Page 4 of When 're Silent

“Let her go, Max,” Finn said, hisvoice a low growl of barely contained fury. “This is between you and me.”

“Is it?” Max’s laugh echoedmockingly around them. “You put me in prison to rot, Finn. Now I will eat awayat your life like a cancer.”

Tears streamed down Demi’s cheeksas she struggled to draw breath, her eyes locked on Finn’s in a silent plea forsalvation. Finn felt a familiar ache in his chest, the memory of their brokenrelationship mingling with the desperation to save her now.

“Max, think about this,” Finn triedto reason. Every instinct telling him that engaging Max in a battle of wits wasa precarious path. “What do you gain from hurting her?”

“Gain?” Max’s voice was light,almost playful, but the undercurrent of malice was unmistakable. “Oh, Finn,this isn’t about gain. It’s about sending a message. And the message is clear:no one ruins my plans and walks away unscathed.”

Finn’s jaw tightened as he took inthe sight of Demi, the woman he had once planned to spend his life with, now apawn in a madman’s game. He could see the terror in her eyes, feel the weightof responsibility pressing down on him. He had to end this, but how?

“Think of your legacy, Max,” Finnurged, trying a different angle. “You’re better than this. You don’t have to beremembered as a monster.”

“Legacy?” Max scoffed, his gripnever wavering. “My dear Finn, we’re all monsters here. Some of us just hide itbetter than others.”

Finn’s focus didn’t waver, his gazefixed on Max, searching for any sign of remorse or humanity. But all he saw wasthe facade of a deranged killer, one who reveled in the power he wielded andthe chaos he could cause. The challenge was clear; Finn would have to treadcarefully, using every ounce of his skill to navigate this deadly chessboard.

The sound of the oncoming trainreverberated through the tunnel, a deep and relentless rumble that seemed toshake the very air around Finn. He could feel its approach in his bones, aprimal warning of the massive force bearing down upon them. The dim lightingcast an eerie glow on the soot-streaked walls, the shadows dancing wildly asthe light flickered with the rhythmic thudding.

“Max!” Finn’s voice cut through thenoise, urgent but controlled. “This doesn’t end well for anyone if you don’tlet her go.”

Max’s eyes, dark pits in the gloom,remained fixed on Finn, unblinking and devoid of empathy. The grip he had onDemi’s throat was cruel, a vise of malice and control. She gasped for breath,her struggles to weaken against his iron hold.

“Come now, Finn,” Max taunted, “Youknow this is just the final act. The crescendo of our little drama. You can’thonestly believe I would simply walk away.”

Finn ignored the sting offrustration and the churning dread in his gut. He knew the psychological gamesMax played all too well; they were a weapon he wielded with the same precisionas a surgeon’s scalpel. But Finn also knew that any sign of weakness would onlyembolden Max further.

“Listen to the train, Max. It’s thesound of what’s coming. You think you’ve thought of everything, but there’salways an endgame. And yours is here, in these tunnels.”

As if on cue, the front lights ofthe train pierced the darkness, casting a glaring spotlight that heralded itsunstoppable advance. The ground vibrated more violently now, the rails singingwith impending arrival.

“Your endgame perhaps,” Maxsneered, “but not mine.”

Before Finn could respond, movementflickered at the periphery of his vision. On a nearby platform, silhouettedfigures emerged from the shadows—police officers in tactical gear, each onepoised and ready for action. Their presence was a silent testament to theclosing net, the culmination of Finn’s meticulous planning.

“Max, look around you!” Finn’svoice rose above the growing clamor. “There’s nowhere left to go. It’s over.”

Max glanced sideways, taking in thesight of the authorities with a dispassionate gaze. For a moment, Finn sawsomething flicker in those cold eyes—a recognition of the odds, perhaps, or theacknowledgment of a cornered animal.

“Over?” Max’s lips curled into amirthless smile. “We’ve only just begun.”

But Finn knew better. He saw theimperceptible shift in Max’s stance, the readiness to flee or fight that allpredators possessed. Even as the train bore down upon them, hurtling throughthe tunnel like a metallic beast, Finn knew the encounter was far fromconcluded. Max Vilne was a master of escape, and as the police closed in, Finnbraced himself for the chaos that was sure to follow.

The laughter erupted from Max’sthroat, a sound so vile and discordant that it seemed to merge with the screechof metal on metal as the train hurtled closer. Finn’s muscles coiled likesprings, every sinew straining to launch forward.

“Max!” he bellowed. But his pleawas drowned out by the cacophony of the approaching train and the echo of Max’smalevolence bouncing off the grimy tunnel walls.

With a swift, brutal motion, Maxhurled Demi toward the unforgiving steel tracks. Time fractured, distortinginto a viscous slow-motion nightmare. Demi’s eyes—wide with terror—locked ontoFinn’s for a fleeting instant that promised an eternity of regret.

“NO!” Finn’s cry tore from hischest, a raw explosion of anguish. He lunged, but the distance between themyawned like a chasm. His fingertips grazed nothing but the dank air of theLondon Underground.

Then Amelia, finding a closerangle, leaped into the fray, a blur of determination and courage. Her body cutthrough the space between Demi and death, her hand snatching a fistful ofDemi's coat just as the girl's limbs flailed over the electrified rail.

With Herculean effort, Ameliahauled Demi back from the precipice, the pair of them tumbling away from thetracks in a tangle of limbs mere moments before the train thundered past. Itswheels screamed a metallic wail that seemed to resonate with Finn’s poundingheart.

As the last car blurred by, therestood Max on the opposite side, untouched by the chaos he had conjured. Hisgrin sliced through the lingering dust motes suspended in the air, a Cheshirecat's smile promising more madness to come. There was no triumph in Finn'schest, only the icy grip of dread, knowing that evil incarnate had once againslipped through the fingers of justice.

Max’s silhouette flickered, aghostly mirage against the receding lights of the train. Then, just like smokedrawn into the ether, he was gone. The void where he had stood was now filledwith the echoes of his departing laughter, a haunting reminder of the monsterwho walked among them.

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