Page 42 of Monstrous Grave

“Incoming guard to the left.” Alec’s voice crackles in my ear, and I stand ready, pulling the trigger when a guard comes barreling forward—probably wondering why he can’t get a hold of his colleagues.

I start rushing forward, feet hitting the stone floor as I turn right in the empty corridor, quickly locating the safe room. Three shots ring off in the distance, sounding like thunderous claps that vibrate through the space, and I can only assume it’s the associates doing their job.

It doesn’t take long until I find it, a door constructed of reinforced steel, made to keep the enemies out. At its center is a heavy-duty combination lock meant to confuse. Drawing the drill from my duffel, I steady my nerves and activate the tool, its shrill whirring filling the corridor. I know the guards will soon be alerted, so I work faster. As the drill bites into the lock, beads of sweat gather on my forehead, a surge of energy pumping through me. It feels like an eternity passes until I finally hear the satisfying click of the lock giving way. With my breath held, the door creaks open, revealing the secret passage leading to the cave where the speedboat awaits, ready to take us to the submarine.

I step into the room with its concrete walls and rows of shelves filled with rations and water bottles. A collection of weapons hangs from the walls. They’ve clearly prepared for any type of emergency, but too bad for them—I will shatter everything they hold dear.

There’s a surveillance camera in the corner of the room, its red light blinking as if aware of me. I ignore its watchful gaze, approaching the large computer on a bench at the far end connected to the camera. Retrieving the same drive I used when I scoped out their dock, I quickly insert it into the computer. It only takes a minute before my phone emits a soft beep, indicating that I have successfully installed the system, granting me access to their security feeds.

While we can hack into their systems from the outside, the safe room requires a more hands-on approach. Here, we need to physically attach the drive to corrupt their systems.

The air inside the safe room becomes stale, with a faint scent of must and old metal, and I quickly remove the drive from their computer as I’m about to alert Viper. He has to come here now so we can move to the submarine together.

Pressing the right button on my earpiece, I connect myself to Viper and Alec, sharing the same communication line.

“It’s all settled,” I declare, awaiting one of their responses.

My skin prickles with shivers, and it feels as if a runaway train pushes through my skin. An impending doom hangs in the air, though I can’t yet tell what it is.

Immediately, I grab my phone, ready to access the security feed. Then, I see how all the screens are frozen on one time stamp, repeating in an endless loop. This wasn’t part of the plan. Dread replaces the earlier relief I felt at having entered the safe room, and every cell in my body screams at me to get out as soon as possible.

My hands tremble as I try the earpiece again, desperately wanting to reach either Alec or Viper. I hate that I’m alone, and none of them replies, meaning I have to proceed by myself.

I quickly emerge through another door at the end of the safe room, coming into a small cave that’s hidden deep behind the dock, away from prying eyes. The sun is just setting behind the horizon, leaving an ethereal glow that only makes this worse, knowing darkness will soon set.

I find the speedboat in the water of the cave, and my footsteps echo off the stone walls inside the cavern as I approach it. It bobs gently against the water, and I release the boat from its ropes, climbing aboard.

At first, I sit and wait for Viper to emerge through the door like we’d initially planned. Worry etches into my chest like a permanent tattoo. Why can’t I get a hold of any of our associates?

There’s only one thing I can do—I need to do it by myself. With a deep breath, I attempt to start the engine, firmly grasping the starter rope handle and steadily pulling it.

It doesn’t work.

I repeat the process. Nothing happens. Panic fills me, my eyes widening as I realize I’m stuck.

I try again and again, but it refuses to start. Staring down at the screens on my phone again, praying I can at least see what’s going on outside the safe room, I notice they’re still on the same time stamp, looping and hiding the truth.

“Something is wrong,” I say into my earpiece, hoping someone on the other side will hear me.

A crackling noise causes me to flinch involuntarily. The connection out here is horrible. Through the static, I discern Viper’s husky voice faintly entering my ear. “What…it?”

“Where are you?” I ask while something tightens in my chest, reminding me too much of the feeling of worry.

I hate that I worry about him—I shouldn’t worry about him. He left me to die, abandoned me, and made me believe he was dead. But somehow, my heart refuses to think rationally.

Silence ensues for minutes, with only the echo of the cave as the source of sound. For comfort, I reach for the gun tucked into the belt on my waist, and I hold it before me with such a tight grip that my knuckles turn white.

A crackle comes from my earpiece, but I can’t determine what the person is saying. With my heart in my throat, I jump out of the speedboat, running back to the safe room again and knowing I need to get a better connection so I can communicate with Alec, Viper, and the rest of our organization.

“Viper? Alec?” My voice is unsteady, my chest heaving.

Still no reply.

I enter the safe room, not hearing anything from the earpiece as I make my way out. I keep my eyes trained on the empty corridor before me, speaking into the mic once more.

“Viper, can you hear me?”

A loud shot rings off in the distance, and I discern screeching wheels, only worsening this situation. What the fuck is going on?

---