Cage the mirage

Safe and sound

The dense, suffocating woods enveloped us as we desperately tried to navigate our way out. My heart racing, I immediately called the chief and reported everything, pleading for backup.

After what felt like an eternity of walking through the darkness, we finally emerged into the light. I quickly ushered all of the children to safety at the police station while doctors tended to their injuries. But even amid this chaos, my mind couldn't shake off thoughts of Adrian, whom I had left behind in that terrifying place.

Once backup arrived, I joined a group of agents who were already gearing up to storm the abandoned building. We approached cautiously, our eyes and ears on high alert for any signs of movement or sound. With a nod from me, we made our way inside through a back window.

The silence was deafening.As we searched the building, I directed my team to split up to cover more ground. However, after what seemed like hours of searching with no sign of Adrian, my hope began to dwindle.

But just as I was about to enter the last room on the third-floor hallway, someone suddenly pushed me from behind and pulled me into a nearby room, covering my mouth with their hand.

Despite being disoriented and unable to see their face, I instantly recognized that familiar scent, it was Adrian! Relief flooded over me as I realized he was alive and well.

Breathless, I clung to Adrian's body with relief. "You're alive," I gasped, thanking whoever was listening above. His chuckle washed over me, warm and familiar. "You still recognize me by scent?" he teased, his hand stroking my cheek. "Are you injured anywhere?" I frantically checked his body, straining to see in the dim light of our surroundings.

"I'm fine," he reassured me. "I just wanted to distract them and keep them from getting to you. And it worked - I wanted to catch up but couldn't. There's someone else here too... Oliver, the boy from this morning.

"My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Oliver's name. "What is he doing here?" I asked."I don't know," Adrian replied, his voice low and serious. "It seems like he was here before we arrived. We have to get him out of here, there are more than thirty bodyguards in this building, from what I've counted." 

Panic began to set in as I realized the danger we were in. "And what about Cain? Is he here?"

"No," Adrian answered quickly. "He left earlier, and it doesn't seem like this is their main base either."

The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on us as we knew we had to act fast to save both ourselves and Oliver from whatever fate awaited us within the walls of this building.

"Our agents are also here, don't worry we're not all..." my words were cut short by the sound of gunshots echoing through the building. The tension in the air became palpable as screams and cries mixed with the chaotic sounds of weapons being fired.

"We have to get Oliver out now," I exclaimed, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Without hesitation, I kicked open the door that I had been about to enter earlier, revealing a small room with a single bed where Oliver sat, looking terrified.

But before I could reach him, a fist came flying towards my face. Instinctively, I ducked and countered with a swift kick to the man's groin, causing him to crumple to the ground. Adrian had joined me in the room now and we were quickly outnumbered by five bodyguards. Despite their efforts to stop us, we fought back fiercely.

As I grappled with two of them, another landed a punch on my ribs, knocking the wind out of me. But I refused to give up and retaliated with a sharp blow to his face. Suddenly, a strong kick sent me crashing to the ground, just as I managed to shoot one of our attackers in the leg.

I saw Adrian expertly taking down two men at once while avoiding punches from the others. Trying to regain my bearings, I noticed my gun lying near one of our assailants who was reaching for it. With all my strength, I lunged towards him but with a strong kick I ended up slamming into a glass door that shattered upon impact, cutting me in several places.

With a sudden rush of adrenaline, I leaped to my feet and threw my body over Oliver's as I saw the man aiming my gun at him. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard the gunshot and felt a searing pain in my right shoulder. Ignoring the pain, I quickly instructed Oliver to hide under the bed as I struggled to stand.

"Lucian?" I heard Adrian's worried voice call out to me. "I'm fine," I reassured him, taking hold of what little power was left in my body to force myself upright.

The man who had shot me was now engaged in a fierce fight with Adrian and another attacker, but there was still one man standing, holding a knife in his hand.

He lunged towards Adrian, ready to strike, but I gritted my teeth with anger and launched myself towards him, delivering a hard kick to his leg that elicited a pained scream. Despite his injury, he managed to push me against the wall with all his strength.

Dizzy from blood loss, I struggled to keep conscious as I pushed him away. My hands shook uncontrollably as the cold sweat coated my forehead. Through blurred vision, I watched as Adrian took down one attacker and seized another by the throat. But the man I had kicked away came back for me, raising his knife with pure hatred in his eyes.

With no strength left to defend myself, I could only watch as he prepared to strike...until a powerful kick to his face sent him flying across the room, courtesy of Adrian's strong legs.

Adrian's hands shook as he rushed over to me, his eyes filled with worry. He gently lifted my limp body and cradled my upper body on his lap. Despite my weakened state, I tried to comfort him with a reassuring voice, but all that came out was a faint whisper.

My vision began to blur and my body felt heavy and numb. "Don't worry, I'm okay," I managed to say before succumbing to the darkness creeping in. I could hear Adrian's frantic voice calling for help, but I couldn't respond as my consciousness slipped away and I drifted into a deep sleep.