The tunnel felt like it was closing in.
Rain thundered above, and the sound seeped through the earth like a warning.
Elena's mind raced.
Blocked exit.
Three men.
No way out.
Daniel's voice was barely a whisper. "When I say run… don't stop."
Elena nodded slightly.
Bellini watched them with quiet patience.
"You really should have left Seravalle when you had the chance."
Daniel didn't respond.
Instead, his eyes flicked upward.
Elena followed his gaze.
The ceiling.
Cracked stone.
Water dripping faster now.
The storm wasn't just above them anymore.
It was seeping in.
Daniel moved suddenly.
He grabbed the old wooden chair in the center of the chamber and shoved it hard toward the tunnel entrance.
The rotten wood shattered against the stone floor.
At the same moment—
A loud crack echoed above them.
Stone shifted.
Dust rained down.
"What are you doing?!" one of the men shouted.
Daniel grabbed Elena's hand.
"RUN!"
The ground trembled.
A section of the tunnel ceiling near the entrance gave way with a deafening crash.
Rocks and debris slammed down between them and Bellini.
The flashlight beam vanished.
Shouts echoed from the other side.
"Move back!"
"Watch out!"
The path was no longer clear.
But it wasn't open either.
The collapse had created chaos.
Daniel pulled Elena deeper into the tunnel.
"This way!"
"But the exit—"
"There's another path," he said quickly. "The tunnels connect, remember?"
Behind them, Bellini's voice roared through the dust and darkness.
"You won't get out!"
Elena's heart pounded as they ran.
The narrow tunnel twisted sharply.
Water began pooling beneath their feet.
The storm above was flooding the underground passages.
"This tunnel wasn't meant to hold like this,"
Daniel said, breathless.
Another rumble shook the ground.
More cracks formed along the walls.
Elena slipped slightly, catching herself against the cold stone.
"Daniel—what if it collapses completely?"
"Then we move faster."
They turned a corner—
And stopped.
The tunnel split into two directions.
One dark and narrow.
The other wider… but partially flooded.
Behind them, distant voices echoed again.
Bellini's men were clearing the debris.
They were coming.
Fast.
Daniel looked at both paths, thinking quickly.
"No time," he said.
Elena's voice trembled. "Which way?"
Daniel grabbed her hand tighter.
"We take the risk."
And he pulled her toward the flooded tunnel.
Ice-cold water surged around their ankles as they stepped in.
The storm roared louder above them.
And somewhere behind—
The men hunting them were getting closer.