Escape Plan

Escape Plan
Elena stared at the dark figure rising from the blue light. It looked just like the face she'd seen in Amara's hideout—the Shadow Walker with Lucian's sister's face. Her blood turned cold.
"We need to go now!" Victor yelled, pulling at her arm.
But Elena couldn't move. The Shadow Walker turned toward her, its dark eyes finding her in the darkness. It reached out one misty hand.
"Elena!" The voice came from behind her.
She turned to see Lucian rushing across the graveyard. His clothes were torn and dirty from fighting through the tunnel collapse. Blood ran down his face from a cut on his forehead.
"Don't trust him!" Lucian yelled, pointing at Victor.
The Shadow Walker let out a terrible scream. The sound made Elena's teeth hurt. All around them, the ground started to crack. Tombstones fell over. The hunters near the van backed away, looking scared.
"Decide now, Elena," Victor said. "Come with me or stay and die."
Elena looked at the silver locket still clutched in her hand. The tiny picture of her parents and Victor. Was it real? Or another trick?
Her eyes met Lucian's across the graves. Despite everything, she could feel their link pulling at her, like a string tied to her heart. The Life Debt. But it was more than that now.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to Victor. Then she turned and ran toward Lucian.
Victor's face twisted with anger. "You're making a mistake!"
The Shadow Walker screamed again. Blue light shot up from the ground between Elena and Lucian. She skidded to a stop, nearly falling into a crack that opened at her feet.
"This way!" Lucian called, pointing to his right.
Elena ran along the edge of the crack, trying to reach him. Behind her, she heard Victor yelling orders to his hunters. The sound of guns shooting filled the air.
When she finally reached Lucian, he grabbed her hand. His touch made the blue marks on her arm glow brighter.
"I knew you'd come," he said, his eyes shining with joy.
"I'm still mad at you," Elena told him. "But I want answers, and I think you'll give them to me."
Lucian nodded. "Everything. I promise."
They ran through the graveyard, away from the Shadow Walker and Victor's searchers. The old stones and figures cast long shadows in the moonlight. Elena could hear footsteps behind them.
"Where are we going?" she asked, out of breath.
"There's another entrance to the tunnels on the other side of the cemetery," Lucian explained. "One that Amara doesn't know about."
They reached an old stone building—a tomb like the one where Elena had found Amara's secret room. Lucian pushed open the heavy door and pulled her inside.
It was dark, but the marks on Elena's arm gave off enough blue light to see by. Lucian moved to the back wall and pressed on a stone. With a grinding noise, a section of the wall slid open, showing a narrow tunnel.
"Quickly," Lucian pushed.
They slipped through the opening just as voices neared the mausoleum. Lucian closed the secret door behind them, sending them into darkness except for the glow from Elena's arm.
The tunnel was small and damp. They had to crouch to move forward. Elena could hear water dripping somewhere ahead.
"Where does this lead?" she whispered.
"To the old church," Lucian answered. "Under the city. It's far from Amara's territory."
They moved as fast as they could through the tight passage. The sounds of pursuit faded behind them.
After what felt like hours, the tunnel spread into a small room. Old chairs lined the walls. Candles sat in holders, unlit for what looked like years.
Lucian found a match and lit one candle. The warm light spread through the room, making Elena's blue marks look even stranger against her skin.
"What is this place?" she asked.
"It was a prayer room for the church above," Lucian said. "The church was abandoned fifty years ago. We should be safe here for now."
Elena sank onto one of the benches, suddenly tired. Her head hurt from all the questions swirling inside it.
"Start talking," she said to Lucian. "Tell me everything."
Lucian sat across from her. "I didn't know about the blood vials," he started. "But I knew Amara wanted you for something. She's been searching for someone with your bloodline for centuries."
"Victor said she killed my parents," Elena said.
Lucian's face darkened. "That's true. But it wasn't just Amara. Victor was there too."
Elena's heart stopped. "What?"
"Victor worked for Amara back then," Lucian explained. "He was her right-hand man before he turned against her. He helped her track down your family."
"No," Elena shook her head. "He's my uncle. He showed me the picture—"
"The picture is real," Lucian interrupted. "But not the story he told you. Victor isn't your uncle. He's your father's cousin. He betrayed your family to Amara."
Elena felt like she'd been hit. "Why would he do that?"
"For power. Amara promised him the ability to walk in daylight. But after your parents died and you disappeared, Amara didn't keep her word. That's when Victor turned against her."
Elena's mind raced. The locket felt heavy in her hand. She opened it again, looking at the tiny picture. The baby in her mother's arms. Victor stood next to them, smiling.
Before she could ask more questions, a noise came from further down the tube. Something was coming.
Lucian stood up, stepping in front of Elena. "Stay behind me."
The noise grew louder. A scraping sound, like something heavy being dragged along the stone floor.
"Is it Victor?" Elena whispered.
"I don't think so," Lucian answered, his voice tense. "Victor wouldn't make that much noise."
The scraping stopped. For a long moment, there was only silence. Then a voice called out from the darkness.
"Elena? Lucian? Are you there?"
Elena recognized the voice instantly. "Izzy?"
From the tunnel emerged Izzy, Elena's old best friend. Her clothes were torn and dirty. Blood stained her shirt. She looked scared.
"Thank goodness I found you," Izzy said, hobbling into the room. "Amara's gone crazy. She's summoning something terrible. We need to get out of the city."
Lucian didn't move from his defensive position in front of Elena. "How did you find us?"
"I followed the magic," Izzy said, referring to Elena's glowing arm. "The marks are leaving a trail only vampires can see."
Elena looked down at her arm in shock. The blue patterns were still growing, spreading across her shoulder now.
"We need to go deeper," Lucian decided. "Away from the city."
"There's no time," Izzy maintained. "Amara's ritual has already started. The Shadow Walker is free. It's hunting you, Elena."
"Why me?" Elena asked.
"Because you're the key," Izzy explained. "Your blood is the final piece. With it, Amara can make the Shadow Walker solid again."
"And then what?"
"Then she'll have the power to walk in daylight forever," Izzy said. "And she'll be unstoppable."
Lucian grabbed Elena's hand. "We need to go. Now."
As they turned toward another tunnel at the back of the room, the light suddenly went out. The only light came from Elena's blue marks.
A cold wind blew through the room. The temperature dropped so fast Elena could see her breath.
"It's too late," Izzy whispered. "She's here."
The wall behind them burst inward. Stone chunks flew everywhere. Elena screamed as Lucian pulled her down, covering her with his body.
When the dust settled, Amara stood in the hole in the wall. But she looked different. Her silver hair now had lines of black running through it. Her bright eyes had turned dark blue. And behind her, half-formed but getting stronger, was the shadow with Lucian's sister's face.
"Found you," Amara said with a wicked smile.
Lucian pushed Elena toward the far cave. "Run!"
As Elena ran, she heard fighting break out behind her. Lucian and Izzy against Amara and the Shadow Walker. The sounds of the fight echoed through the tunnels as she ran blindly, her arm lighting the way.
She turned a corner and crashed into someone. Strong hands caught her before she could fall.
Elena looked up, ready to fight. But it wasn't Amara or one of her vampires.
It was Victor.
"I told you," he said, his face grim. "You can't escape your destiny."
Behind them, the tunnel fell with a thunderous roar. Elena was stuck.