Hex POV
The gas spread faster than I expected.
One second Kaiser's guards were shouting.
The next second the entire room filled with thick, pale smoke.
People started coughing everywhere.
"Let go!" Jay's voice cut through the chaos.
Chairs fell.
Ropes snapped.
Everyone rushed toward the exit.
Perfect.
I quickly untied the last knot around one guard wrist . The room spun slightly from the fumes but I ignored it.
Across the room I could barely see shapes moving through the gas.
Nathan cutting ropes.
Carlos pulling Miguel up.
Felix and Ci-N already stumbling toward the door.
Jay grabbed Keifer's arm.
"Let's go!"
For a moment everything looked like it was going according to plan.
Then suddenly—
A hand grabbed my shirt collar from behind.
Hard.
I jerked backward.
"What—?!"
Through the foggy gas I saw the blurred outline of someone standing behind me.
Kaiser.
Kaiser Watson
His grip tightened around my shirt.
"You're not going anywhere."
I tried to twist away but the gas cloud was thick. My eyes burned and my lungs protested with every breath.
"Let go," I growled.
He pulled harder.
"You think I'd let the little brother escape?"
I couldn't see clearly.
The room spun.
Coughs echoed everywhere.
Some of his guards were already unconscious on the floor.
I tried kicking backward.
My foot slammed into Kaiser's leg.
He grunted but didn't release me.
Instead he dragged me slightly back into the center of the room.
"Stay still."
Bad move.
I swung my elbow backward.
Missed.
My lungs suddenly burned.
The gas.
I had inhaled too much.
My head started spinning.
No no no…
Not now.
I needed to get out.
Desperately I grabbed the nearest object.
A chair.
I lifted it and swung it backward with everything I had.
CRASH!
The chair smashed into Kaiser's shoulder.
His grip finally loosened.
I staggered forward immediately, ripping the rest of my shirt free from his hand.
"Damn kid—!" Kaiser shouted somewhere behind me.
But I didn't stop.
I ran.
Or at least tried to run.
My legs felt strange.
Heavy.
The gas was hitting me hard now.
I stumbled through the thick smoke toward where I thought the exit was.
Everything looked blurry.
Shapes moved around me but I couldn't tell who they were.
Somewhere I heard Keifer shouting.
"Everyone out!"
Then Carlos's voice.
"Go go go!"
Then the sound of doors slamming.
Engines starting.
They made it out.
Good.
I just had to reach the door too.
My foot kicked something on the ground.
A guard.
Unconscious.
I staggered past him.
My vision darkened around the edges.
"Come on…" I muttered.
Just a few more steps.
Finally cool air hit my face.
The doorway.
I pushed through it and stumbled outside.
Fresh night air filled my lungs.
But it didn't help much.
The gas had already done its damage.
My head spun violently.
The world tilted sideways.
I grabbed the wall to keep myself standing.
"…Shit"
My voice sounded weak.
I looked toward the long driveway.
Empty.
No cars.
No people.
Just the quiet night.
My chest tightened.
"They… left?"
No.
Jay wouldn't leave me.
Maybe they were just further down the road.
I tried walking.
My legs barely cooperated.
The lights outside the mansion blurred together.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
I reached the edge of the driveway and looked around again.
Still nothing.
The dizziness worsened.
Black spots filled my vision.
"See you soon…" I mumbled.
My knees buckled slightly.
I leaned against a tree to keep from collapsing.
The last thing I remembered was the distant sound of footsteps behind me.
Then everything slowly faded into darkness.