The first gunshot cracked through the abandoned house like a whip, sharp and sudden. It was followed almost immediately by a second, then a third, the sounds echoing down the rotting corridors and bouncing off the damp concrete walls. Betty’s head snapped toward the noise, her carefully composed expression shattering into pure panic. More shots rang out, rapid, controlled bursts that could only mean a professional team had breached the building.

“Carry him! Now!” she barked at the men, voice high and frantic. “Follow me! Move!”

Two of the remaining guards hauled Raine up by his broken arms. A broken, involuntary cry tore from his throat as white hot pain...