out a raspy, shuddering breath, his vocal cords producing a faint, gravelly whisper.
"Ju... Julian..." Arthur managed to gasp out, the first real word he had spoken in twelve agonizing hours.
Julian wrapped his arms around his father, burying his face into Arthur's shoulder with a sharp sob of relief.
"I'm here, Dad... I'm right here," Julian wept softly.
"We don't have time for a reunion," Marcus interrupted urgently, scanning the control panel at the top of the shaft.
"Maria just announced your 'deaths' to the estate security team," Marcus revealed, showing them his encrypted phone screen.
On the screen, a internal security alert flickered: Code Black - Trespassers Neutralized in Sub-Basement.
"She thinks we are burned to ashes at the bottom of that pit," Julian said, his eyes narrowing with a dark, dangerous focus.
"That is our only advantage," Marcus replied, pulling a heavy master keycard from his inner pocket.
"If she thinks you are dead, she will proceed with the public signing of the estate transfer at midnight tonight," Marcus explained.
"Where is the signing happening?" Arthur asked, his voice growing stronger with every passing second.
"In the main grand hall, right in front of the board of directors and the press," Marcus answered with a grim smile.
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Arthur slowly stood up, gripping the iron ladder rail until his knuckles turned white.
"Then that is where we execute her downfall," Arthur declared, his gaze burning with pure vengeance.
