The Subterranean Vault
Chapter 05 - The Subterranean Vault
“This way!” Victor barked, guiding Lily down the back servant staircase into the basement level of the mansion.
The basement was vast, lined with cold concrete walls, wine cellars, and heavy industrial utility pipes. Victor ran to the far end of the corridor, stopping in front of what appeared to be a solid brick wall.
He reached behind a decorative iron sconce, pressing a secret biometric scanner. A soft digital beep echoed through the dark hallway, and a massive, eight-inch-thick reinforced steel door swung silently open.
It was Victor’s underground panic room—a subterranean vault equipped with its own oxygen filtration, satellite communications, and independent power supply.
“Get inside, Lily,” Victor instructed, pushing the door wide open. “Take Ethan. There is food, water, and a secure phone inside. Once I close this door, it cannot be opened from the outside without my master voice code.”
Lily looked at him, her eyes wide with fear. “Are you coming with us, Mr. Blackwood?”
“I have to stay out here and help Carlo clear the house,” Victor said, his voice filled with unyielding resolve. “If Arthur Vance sent his mercenaries to my home tonight, he expects to find a defenseless family. I’m going to make sure he never leaves this property alive.”
Lily took a deep breath, holding baby Ethan tight against her chest. “Please be careful, Victor.”
Victor offered her a fast, firm nod. “Lock the door.”
Lily stepped into the steel vault. Victor slammed the heavy door shut, pulling the iron manual locking wheel into place with a loud CLANG.
Outside the vault, Victor turned around, racking the slide on his pistol, his eyes flashing with the cold, primordial rage of a father protecting his bloodline.
Footsteps echoed down the concrete steps behind him.
Three heavy mercenaries in black tactical gear burst into the basement corridor, their assault rifles raised, night-vision goggles strapped to their helmets.
“Target’s down here!” one mercenary yelled.
Before the shooter could raise his barrel, Victor stepped out from the shadows, firing three precise shots!
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BANG! BANG! BANG!
Two mercenaries fell instantly onto the concrete floor. The third ducked behind a heavy wooden wine rack, firing a wild burst of automatic fire that ricocheted off the brick walls around Victor’s head!
