Is That Mom

Part 7 of Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Confronting the Past

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Part 7:

The Chase Begins Again

Ethan froze as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. His heart, already hammering from the emotional weight of his mother’s warning, skipped a beat. He glanced toward the entrance of the chamber, dread creeping into his chest. They had found him.

Panic surged through him. He had no time. Whoever had been following him—tracking his every move—was closing in. Their footsteps grew louder, more deliberate. For a brief moment, Ethan was paralyzed, his mind racing through the limited options available to him. Fight? Hide? Run?

The files.

His eyes darted to the desk where he had laid out the most critical documents—his mother’s notes, the genetic experiments, the personal recording. He couldn’t leave without them. His whole purpose for coming here was to find the truth, and now, with it literally in his hands, the possibility of losing it terrified him. With a frantic motion, he swept the papers into his bag, stuffing them haphazardly. The weight of the documents felt like both salvation and burden.

The footsteps quickened. They were close—too close.

Ethan bolted toward the exit, his breaths sharp and uneven. He ran through the narrow corridors of the outpost, his pulse pounding in his ears. The walls, once quiet and still, seemed to close in around him. Every step reverberated, each sound amplified by the suffocating silence that had once surrounded him in this abandoned place.

He glanced over his shoulder. Shadows flickered on the walls behind him, distorted by the dim light of the outpost’s emergency systems. They were right on his heels. His mind raced—who were they? What did they want? Were they connected to the experiments, to his mother’s research? And why were they hunting him with such relentlessness?

His feet pounded against the cold floor, but it felt like he was running in slow motion, the world around him a blur of darkness and fear. His legs ached, exhaustion creeping in. He had been running for what felt like hours, but there was no clear way out. The outpost, once a maze of curiosity and discovery, had become a labyrinth of dread.

As he rounded a corner, Ethan’s foot caught on a loose tile, sending him stumbling forward. He managed to catch himself against the wall, but the momentary stumble cost him precious seconds. He heard the footsteps closing in, accompanied by the harsh, labored breathing of his pursuers. Panic surged through him again.

I can’t stop. I can’t let them catch me.

Adrenaline surged through his veins as he pushed himself to keep moving, every fiber of his being screaming for escape. But no matter how fast he ran, the footsteps grew closer, their steady rhythm sending icy tendrils of fear through him.

His surroundings blurred into a series of narrow, twisting hallways and empty rooms. His mind screamed for direction, for any sign of an exit, but there was none. The outpost was a labyrinth, and he was trapped in it, running blindly through a place that had once held the promise of answers. Now, it was nothing more than a prison.

He could feel them closing in—their presence palpable, suffocating. His breath came in ragged gasps, his lungs burning from the effort. Desperation clawed at him. He couldn’t let them catch him, not when he was so close to the truth. But he was running out of time. Out of options. Out of breath.

Suddenly, a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead—a door, half-open, leading into a stairwell. It was his only chance.

Without a second thought, Ethan threw himself toward it, his legs screaming in protest as he sprinted the final stretch. He slammed into the door, forcing it open, and darted inside, the heavy metal clanging shut behind him. The narrow stairwell stretched down into darkness, but it didn’t matter—he couldn’t stop. He had to keep moving.

The footsteps echoed through the door. They were right behind him.

Ethan bounded down the stairs, taking them two, sometimes three at a time, his balance barely holding. He could hear the door swing open above him, the sound of boots clattering on the metal stairs. They were relentless, a shadow he couldn’t escape.

His lungs burned with every breath, his body protesting the relentless pace. His vision narrowed, focused only on the steps ahead, on the need to keep moving. He couldn’t stop—he wouldn’t stop. But his body was failing him, exhaustion creeping in, his legs threatening to give out beneath him.

As he reached the bottom of the stairwell, Ethan burst through another door, barely slowing down. He found himself in yet another dimly lit hallway, but this one was different—it felt like the exit was close. He could feel the faint rush of fresh air, a sign that the outside world was near.

Almost there. Just a little further.

But the footsteps behind him hadn’t stopped. If anything, they were faster now, more determined. Whoever they were, they weren’t going to let him escape easily.

A flicker of doubt crossed Ethan’s mind. What if there was no way out? What if this chase was never going to end, and he was destined to run forever, hunted like prey? The fear gripped him, tightening like a vice around his chest.

But he couldn’t stop. He had come too far to give up now.

The hallway curved sharply, and suddenly, Ethan was confronted with a heavy metal door, slightly ajar, leading to the outside. He could see the night beyond it, the cold, dark freedom just within reach.

With one final burst of strength, Ethan threw himself at the door, forcing it open and stumbling into the open air. He staggered forward, gasping for breath, his body trembling with exhaustion and adrenaline. He didn’t dare look back—he couldn’t. Not yet.

The cool night air hit his face, sharp and biting, but it was a welcome relief after the suffocating atmosphere of the outpost. He could hear nothing but the sound of his own ragged breathing, the pounding of his heart in his ears.

For a brief moment, Ethan allowed himself to believe he had escaped. That he was free. But the silence was shattered by the sound of footsteps once more, closer now, coming from the darkness behind him.

The chase wasn’t over. It had only just begun again.