27

~ Ellie ~

I ran out of breath once I reached my brother. I snatched the camera and unplugged it. “If this is here, then who knows how many are around this place,” I said distressedly. Brad has been spying on everyone here. This is how he knew where we were at all times.

“What the hell are we going to do?? Cameras could be anywhere.” Ryan explained.

That is a valid point, Brad could place them in areas we haven't considered. I turned to Kaylee for answers. “Ugh!! Not only that, an unknown person is roaming the building.” She said as she rubbed her hands through her hair. I suggested that we should get Kevin so he could figure this out. Evan's face went into confusion as he didn’t like the idea.

I explained to my brother about the situation, and he was okay with it now. Since we have evidence, we can bring him to his knees. Kaylee paced up and down the room, and I tried to calm her down. She needs to shut down the building until further notice.

“I don’t want to do that. So much work has been put in this year. I can’t just close now. I will lose money.”

She has to make the right choice. We don't know what is going to happen. Leaving is the safe bet, plus we can work at home. Kaylee dashed to put out the announcement. Everyone must leave immediately. The security guards help spread the message and get people out. If they see anybody without proper access must be taken in. The company was on high alert.

My twin and I stayed to help. We went to the basement to check the cameras, and Evan was stunned by the scenery. I know, right. However, we don't have time for this. “Keep an eye out for this guy. He was spotted on the third floor.” I said.

“Who are we looking for exactly?” Evan question.

I toss the badge on the table. “That’s who we are looking for.”

He began to ask more questions about it. Was it obvious? Why would Kaylee hire someone new during this? Why be on the B floor? Where the badge says C?? Which is three floors down?? He shouldn’t have access to the floor. If he rode the elevator up with someone who works with the production, why didn’t anyone stop him? Those questions have been in my head since I met him. Our lives are in danger. This person could be planning something, and we wouldn't know. The radio came on, talking about an unfamiliar face spotted on floor E. That's where the central system is; it connects to the power grid as well. If he gets in there, then we are fucked.

We took the stairwell to reach the floor. Once we stepped into the hallway, a loud boom was heard. “What. The. Fuck. Was that?” Kaylee said. The blast was so loud it shook the building. The lights went out.

“Shit,” I said. This is what I was talking about. Suddenly, a masked man exited the room and into the darkness. Evan chased after him making sure he didn't get away. Where did that explosion come from?? The security alarm finally went off, which triggered a lockdown sequence.

“The building is now in a code black. This means we are locked in here until the system gets rewired. This is not good for us.” Kaylee nervously said.

"What the fuck is happening?!? What is he trying to do?"

A cell phone rang, which scared us. Kevin has gotten most of the employees out before the lockdown, but others are still trapped inside. When he was discussing the situation, another explosion went off below us, and we were cut off. Kaylee went into a panic state, and her breathing became uncontrollable.

I tried to ease the pain, as panicking won't help now. We need to get out of here. So, I dragged her into the room. "Motherfucker! He smashed the system. We have to go down to the basement. I have a backup system there.”

I nodded and took Kaylee’s shirt to avoid losing her. A message appeared on my phone, which paused my movements. I shivered in fear as it was a video of Aria.

"Ell-Ells... I'm okay; please don't come looking for m- AH!" She fell onto the bed; Brad appeared on the screen. His eyes were demented like he had lost all of his human ways. His smirk was unsettling as he caressed Aria's hair.

"I know you want to save your friend, right? You can't save her if the police are on your tail. If they keep coming, then she will perish."

Aria screams, 'Don't come,' but he shuts her up by hitting her again. He lifts her by the hair, bringing her close to his body. I was traumatized; tears flowed down my cheeks as I witnessed this with my eyes.

"It's funny how things work, huh, Ellie? You will be my greatest catch soon. As I said about the police, keep them off. If not, she will have the same faith as him." He pans the camera over Nate's limp body. Blood dripped from his mouth; I knew he was dead.

“I also want—” Brad pulls up his shirt to reveal a nasty bruise. Was that the area Kevin hit him? “An apology from your little boyfriend. He caused me a lot of damage to my ribs. He needs to pay, and the only thing that could hurt him is seeing you in danger. Oh, Kaylee. Sorry about the company; I had a good time.” He said as he began to laugh maniacally.

My life is a complete wreck; everything is falling apart. I fell to the floor in disbelief– Kaylee took my arm and pulled me up. "We can't sit here; we need to rewire the building. I can't let him destroy what my family has built,” she said. I got to my feet and wiped my tears. We raced down the stairs to stop this.