Chapter 30 – Midnight Escape
Midnight inside the Watson estate felt cursed.
Nobody slept.
Not really.
Section E boys were scattered across different guest rooms, pretending to rest while actually panicking internally.
Cin whispered from the floor:
"If I survive tonight I'm becoming religious."
Felix answered immediately:
"If we survive tonight I'm becoming unemployed."
Rory stared at the ceiling dramatically. "This is how rich people die in documentaries."
"Shut up," Aries muttered for the fiftieth time.
JJ sat near the window silently while Keiren slept curled beside her under a blanket.
Keigan was awake though.
Too awake.
Trying too hard to act older than twelve.
Keifer stood near the door the entire time.
Silent.
Watching.
Thinking.
JJ noticed immediately.
He hadn't relaxed once since hearing about Serina.
Not once.
Every second—
he looked ready to break something.
Or himself.
---
The Chance
Around midnight—
everything shifted.
One of the estate guards outside stumbled loudly into another.
Then laughing followed.
Drinking.
More voices.
Less discipline.
JJ slowly stood near the window.
And noticed something.
Half the guards were drunk.
Actually drunk.
One was asleep near the side gate.
Another dropped his flashlight entirely.
JJ's eyes sharpened immediately.
Opportunity.
She turned toward Keifer instantly.
"Now."
Keifer moved toward the window immediately.
Looked outside once.
Then nodded.
"Everyone up."
The room exploded quietly into chaos.
Percy nearly fell off the couch.
Cin whispered aggressively:
"WHY DO ESCAPE MISSIONS ALWAYS HAPPEN WHEN I'M TIRED."
Aries already started checking exits.
Denzel cracked his knuckles silently.
Rory looked emotionally prepared for death.
JJ crouched in front of Keigan and Keiren quickly.
"Listen carefully."
Both boys looked at her immediately.
"You stay close to me no matter what happens. Understand?"
Keiren nodded instantly.
Keigan tried acting brave again.
"…I can fight too."
JJ softened slightly.
"Not tonight."
Keifer watched her for one second too long after that.
Because she sounded protective so naturally.
Like she already considered them hers to protect too.
And honestly—
that scared him a little.
---
Sneaking Out
The group moved through the mansion silently.
Dark corridors.
Cold walls.
Barely breathing.
Cin accidentally stepped on something and froze.
"…was that a bone."
Felix whispered back:
"It was a spoon, idiot."
JJ almost laughed despite everything.
Almost.
Keifer led the way carefully through a side exit near the back gardens.
Outside—
the estate looked completely different at night.
Bigger.
More dangerous.
Trees surrounded most of the property.
Wind moved quietly through the leaves.
And somewhere far away—
dogs barked.
JJ hated this place more every second.
Then suddenly—
Keigan pointed ahead.
"There."
Everyone froze.
In the distance—
past the gardens—
stood a large metal cage.
And inside—
Serina Watson.
---
Serina
Keifer moved before anyone could stop him.
"Mom—"
JJ grabbed his wrist instantly.
"No."
He looked ready to run straight into danger.
Which meant absolutely no survival instincts.
JJ pointed carefully toward the shadows.
Guards.
Hidden.
Watching.
This was bait.
Keifer saw it too eventually.
His jaw clenched violently.
Inside the cage—
Serina looked exhausted.
Tied.
Weak.
But conscious.
The second she saw Keifer—
her expression changed instantly.
Relief.
Fear.
Love.
All at once.
"Keifer—"
The cage was locked heavily with chains around it.
Too secure.
Too intentional.
Percy whispered:
"This man is actually insane."
Aries nodded immediately. "No argument there."
JJ slowly moved Keigan and Keiren behind her protectively.
Because something felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Way too quiet.
And then—
gunshots exploded.
---
The Fight Begins
Chaos erupted instantly.
Professional shooters emerged from the shadows surrounding the gardens.
Not normal guards.
Trained ones.
"DOWN!" Keifer shouted immediately.
Everyone scattered.
Cin screamed while tackling Felix behind a stone wall.
Rory threw a flower pot directly at someone's face.
Denzel actually fought terrifyingly well.
Aries and Percy moved together instantly like muscle memory.
Section E boys weren't trained fighters—
but survival and panic apparently made people creative.
JJ immediately shoved Keigan and Keiren behind a tree.
"Stay here!"
"But—"
"NOW."
The younger boys obeyed instantly because her voice suddenly sounded dangerous.
One guard rushed toward them.
JJ moved immediately.
Fast.
Sharp.
Violent.
She slammed her elbow into his jaw hard enough to stagger him before kicking his knee.
Another grabbed her arm.
JJ twisted violently and hit him with the flashlight she stole earlier.
Her breathing became heavier already.
Too fast.
But she ignored it.
Keiren was crying behind the tree now.
JJ turned toward him quickly.
"You're okay! Stay down!"
Another gunshot echoed.
Closer this time.
Keifer reached the cage finally while fighting another guard off him.
"Move!" he snapped toward Felix.
Felix immediately started trying to break the chain lock with a metal rod.
Cin looked seconds away from fainting.
"I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR MAFIA GAMEPLAY."
---
JJ Starts Slowing Down
JJ blocked another attack roughly—
but stumbled slightly afterward.
Her vision blurred for one dangerous second.
Not now.
Please not now.
She gritted her teeth hard.
Forced herself upright again.
Temporary.
The word hit her mind again cruelly.
But Keigan grabbed her sleeve suddenly.
"Ate JJ—"
Fear.
Pure fear in his voice.
And somehow—
that alone pushed her forward again.
JJ stepped protectively in front of both boys once more.
Nobody was touching them.
Nobody.
---
Kaizer Arrives
Then suddenly—
everything stopped.
A gun clicked loudly.
And Kaizer Watson stepped out from the shadows.
Holding Serina tightly with one arm.
Gun in the other.
Pressed directly against her head.
Silence crashed over the entire garden instantly.
Everyone froze.
Keifer went completely still.
"Let her go."
Kaizer smiled faintly.
"You really thought escaping would be this easy?"
Serina looked terrified now.
Not for herself.
For her sons.
For Keifer.
The guards slowly surrounded everyone again.
Weapons aimed.
No exits left.
Kaizer's voice stayed calm.
"Drop everything."
Nobody moved.
Then the gun pressed harder against Serina's head.
Keigan broke instantly.
"Mom—!"
"DON'T!" Serina shouted immediately.
Kaizer looked toward Keifer calmly.
"Kneel."
Silence.
Keifer's fists clenched violently.
JJ's chest tightened painfully.
Because she knew—
he would do it.
For his mother?
He absolutely would.
Kaizer smiled slightly wider.
"All of you."
One by one—
slowly—
everyone dropped to their knees.
Even Aries.
Even Percy.
Even JJ.
The cold grass pressed against her knees as guards surrounded them completely.
Keifer stared at his father with pure hatred.
And Kaizer?
He looked completely in control.
Gun still against Serina's head.
Midnight wind moving through the trees.
Section E trapped.
No escape left.
And then—
Kaizer slowly aimed the gun somewhere else.
Toward—
Keifer.