Semua Bab Sold to the Devil: His Ruthless Vow: Bab 61 - Bab 70

I moved through the corridors like a ghost.Dr. Sterling’s lab coat was too big for me, the cuffs rolling down over my knuckles, but it commanded respect. A passing nurse nodded to me without looking at my face. I kept my head down, adjusting the wire-rimmed glasses, and walked with purpose.Act like you own the place, Julian always said.I reached the heavy steel door in the corner of the dining hall. The common room was empty now; the patients were all locked in their rooms for the night.I stood before the retinal scanner. My heart was thumping so hard I thought it would trigger an alarm.I reached into my pocket and pressed the button on Sterling’s remote fob.Buzz.The red light on the scanner turned green. SYSTEM BYPASS.I swiped the key card.The heavy hydraulic locks disengaged with a groan that sounded like a dying beast. I pulled the door open and slipped inside.The air in Wing 4 was different. It didn't smell like lavender or antiseptic. It smelled like ozone and old damp

Julian pressed his thumb down.There was no sound at first. Just a flash of blinding white light that erupted from the lower windows of Wing 4. The ground lurched beneath our feet like a waking beast.Then came the roar.BOOM.The shockwave hit us. It shattered the remaining glass in the lobby. It threw Dr. Sterling backward into the reception desk. The stone walls of the asylum groaned and cracked. Dust billowed out in a massive gray cloud that swallowed the entrance."Go!" Julian shouted. He jumped into the passenger seat of the SUV.Leo slammed his foot on the gas. The tires screeched against the marble floor. We shot through the broken frame of the front entrance and launched out into the snowy courtyard.Behind us the east wing of the institute began to crumble. The explosion had taken out the structural supports in the basement. Stone and steel collapsed inward. It buried the cells. It buried the secrets."They are following!" Leo yelled. He glanced at the rearview mirror.Two a

Peace lasted exactly three hours.Around midnight Elena woke up screaming.It wasn't a nightmare. It was physical agony. She thrashed on the narrow sofa and kicked the blankets off. Her skin was slick with sweat despite the freezing temperature of the cabin."Get them off!" she shrieked. She clawed at her own arms. "The spiders! They are under my skin! Cut them out!""Elena!" I grabbed her wrists to stop her from tearing her flesh. Her skin burned like fire. "There are no spiders. Look at me. It is just a fever.""No!" she wailed. Her eyes rolled back in her head. She arched her back in a violent spasm. "Light! Too much light!"Julian was at her side in an instant. He pinned her legs down to keep her from hurting herself."What is happening?" he demanded. Panic edged his voice. "She was fine an hour ago.""She is crashing," I said grimly. "Sterling had her on high-dose antipsychotics and sedatives for thirty years. Her body is dependent on them. This is withdrawal."Elena gagged and r

The door flew open with a crash.Julian stumbled inside. He was covered in snow. He looked like an ice sculpture brought to life. He kicked the door shut against the howling wind and dropped the plastic basket on the floor."I got it," he gasped. He stripped off his frozen gloves. "Diazepam. Antibiotics. Everything."I didn't waste time with questions. I grabbed the basket and dumped it onto the wooden table."Hold her arm," I ordered.Julian rushed to the sofa. He pinned Elena’s thrashing arm to the cushion. She was burning up. Her skin felt like paper that had been left in an oven.I tore open a saline bag. I spiked it with the IV line. I filled a syringe with the anticonvulsant."Elena," I said firmly. "I need you to stay still."She didn't hear me. She was muttering about the "Apex" and the "Key" again. Her eyes rolled back. A seizure was seconds away.I tied the tourniquet around her upper arm. Her veins were thin and fragile. They were collapsed from dehydration and years of abu

The microchip sat on the scarred wooden table. It looked innocent. It was just a speck of silver and silicon. But we all knew it was the deadliest weapon in the room."We need a computer," Julian said. He paced the small cabin. His energy had shifted. The exhaustion was gone. It was replaced by the cold, calculating focus of the CEO who had built an empire from nothing. "We need to verify the data before we make a move.""We can't verify it here," I said. "Leo checked the sat-phone. We have enough battery for one call. That is it. No data. No internet."Julian stopped pacing. He looked at the phone on the table."One call," he muttered. "Then we have to make it count."He picked up the heavy satellite phone. He extended the antenna."Who are you calling?" Elena asked. She sat by the fire wrapped in blankets. She looked frail but her eyes were sharp. "The Russians?""No," Julian said. "The Russians are compromised. I need someone who hates rules. Someone who loves money more than he fe