Hex POV
My wrists hurt.
Not the normal kind of pain either. The deep, burning kind that came from ropes tied way too tight.
I flexed my fingers slowly.
Still tied.
Still stuck to the chair.
Still in Kaiser's little harbor nightmare.
Around me the warehouse felt huge and hollow. The sound of waves hitting the dock outside echoed faintly through the metal walls.
Two guards stood near the entrance talking quietly.
They thought I was unconscious.
Good.
My head hung forward while I listened.
"…Boss said they're already nearby."
"Good," the other guard replied. "Soon as they enter, we trigger it."
Trigger what?
The first guard tapped a metal pillar beside him.
"This whole place goes up."
My stomach dropped.
Explosives.
Of course Kaiser filled the building with explosives.
I slowly looked up.
Every pillar… every wall section…
Small metal boxes.
Wires.
Timers.
"…You've got to be kidding me," I muttered under my breath.
If Jay came inside normally, the entire warehouse would turn into a fireball.
I looked down at the chair I was tied to.
Old metal.
Rusty legs.
One of them slightly bent.
An idea formed.
Not a great idea.
Actually a terrible idea.
But the only one available.
I shifted my weight.
The chair creaked.
Back.
Forward.
Back again.
The metal leg scraped against the floor.
One guard glanced over.
I froze instantly, letting my head drop again.
The guard shrugged and returned to talking.
Okay.
Round two.
Back.
Forward.
Back.
The chair groaned louder this time.
Then I threw all my weight backward.
CRASH
The chair collapsed.
Pain shot through my back as I hit the floor.
The guards spun around.
"HEY!"
Too late.
I rolled behind a nearby container as they ran toward me.
My hands were still tied, but the ropes had loosened slightly from the fall.
I twisted my wrists violently against the sharp edge of the broken chair.
Fibers snapped.
Another twist.
Then—
SNAP
The rope broke.
Freedom.
I quickly untied my ankles and stood up, breathing hard.
One guard rushed around the container.
I grabbed the broken metal leg of the chair and swung.
CLANG
He dropped instantly.
The second guard shouted.
"He escaped !"
Yeah.
That was my cue to disappear.
I sprinted into the shadows between the containers.
"…Okay," I whispered to myself while running.
"New plan."