Chapter 4 - The Escape
The night of her escape brought one of the worst blizzards Aspen had seen in a
decade. The wind howled like a wounded beast, burying the estate under thick
white sheets of ice. Elena knew the weather was deadly, but it was her only
chance. At midnight, using a key she had managed to swipe from a distracted maid, she
unlocked her door.
She wore only her nightclothes, and underneath, a simple bikini. All her warm
winter clothing had been locked in a separate vault to prevent her from running. She
crept down the dark, silent hallway.
As she reached the back security exit, she saw a young guard named Thomas
reading on his phone. She waited, holding her breath. When Thomas stood up to use
the restroom, Elena slipped through the door and into the freezing night.
The freezing mountain air hit her like a physical blow, stealing the breath from her
lungs. "Oh, God," she gasped, shivering violently as her bare feet sank into the deep
snow. "Keep moving. Just keep moving."
Suddenly, the mansion's alarms began to blare, their red lights cutting through the
white darkness. Over the security speakers, Richard's voice boomed: "She's escaped!
Search the perimeter! Find her immediately!"
"Stop right there!" a guard shouted from the patio, spotting her shadow.
Elena didn't look back. She plunged into the thick, dark woods, her skin scraping
May you like
against frozen branches. "Please, Logan, wherever you are... help me," she prayed, tears
freezing instantly on her cheeks as she stumbled into the blinding white wilderness.
