Chapter 15 - THE CRYPT
Night had fallen when we reached the cemetery. The mausoleum stood at the top of the hill—cold white marble, silent and imposing. No lights. No guards. No sign of life.
Sarah stayed at the entrance. I walked alone toward the stone doors.
They were unlocked.
I pushed them open. Dust motes swirled in the beam of my flashlight. Rows of niches. Names carved into marble. Dates. Flowers left to wither.
And at the far end, a staircase leading down.
I descended slowly. Stone steps. Damp air. The smell of earth and age.
At the bottom, a heavy iron door stood slightly ajar. Light spilled through the crack.
I pushed it open.
Daniel sat in a chair. Pale. Weak. Bruised. But alive.
He looked up. His eyes widened.
“Emily?”
I ran to him. “You’re alive.”
“I’m alive.” His voice was hoarse. “Viktor… he kept me here. Tied me. Questioned me. Asked over and over… who my parents were.”
“And you?”
“I told him nothing. I didn’t know. I still don’t.” He gripped my hands. “Emily… what is happening? Why does he want me dead?”
I looked into his eyes. The eyes of the man I loved. The eyes of my brother.
The words caught in my throat.
“Daniel… there is something I have to tell you.”
“Tell me later.” He stood up, unsteady. “We have to go. He’s coming back. He said he would return at midnight. And then… he said he would know the truth.”
“Daniel—”
“Please. Just run.”
I pulled him toward the stairs. But before we could climb, footsteps sounded above.
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Viktor stood at the top of the staircase. Silhouetted against the moonlight. Holding a gun.
“Going somewhere?” he said softly.
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