DreameNovelChapter 116 (Hendrix's POV) Angel wouldn't move.
She clung to Thomas's body like it was the only thing holding her to the world. Blood soaked her hands, her shirt, her hair, but she didn't care. Her sobs echoed in the cramped maintenance closet in a haunting way that made my stomach twist.
"Angel," I whispered and crouched beside her. "We have to go." She shook her head violently and her grip tightened on Thomas's lifeless form. "No. I can't leave him. I can't—" Footsteps echoed in the distance, growing louder with every passing second.
I grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. Her tear-soaked face shattered something inside me. "Angel, listen to me. We'll cback for him. I swear. But if we don't move now, none of us are getting out of here alive." She stared atwith wide and uncomprehending eyes before finally nodding. Her hands trembled as she placed Thomas's head gently on the floor and brushed his blood-matted hair back one last time. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
I pulled her to her feet and held her close for a second, then grabbed the evidence bag. The footsteps were closer now and accompanied by voices barking orders.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"We have to go," I repeated, and this time, she followed.
The group was waiting for us in a storage room near the West Wing exit. The moment we stepped inside, the air shifted.
Angel's red-rimmed eyes and my grim expression told them everything they needed to know.
Eddie was the first to break the silence. "Thomas?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Dr. Joe shot him. He... he saved us." Eddie cursed under his breath and slammed his fist into the wall. Cylan and Hande moved to Angel's side and wrapped their arms around her as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
"We can't stop now," I said firmly. "Thomas wouldn't want that. We have to keep moving, for him." The room fell silent again, save for the muffled sound of alarms in the distance.
I pulled the evidence bag from my shoulder and opened it. "We need to split this up," I said as I pulled out the files, photos, and USB drives. "If we get separated, each of us needs to have something to expose the center." Once the evidence was divided among the group, I stepped back and tried to catch my breath. The guilt that ate atrefused to let go. Thomas was dead because of me. Because I hadn't been fast enough, strong enough, smart enough. But I couldn't let that stopnow.
I clenched my fists so tightly the edges of the photos were digging into my palms. "We're finishing this," | muttered under my breath. "And Joe is going to pay for what he's done." (Dennis's POV) The blaring alarms were an indicator of how far things had spiraled out of control.
I was standing stiffly in the administrative office, my hands trembling as I held my bag. Across the desk, Dr. Aurora packed her things with an unnerving calmness. Her red wig was perfectly in place, and her face, save for her piercing eyes, was hidden by her mask. She didn't seem to be in a rush, as the chaos outside didn't exist. "You're leaving?" I asked.
Dr. Aurora didn't look up. "The inspection has been canceled. The center is compromised. There's no point in staying." "But... what about the patients? My daughter? Hendrix?" She finally met my gaze, and I saw the cold tint in them. "They're collateral damage, Dennis. You know how this works." Her words hitlike a punch to the gut, but I shouldn't have been surprised. I'd seen this before-Kentucky, years ago. The center there had been exposed, and they'd buried the evidence in rubble and lies, calling it a "natural disaster." The local authorities had all been bribed and were docile in furthering the investigation. "You're going to destroy this place," I barely said.
Dr. Aurora's lips curved into a smile beneath her mask. "Of course. Better to burn the evidence than let it fall into the wrong hands." My life flashed before my eyes. The years I'd spent under her thumb, the decisions I'd made to survive, the betrayals I'd committed. I thought of Angel, of Hendrix, of the countless lives I'd sacrificed to protect my own. I couldn't let this happen again.
I stepped forward and my hands balled into fists. "You're not leaving." Aurora chuckled menacingly. "And what are you going to do, Dennis? Stop me?"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmI lunged at her and grabbed the edge of her wig then yanked it off. Her hair tumbled down in messy waves as her glasses flew to the floor. She stumbled back and her mask slipped slightly, but she recovered quickly and shovedagainst the wall with surprising strength.
"You've always been a disappointment," she sneered. "Do" ётх you really think you can beat me?" The door burst open, and I froze.
Angel, Hendrix, Eddie, and the others stood in the doorway. Their fades were a mix of shock and confusion. Aurora's mask slipped more and revealed her face fully.
"Nixon?" Angel whispered in disbelief.
The room fell silent as the truth sank in.
Dr. Aurora-the mastermind behind the center's horrors-was Dr. Nixon all along.
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