Chapter 6 - The Ghost Revealed
The air in the study grew thin as the ventilation system began to fail.
Vincent stood in the center of the room,
the gun heavy in his hand,
his eyes fixed on the monitors.
The mercenary team had stopped their assault on the door.
They were moving back,
parting like the Red Sea to let a single figure through.
The man was tall,
dressed in a suit that was even more expensive than Vincent’s,
his hair perfectly white,
his eyes like chips of flint.
Elias Thorne.
The man who was supposed to be a memory.
He walked right up to the camera,
staring into it as if he could see Vincent’s very soul.
"Open the door,
Vincent,"
Elias said,
his voice coming through the speakers,
calm and melodic.
"Let's not be uncivilized."
"You've always been a sentimental man,
and that's why you're losing."
"The girl is already gone,
isn't she?"
"She’s in the vents,
trying to reach a man who is already dead."
Vincent’s heart skipped a beat.
"Marcus isn't dead,"
he said,
his voice cracking slightly.
Elias chuckled,
a dry,
hollow sound.
"Marcus was the one who let me in,
Vincent."
"Everyone has a price,
even the most loyal dog."
"Now,
open the door,
and I'll make your end quick."
"Refuse,
and I'll burn this house to the ground with every guest still inside."
Vincent looked at the monitor showing the dining hall.
He saw Marcus standing next to Elena Vance,
his face devoid of emotion,
his weapon pointed at the guests he was supposed to protect.
The betrayal cut deeper than any blade.
Vincent felt the walls closing in,
the reality of his situation sinking in.
He was trapped in his own vault,
his security was compromised,
and the only person he could trust was a ten-year-old girl lost in the pipes.
But Elias Thorne had made one mistake.
He thought Vincent Hale was just a businessman.
He didn't realize that Vincent had spent the last five years preparing for this very day.
He knew Elias wasn't dead.
He had always known.
And the 'Final Sunset' protocol wasn't just a security measure.
It was a suicide switch.
Vincent walked over to his desk,
typing a command into the hidden terminal.
"Elias,"
Vincent said,
his voice echoing back through the intercom.
"If you want the ledger,
you'll have to come and get it."
"But I should warn you."
"The floor you're standing on is currently rigged with four tons of plastic explosives."
"And I just started the countdown."
The smile on Elias’s face didn't vanish,
May you like
but it faltered.
The hunter was suddenly aware that the cage worked both ways.
