Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 113

(Angel's

POV)

My heart pounded as we huddled together in the dimly lit storage room. This was it. Months of planning, days of tension, and countless sleepless nights had all led to this moment. Our escape. Thomas knelt on the floor and was spreading out a rough sketch of the center's layout he had pieced together from his undercover work. His voice was steady but low as he outlined the plan one last time. "We're heading west," he said, tracing a line with his finger. "The West Wing is our best shot. It's less guarded because it connects to the storage units and not the patient quarters."

"What about the inspection teams?" Hande asked worriedly. "Won't they be patrolling everywhere today?"

Thomas nodded. "That's why we're timing this with the staff's scheduled rotation. The guards will be focused on escorting Dr. Aurora and her team around the facility. It's our only window."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "And if they spot us?"

Hendrix, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, spoke for the first time. "We keep moving. No stopping, no hesitating." His voice was sharp, almost cold, but I could see the fire in his eyes. He wasn't just talking about survival. He was talking about rebellion.

•

We slipped into the hallways like shadows, keeping our footsteps soft and almost inaudible against the polished linoleum floors. Thomas led the way with a raised hand as a silent signal whenever we needed to pause or change direction. The tension was suffocating as every distant voice or creak of the building made my pulse spike.

"Here," Thomas whispered after stopping at a junction. He pointed toward a set of double doors marked Restricted Access - West Wing. "That's our entry point."

The problem was the two guards stationed in front of it.

Hendrix stepped forward, his jaw tight. "We need a distraction."

Eddie grinned. His usual playful demeanor was still there even in the midst of this otherwise serious situation. "I've got this." Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed a nearby mop bucket and knocked it over, sending a puddle of soapy water spilling across the floor.

"What the hell?" one of the guards muttered and stepped forward to assess the mess.

"Hey! Watch it!" Eddie called out and pretended to panic as he stumbled into the hallway. "Sorry, I-uh-I'm just cleaning up."

The guards exchanged annoyed glances, clearly unimpressed. But it was enough.

"Now," Thomas hissed, and we slipped past the distracted guards, then ducked through the double doors and into the West Wing.

•

was eerily quiet, much more quiet than the bustling main corridors. Rows of storage rooms lined the walls, but their metal

way?" I asked

ahead, then left. There's a maintenance shaft that

every creak of the floorboards

·

in the form of a biometric scanner blocking the entrance to the maintenance

device. "We need a staff member's fingerprint

stepped forward with

plastic bag from his pocket, revealing a gel mold he had made earlier from a stolen staff badge. Pressing it

Hendrix admitted grudgingly as we

•

down the maintenance corridor

her eyes wide with

the guards," Thomas said.

corner, a group of guards appeared at the far

barked and shoved us toward an

door led to a storage room filled with cleaning supplies and stacks of unused furniture. We crammed ourselves inside and held our breaths as the guards' footsteps grew louder. "They'll search everywhere,"

•

quickly. His gaze landed on a vent near the ceiling. "Up there," he said,

(Hendrix's POV)

vent was narrow and suffocating, but it was our only shot. I climbed in first and led the way as the others followed one by one. The metal creaked beneath our weight, and I prayed it wouldn't give

we took was labored because of

more

one dark and unguarded. But as we dropped down

others and motioned for them to run. "I'll

no!" Angel protested and grabbed

"Just go. I'll

•

corner just as the others disappeared down the