Page 12 of No Escape

Just as she said this, they turned the corner and were met with a chilling sight. The bloodied bodies of two orderlies lay on the floor, their uniforms stained crimson. Shock and horror washed over the sisters as Valerie rushed over to them.

Kneeling down, she checked for any signs of life, her hands trembling. She placed her fingers on their necks, searching for a pulse, but both orderlies were dead. Valerie stared at the blood now staining her hands, her breathing heavy and her eyes wide with fear.

Suzie, pale and shaken, stood beside her sister. “Val, we have to do something. We have to stop him.”

Valerie’s voice was filled with determination as she wiped her hands on her clothes, trying to remove the blood. “You’re right. We can’t let him hurt anyone else. Let’s find him and put an end to this nightmare.”

Together, the sisters continued their search for the escaped killer, the storm outside raging on, mirroring the tumultuous emotions within them.

The sound of the storm outside Shady Pines was deafening, thunder crashing and lightning illuminating the darkened sky. Valerie and Suzie, their hearts pounding, searched for security personnel or any staff who could help them. But instead, they discovered a third lifeless body, another victim of Murphy’s ruthless escape.

Valerie cursed under her breath as she realized she’d left her phone in her room. “I can’t believe I forgot it,” she muttered, feeling as though her mind wasn’t as sharp as it used to be.

Suzie seemed paralyzed by fear, her eyes wide and her breathing shallow. Determined to take action, Valerie smashed a nearby fire alarm, setting off a shrill siren that pierced through the storm’s cacophony.

As they continued searching, Valerie noticed a trail of blood on the floor. With growing dread, she followed it, Suzie trailing behind her. “Suzie, I can’t protect you. You need to wait for help,” Valerie warned, but her sister refused to leave her side.

Valerie and Suzie turned a corner, their ears straining to catch any sound beneath the howl of the wind and the crashing thunder outside. Suddenly, they heard a faint noise, like metal scraping against metal. Valerie, her pulse quickening, sprinted toward the sound, Suzie right behind her.

As they rounded another corner, they caught sight of John Murphy, a sinister grin on his face as he used a piece of broken metal to pry open a door. He leered at Valerie and shouted over the storm, “Catch me if you can!”

Valerie and Suzie gave chase, their shoes slipping on the wet floor as they followed Murphy out the door. The rain outside was torrential, and the lightning cast eerie shadows on the walls of the facility. In one of the brief, disorienting flashes, Valerie lost sight of Murphy as he scaled a fence and disappeared between oncoming cars on a nearby road.

As they reached the fence, Valerie looked back toward Shady Pines and saw police car lights flashing in the distance, their blue and red hues reflecting against the shadowy outline of the building. Suzie, out of breath and drenched, implored Valerie to go back.

Valerie stared at the woods, the darkness swallowing them as the storm continued its relentless assault. She screamed over the sound of the rain, “There’s no time!” A chilling thought permeated her mind, a dreadful realization. She knew where Murphy was going, and it wasn’t far.

“We have to save Joshua,” she told Suzie, her voice filled with urgency. “John’s cousin is his next target, the one he failed to kill when I caught him. We have to stop his reign of terror before it’s too late.”

Valerie ran through the rain, not looking back. She knew that her sister would follow.

CHAPTER NINE

Will felt pressure building in his chest from worry as he sat in the passenger seat of Charlie’s car, the relentless storm outside threatening to swallow them whole.

Night had fallen, and the darkness closed in around them as they approached Shady Pines. The sight of police cars and ambulances scattered across the grounds sent a shiver down Will’s spine. Two bodies were being loaded into one of the ambulances, covered by black body bags.

“What do you think happened?” Will asked nervously, his voice barely audible over the howling wind and the staccato drumming of rain against the car’s roof.

Charlie’s brow furrowed as he gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning paler. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good,” he replied, his voice grave.

Will felt a gnawing fear in the pit of his stomach, terror gripping him as he thought of Valerie. “Do you think… do you think she’s one of the victims?”

Charlie didn’t answer, his eyes scanning the chaotic scene outside. They pulled up to the entrance, and Charlie rolled down his window to speak with a police officer. The wind whipped rain into the car, soaking them as they tried to get information.

“I’m with the FBI,” Charlie said, showing his badge. “We’ve got an agent in there. What’s happened?”

The officer’s face was wrought with tension, and his eyes were heavy from lack of sleep. “I’m sorry to tell you,” he began, his voice somber and solemn, “there have been multiple homicides inside the facility and at least one patient escaped.”

Will felt as though his heart had dropped into the depths of his stomach. His breath hitched, and he managed to ask in a halting voice, scared of what the answer might be, “Was Agent Valerie Law one of the victims?”

The officer shook his head, water droplets flying from his rain-slicked hair. “I don’t know, sir. We’re still assessing the situation.”

Will watched Charlie feel for his revolver in its holster against his shoulder.

“We’re going to need to get in there,” he said.

“I’ll check with…” the young officer began.

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