Nothing Must Happen (Part 2)
Gabriel snatched the phone from Noah's hand, destroyed all communication and listening devices, then hoisted Alison back onto his back.
He sprinted toward the barbed wire fence as he mimicked a bird's call urgently.
Soon, the same call echoed from outside the fence.
"We're getting out," Gabriel shouted.
A figure ran over and draped a piece of felt over the barbed wire. "Quick."
But the fence was too high. Gabriel couldn't move faster while carrying Alison.
Behind them, light flooded in.
Alison turned in terror as a blinding beam stung her eyes.
Inside the estate, someone yelled, "Quick! Over there! Surround them! Don't let them escape!"
Gunfire erupted in rapid succession.
A gunshot boomed. She felt a sharp, numbing pain in her arm.
"Go, Jack," she gritted out to Gabriel.
But before she could finish, another bullet struck her. Pain made beads of sweat instantly form on her forehead. Yet she dared not make a sound.
In the darkness, Gabriel felt Alison trembling against his back. He tore a piece of felt from the barbed wire and used it to cover her body before wrapping himself in it and beginning to climb upward.
The gunfire outside continued relentlessly, but the bulletproof material blocked every shot.
"Hurry! You're about a meter from the top!” Officer Clark's men urged from outside the wire.
Gabriel strained upward.
"Watch out!" A sudden shout came from beyond the wire.
In the darkness, he pulled the rope tied to his body, arched his back, and quickly pushed Alison over the barbed wire.
"You go down first, Alison." Before his words had fully left his mouth, he shoved her hard.
With a thud, she landed heavily on the ground.
Just then, someone beside her yanked her violently.
"Watch out!"
Officer Clark rolled her away from the fence. Then, a deafening roar erupted behind them.
She froze.
"Jack..." she cried out desperately.
The barbed wire lay mangled and torn, riddled with gaping holes.
"Where are you, Jack?" Ignoring her gunshot wound, she scrambled to her feet, determined to find him.
"Don't move." Officer Clark immediately pressed her head down and waved his hand to the men behind him. “Move out! We must find Mr. Winston.”
The police, clad in bulletproof vests, charged forward.
Officer Clark had received intelligence a while back, knowing this was the best chance to take down the leaders of the Arctic Bear Alliance in one fell swoop. However, he had underestimated Matthew's reflexes.
Chaos swirled before Alison's eyes, she was hoisted onto a stretcher.
"No, put me down! I need to see Jack myself to make sure he's alive!” she screamed, the image of Jack being thrown from the yacht replaying in her mind.
"Please calm down, Ms. Fairchild. We won't abandon Mr. Winston. We will rescue him. Please trust us," the police officer reassured her.
She rolled off the stretcher, a searing pain shooting through her body. Ignoring the agony, she sprinted toward the explosion.
Police officers gave chase behind her.
"This won't save him, and you're putting yourself in danger, Ms. Fairchild," the officer's voice echoed behind her. "What about your children?"
She halted, staring blankly at the spot where Jack had pushed her to the ground.
"This area is too dangerous. We must leave now, Ms. Fairchild.” The officer rushed forward urgently.
Alison shook her head and crouched down.
"I want to wait for him here. We should leave together," she murmured, her lips trembling as she spoke.
"Please go now, Ms. Fairchild," the officer urged again.