Is That Mom

Part 8 of Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Unraveling the Final Threads

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Part 8:

The Escape Plan

Ethan’s pulse pounded in his ears as the room swam back into focus. His head throbbed from the blow, and the taste of copper lingered in his mouth. The tactical team was shouting, their voices sharp and chaotic, echoing through the facility. They knew the data was gone, but that didn’t mean they were going to let him leave alive.

Wiping the blood from his lip, Ethan pulled himself up, eyes darting around the room. He had to think fast. Fighting wasn’t an option—he was no match for their numbers or firepower. His only choice was to outsmart them, using the facility’s layout and his knowledge of its systems to make his escape.

His mind raced, piecing together a plan as he crept toward a back entrance he had seen earlier. The facility was vast and filled with nooks, crannies, and hidden rooms. He could use that to his advantage, but only if he kept moving. The longer he stayed still, the more dangerous it became.

A sudden burst of static-filled voices came from the group’s radios. The leader barked orders, demanding the team sweep the entire facility. They would fan out, search every inch, and they’d find him soon if he didn’t act now.

Ethan knew what he had to do. His hands moved quickly over the control panel on the wall, inputting commands. He recalled the schematics he had studied earlier—the security systems, the power grid, the ventilation shafts. They could be used to create distractions, slow the group down, and buy him precious time.

He activated the facility’s emergency lockdown procedures, which triggered thick steel doors to slam shut across multiple hallways. The clang of the doors echoed through the building, and the team’s voices rose in confusion. That would buy him a few minutes, but it wouldn’t last long—they would find a way to override the system soon enough.

Ethan took a deep breath, his heart racing. Now came the hard part: navigating his way through the labyrinthine facility while dodging the heavily armed group hunting him. He moved quickly and quietly, slipping into the shadows and avoiding the well-lit corridors. Every footstep felt like a thunderclap in the eerie silence that had descended after the lockdown.

As he reached a narrow hallway leading to the central generator room, an idea sparked in his mind. If he could disable the power grid, it would plunge the entire facility into darkness, making it harder for them to track him. But it would also disable the security systems that were holding them back. It was a gamble, but one he had to take.

He found the access panel for the generator and pulled it open. His fingers worked swiftly, disconnecting wires and rerouting power. The lights flickered once, twice, and then went out completely. The facility was swallowed by darkness, the only sound now the distant hum of machinery and the faint shuffle of footsteps from the team, now disoriented and struggling to communicate without their electronics.

Ethan’s breath came in shallow gasps as he moved through the darkened halls, relying on his memory of the facility’s layout to guide him. Every step felt like it could be his last, as the tension mounted and the shadows seemed to stretch endlessly around him. His legs burned from the constant running, and his body ached from the fight earlier, but he pushed through the exhaustion. There was no room for failure.

Suddenly, a faint beam of light swept across the floor just ahead. Ethan froze, pressing himself against the wall, heart hammering in his chest. One of the tactical team members was just around the corner, using a flashlight to search the area. Ethan held his breath, waiting for the moment to slip past.

The light wavered, and the footsteps grew closer. Ethan’s mind raced, calculating his next move. The hallway was too narrow to slip by unnoticed, but if he could create a distraction… His hand found a small metal object on the floor, and with a flick of his wrist, he tossed it down the opposite corridor.

The clattering noise was enough to draw the guard’s attention. He turned, flashlight beam sweeping in the direction of the noise, and Ethan seized the moment. He darted past, heart pounding in his throat as he slipped into a nearby room.

The room was cramped, filled with shelves of old equipment and file cabinets. Ethan knew he couldn’t stay here long—they would be sweeping through soon. But he needed a plan for the next move, something that would give him a fighting chance to make it out alive.

His eyes scanned the room, landing on an old ventilation shaft in the far corner. It was small, but if he could squeeze through, it would lead him out of this section of the facility and closer to an emergency exit he had seen earlier.

Ethan quickly unscrewed the grate, pushing it aside as quietly as possible. He climbed inside, the cramped space forcing him to crawl on his hands and knees. The metal walls were cold against his skin, and every movement echoed in the confined space. He could feel his muscles straining, his body screaming for rest, but there was no time for that now.

He made his way through the ventilation system, the path twisting and turning, but always leading him closer to his goal. The voices of the tactical team grew fainter, more distant, but the tension never eased. He knew they were still searching, still hunting him. One wrong move, and they would find him.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was only minutes, Ethan reached the end of the shaft. The grate before him opened into a narrow corridor, dimly lit by emergency lights. At the far end, he could see the emergency exit door—the one that led out of the facility and into the snow-covered wilderness beyond.

But as he began to move toward it, he heard voices—closer this time. They were coming down the hallway, and fast. He didn’t have much time. His hand went to the device in his pocket—a small explosive charge he had found in the facility’s armory earlier. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough to cause a distraction.

Ethan quickly set the charge on the opposite wall, just enough to cause a minor explosion that would draw the team’s attention away from the exit. He set the timer for thirty seconds and bolted for the door.

The seconds ticked by as he sprinted down the hallway, his lungs burning, every muscle in his body screaming for relief. Behind him, the explosion rocked the facility, a deafening boom that shook the walls and sent debris flying. The voices behind him shouted in alarm, the chaos giving him just enough time to reach the exit.

Ethan slammed into the door, throwing it open and stumbling out into the freezing air. The blizzard had intensified, the wind howling and snow blinding him as he ran. But he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. His only chance now was to disappear into the storm, to use the chaos and the terrain to his advantage.

His heart raced as he fled into the white abyss, the facility fading into the distance behind him. He didn’t know where he was going, or how long he could last in the storm, but one thing was certain—he had escaped. For now.