I held my breath, pressing my back against the dirt wall.

The key was still clutched in my hand.

We waited in the dark, listening to the hunt begin above.

The floorboards groaned as heavy boots paced the cabin.

They were searching for us.

I closed my eyes, my heart beating a frantic rhythm in the damp silence.

The game was no longer about inheritance.

It was about survival.

And the truth was buried deep beneath the dirt.

I felt Ana’s hand touch my shoulder, a silent reassurance.

We had to keep moving.

The tunnel lay ahead, dark and silent.

I turned and began to crawl forward into the earth.

Following the faint smell of the river.

Hoping it would lead us to the light.

Hoping we were fast enough to escape the shadow of my family.

The dirt was cold beneath my hands.

The sounds above grew fainter, replaced by the rush of water.

We were close.

But the dark was closing in.

And the phone in my pocket began to vibrate once more.

A single, long buzz.

The screen lit up the narrow tunnel.