Page 57 of No Escape

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

As the boats began to move through the dark water, Valerie felt a cold dread settle over her. The night seemed to close in around them, the blackness pressing in like a suffocating weight. The only sound was the soft lapping of water against the boats, punctuated by the occasional splash of an oar.

Valerie looked at Charlie and Will, their faces tense and drawn, and said, “There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side.”

Will managed a gentle smile, his voice barely audible over the sound of the water. “It’s going to be okay, Valerie.”

From the boat ahead, John’s voice floated back to them, dripping with contempt. “No one should make false promises of a good outcome.”

Charlie’s eyes met Valerie’s, and she could see the depth of his loyalty and friendship. “If this is the end, it’s been an honor serving with you both,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion.

John laughed mockingly from his boat, his voice a chilling reminder of the danger they faced. “You’re so sentimental. Pathetic, really.”

As they continued to follow John through the darkness, a shadowy shape began to emerge from the gloom. It was another mooring, and beside it stood an old, dilapidated building with flaking white paint. The structure loomed ominously over the river, its decaying facade a testament to the passage of time.

As they approached, John called back to them, his voice a sinister whisper. “This is the old power station that used to power the area. It’s been decommissioned.” He paused, a cruel smile in his voice. “Just like you and your team, Valerie. Past your sell-by date.”

The atmosphere grew thicker with tension as they neared the decaying building, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth and rotting wood. The sound of the river faded away, replaced by a suffocating silence that smothered all other noise.

Valerie’s heart pounded in her chest as they approached the mooring, the weight of the situation bearing down on her. She knew that whatever awaited them inside the old power station would be a test of their courage, their loyalty, and their determination to see justice done.

As the boats came to rest against the rickety mooring, Valerie steeled herself for the confrontation ahead.

“All of you, into the power station,” John said, his voice menacing. “Any sudden moves, you all die.”

After they were all out of the boat, Valerie moved in front and walked through the darkened doorway of the derelict building.

Charlie and Will followed close behind her, their steps echoing off the crumbling walls of the power station. As they walked, Valerie glanced up at the interior of the old building, her eyes sweeping over its broken windows and decaying walls. It was as if time had stood still here, leaving only an eerie reminder of what once was.

John led them inside without a word, his figure reduced to a mere silhouette in the darkness. As her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, Valerie could make out the dim outlines of ancient machinery scattered throughout the room.

Valerie felt her anxiety rise as she saw a bundle of wood tied together, and she could smell gasoline. The old power station loomed all around them, its crumbling walls and rusted metal beams casting sinister shadows in the darkness.

John stopped in the debris-filled room, his voice echoing to unseen corners and shadows. “Valerie, you do the honors Tie each of the hostages and your friends to these still pillars.”

“John, if you truly believe in justice…” Valerie started.

“Don’t talk to me about justice!” he snarled. “I am justice! No—do it!”

At gunpoint, John forced Valerie to tie Charlie and Will, as well as his three hostages, Leonard, Maxine, and the unnamed car driver, to the thick steel pillars next to the wood. He laughed.

“It brings me a great sense of satisfaction watching you,” John said. “No doubt you signed up for the FBI to stop people like me, but little did you know that your true calling as a vessel for justice was to help me.”

“Killing us won’t bring Jenny back,” Valerie said, trying to engage with him.

John shook his head and replied, “I don’t answer to the FBI or even humanity. There’s a great force of justice in the universe, and only it guides me.”

He shoved Valerie back and then tied her hands to the last pillar. What John didn’t realize was that Valerie arched her hand subtly, her fingertips ever so slightly resting on the knife in her pocket.

John leaned over and started to gather the wood. When he wasn’t looking, Valerie nodded to Will and Charlie. She pointed to the tip of the knife handle in her pocket. “Distract him,” she said very quietly so he wouldn’t hear him.

“Hey, John,” Charlie said. “I’ve never understood something about you.”

“And what would that be?” John turned and sniped, pulling planks of wood and laying them around his tied-up prey.

“If you’re doing this for some sort of revenge,” Charlie said, “you aren’t very good at it, are you? I mean—everything is so elaborate. The best killers. The ones that never get caught. They keep it simple. Isn’t that right, Will?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “Give me a good old-fashioned strangler or stalker any day over something as elaborate and as liable to fail as this.”

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