Chapter 19 - THE BREAKOUT
Before Blackwood could give the order to fire, Arthur lunged sideways, grabbing a heavy cast-iron radiator pipe with one hand and firing three rapid rounds into the overhead water sprinkler system.
*HISS!*
Instantly, thousands of gallons of high-pressure water erupted from the ceiling, turning the cramped apartment into a blinding, deafening fog of artificial rain and thick steam. Visibility dropped to zero in less than three seconds. Shouts of confusion echoed from Blackwood’s mercenaries as they stumbled blindly through the blinding spray.
"Grab my hand!" Arthur yelled, plunging through the steam toward the corner where Elena and Marisol were huddled.
Elena didn't hesitate. She grabbed Arthur’s outstretched hand with a strength born of pure desperation, clutching Marisol tightly against her chest with the other arm. Arthur kicked open the back service door that led directly to the building's fire escape, shielding them with his own body as stray bullets pierced the wooden walls around them, sending splinters flying through the air.
"Down the stairs! Don't look back!" Arthur commanded, pushing Elena and Marisol onto the rusted metal grating of the fire escape just as a grenade landed with a dull *clank* inside the kitchen.
"Grenade!" Arthur roared.
He threw himself backward, grabbing the iron railing as the explosion ripped through the rear of the apartment, sending a shockwave of heat and flying debris over their heads. The force of the blast sheared the upper steps of the fire escape away, leaving them dangling precariously over a twenty-foot drop to the alleyway below.
"Arthur! We can't jump!" Elena screamed, tears streaming down her soot-covered face.
"You have to!" Arthur shouted over the roaring flames licking out of the shattered windows. He grabbed a heavy canvas strap from his tactical vest, securing it around Marisol’s waist in a fraction of a second. "Trust me, Elena! I won't let her fall!"
May you like
Without waiting for agreement, Arthur lifted Marisol into his arms and lowered her over the edge, dropping her safely into the soft pile of discarded trash bags at the bottom of the alley. He immediately turned back, hoisted Elena over the railing, and lowered her down with controlled, military precision before dropping into the alley himself just as the entire rear wall of the building collapsed inward.
***
