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.

•

corridors. Rows of storage rooms

I asked in a

There's a

quickly but cautiously; every creak of the floorboards under our feet made me

·

obstacle came in the form of a biometric scanner blocking

device. "We need a staff member's fingerprint to get

stepped forward with a smirk, "we

he had made earlier from a stolen staff badge. Pressing it against the scanner, he held

admitted grudgingly as

•

down the maintenance

exclaimed, her eyes

found the guards," Thomas said. "We need

the corner, a group of guards appeared at the far end of the

Hendrix barked and shoved us toward an adjacent

ourselves inside and held our breaths as the

•

His gaze landed on a vent near the ceiling. "Up there," he said, pointing. "We can crawl through and

(Hendrix's POV)

by one. The metal creaked beneath our weight, and I prayed it wouldn't give out. "Keep moving," I

was labored because of the dust around. I could hear Angel just

I murmured, more to myself than

But as we dropped down one by one,

the others and motioned for them to run.

no!" Angel protested

shook her off. "Just go.

•

others disappeared down the hall. I stood my ground with balled