The maintenance corridor smelled of rust, antiseptic, and something older—fear soaked so deep into concrete it never left.
Mr Luke dragged himself upright inch by inch, fingers scraping against the wall as his legs trembled beneath him. Every breath burned. His head throbbed where they'd struck him, where the world had gone dark.
Because of her.
The words replayed like a curse.
He staggered to the locked door and pressed his ear against it. Voices passed. Faded. Returned. Then silence again.
They thought he was helpless.
They were wrong.
His gaze dropped to the floor—where a janitor's cart had been abandoned in the chaos. Keys hung from a hook, swaying slightly, as if waiting.
Luke smiled weakly.
"Thank you," he whispered to no one.
It took three tries. His hands shook too badly. Pain screamed through his ribs.
But on the fourth—
Click.
The door cracked open.
He didn't hesitate.
Barefoot, bleeding, wrapped in a stolen maintenance jacket, Mr Luke slipped into the bowels of the hospital—moving with the quiet determination of a man who knew this was his last chance.
He didn't look back.
---
On the other side of the hospital, Brine stood in a private consultation room with two senior doctors and a security chief. The blinds were drawn. The air was heavy with unspoken understanding.
A body lay on the gurney.
Same age. Similar build. Burn trauma severe enough to erase certainty.
Brine adjusted his gloves calmly.
"This man has no next of kin," one doctor said quietly. "The paperwork says… unidentified."
Brine nodded once. "He does now. We've got no other option than this especially when the news has already spread that Mr Luke is gone and the body too.
The security chief swallowed. "You're asking us to falsify—"
"I'm asking you," Brine cut in smoothly, "to protect this hospital from something far worse than bad press. This hospital's reputation is much better than anything unless you all wanna lose your jobs and get locked up."
Silence hit.
Then Brine slid a folder across the table.
Medical records. Transfers. Death certificates—already prepared.
Time-stamped.
Signed.
Perfect.
The older doctor exhaled slowly. "Cause of death?"
Brine didn't blink. "Complications following cardiac arrest. And make sure nothing goes wrong. Other matters I'll handle them, don't worry."
He paused, then added softly, "Make it clean. Make it believable. The world needs him buried."
The doctor nodded.
Within the hour, the hospital would officially announce it:
Mr Luke — deceased.
Brine stepped out into the corridor and pulled out his phone.
One message sent.
> It's done. But we haven't seen him anywhere. Maybe he's escaped."
Then another.
> She's still here.
He leaned against the wall, eyes closing briefly—not in relief.
In grief.
-----
Moody stood beneath a stairwell, phone pressed to his ear, shadows cutting sharp lines across his face.
"Yes," he said quietly. "I've confirmed it...
A pause.
"He's dead."
They just announced the news and the body, it's him, this time for sure.
Another pause—longer.
"And the girl?"
Moody glanced down the hallway where Lena sat with a nurse, hands folded in her lap, eyes hollow.
"She's with me," he replied. "She trusts me completely. But sir...we got another serious issue."
"Which is?"
' They sent someone here. The Hellfire group.'
'Who?
Moody replied calmly. " Mr Brine." He hasn't left even an inch. I don't know what he's up to?"
"Shit! The matter is getting out of our hands, we should act faster. Anyway make sure your eyes are on him, don't blink; we're at stake. And make sure the girl is safe. I repeat, make sure she's safe."
" Yes boss, I will."
"Good. Bring her when the announcement goes public. No loose ends."
Then Mr Rafferty's voice slid through the line like oil.
Moody's jaw tightened.
"Understood."
The call ended.
He didn't move for several seconds.
Didn't breathe.
Then he straightened his coat and walked back toward her.
---
Lena didn't hear her mother approach.
She felt her.
Arms wrapped around her shoulders—warm, shaking, real.
"Oh, Lena… my baby."
Lena froze.
Then shattered.
She turned and buried her face into her mother's chest, sobs ripping out of her like something torn loose. All the strength she'd been pretending to have collapsed in that instant. She's her mother no matter what. Despite all what he's dad said, all she needed was just a hug, and here it was, from her mother. She still believed a little bit that she was right somehow.
"I thought I lost you too baby," her mother whispered, holding her tightly. "They told me there was an incident… they wouldn't say anything…"
"He's gone," Lena choked. "Dad's gone."
Her mother stiffened—but didn't pull away.
Instead, she whispered, almost too softly, "I know. I know everything and that's why I'm here. For all of you."
Lena pulled back, eyes red. "You—?"
"They called me an hour ago," her mother said, voice breaking. "They said his body was identified."
Lena's knees nearly buckled.
Dead.
Gone.
Finished.
" But how's that possible? How would you know everything and you've been away from dad right from the start." She asked in surprise.
"As I said, I received a call from the hospital. First i thought it was just a game someone is trying to play but when Sela called me I.....
" Wha....what? Sela called you? Why would she do that?" She shouted getting mad.
" Hooney! Please, calm down. I just wanted to make sure that I'm here for you guys even when he's gone."
"But you weren't when he was still breathing. When he was lost did you try to look for him? Did you bother to ask any whereabouts just to find any information? When he was beaten up by some rogues did you bother to visit him at the hospital?" She questioned what her Dad had said about her mom sinking in.
-------
Across the hall, Brine watched from a distance as the announcement rolled quietly through the hospital staff. Faces changed. Voices lowered. The story locked into place.
Mr Luke was dead.
Moody arrived moments later, stopping beside Lena.
"I'm so sorry," he said gently.
She nodded numbly, gripping his hand slowly.
Moody met Brine's eyes across the corridor.
A brief look.
Confirmation.
The lie was complete.
---
Far from the hospital lights, beneath a sky heavy with clouds, Mr Luke collapsed against a chain-link fence behind an abandoned service road.
Every step had cost him blood.
But he was free.
Barely breathing—but alive.
He stared up at the dark sky and whispered her name.
"Lena…I'm so...sorry. If I...l hadn't done this, they would have finished me off. Those people.... cannot be.... trusted. I just wanna protect....you in.... my own way."He said clenching on his chest for a breath.
Somewhere behind him, sirens wailed—not for him.
For a dead man who wasn't dead at all.
And as the storm gathered above the city, the lie spread its roots deeper.
Because now—
One man had escaped. One man had been buried. One man held the girl.
And Lena stood at the centre of it all—unaware that the world had just decided her fate for her.
The storm wasn't coming anymore.
It had already arrived.