REBORN: MEET MY BROTHERS-Chapter 60: ESCAPE

Not wanting to take any more risks, Ava stretched herself as far as she could, balancing on the tips of her toes while loosening the screws that held the vent cover.

She made a mistake by not doing this earlier. Her arms trembled from the effort, and her injured wrist screamed in protest, but she gritted her teeth and kept going.

When the final screw came loose, Ava smiled, a little relieved that she managed to pull this off without getting in trouble. She carefully pulled the vent cover away, and held it tightly in her uninjured hand.

This was her only shot at escaping. She needed something, anything, to defend herself and create a distraction. The vent cover wasn’t much, but it was solid and it had sharp edges she could use if things went south.

Stepping off the chair with care, Ava scanned the room for anything else she could use. Her eyes landed on a stray fork near the table leg, and she smiled. It wasn’t much, but it could do the trick.

Ava picked up the fork before walking to the door. She exhaled sharply as she pressed her ears on the door. The only thing she could hear was the faint laughter of one of the men.

At first she was confused, wondering why she was only hearing one person’s voice, but then she remembered hearing the second man leave earlier. He murmured something about meeting somebody.

Her heart pounded as she realized this might be her only opportunity. She had a chance of escaping with only one guard if she could catch him off guard, maybe knock him unconscious with the vent cover.

Trying to control her trembling body, Ava closed her eyes as she positioned herself behind the door. Her back was pressed firmly against the wall as she prayed silently. Then, exhaling sharply, she opened her eyes again. She held the fork tightly before throwing it with all her strength at the metal table.

The loud clank from the contact echoed throughout the room.

The man that sat down lazily close to the door jerked as he heard the sound. "What the hell?!" He muttered and walked to the door.

Ava’s legs felt like jelly when she heard the jingle of keys from the other side. Her breathing hitched when the lock clicked open, and her heart hammered so loudly, she was sure he’d heard it.

Sweat trickled down her forehead as she pressed herself tighter against the wall. She gripped the vent cover so hard that her knuckles turned white.

The door creaked softly as it swung open.

Ava froze.

The man’s first step into the room had Ava holding her breath. She didn’t dare to move.

Ava squeezed her eyes in fear with his second step, and by the third step, her chest burned from holding her breath but she didn’t dare let it out.

When she finally opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of the man’s tattooed hand that swung loosely at his side as he moved further into the room. He was so close now, but he wasn’t aware that she was behind the door.

This was her chance.

Ava prayed silently as she quietly nudged the door just enough to give her room to move.

The man didn’t even have time to react. Before he caught on with what was going on, Ava was already behind him.

She yelled desperately as she swung the vent cover with all the strength she could muster to his head.

The sharp edge of the cover hit the side of the man’s head, and he screamed in pain as he stumbled forward. Ava’s heart sank when she realized it was not enough to knock him out as she had hoped.

Her body shook violently as she noticed the blood that trickled from the side of his face.

"You little piece of shit!" He yelled in anger as he clutched his bleeding head.

Ava took an instinctive step back when he looked at her. Her face paled as he took a step toward her. She raised the vent cover again. "Stay back!" She shouted but the man did not stop.

Instead, he laughed maniacally as he wiped the blood from his face with his sleeves. "Oh, you’re gonna regret that, girl!"

Ava’s knees felt weak when the man pulled out a knife from behind him.

"I was ordered to keep you here, but nobody said a thing about keeping you in one piece!"

Her body trembled even more. "C-come closer a-and I’ll m-make it w-worse!" Even she didn’t believe herself when her voice shook this much.

The man laughed once more before charging toward her. Without thinking, Ava swung the vent again but the man was fast and strong enough to catch the metal.

Ava’s face drained of color. Goosebumps peppered her skin, and when the man smiled with malice in his eyes, tears pooled in her eyes. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She was going to die!

Her pulse pounded until it reached deafening levels as the man tossed the vent away with so much force that made her back into the wall.

Still smiling, he held out the knife and was about to attack her when she reached into her pocket and threw the sawdust she placed inside into the air.

The man screamed as the sawdust entered his eyes. His hands flew up to rub them instantly. "You little-!" He stumbled back. "I’ll kill you for this!"

Ava didn’t wait. She immediately pushed him away from the door and ran outside.

The man staggered as he cursed at Ava, clawing at his face, but Ava didn’t look back. Her heart pounded like drum as she ran through the dimly lit hallway.

"Get back here!" He yelled behind her.

Ava’s chest burned from her rapid heartbeats, but she didn’t turn back. Spotting the elevator door, Ava hurried to it and tapped desperately on the button.

She continuously glanced back as she waited for the elevator but when she noticed it was coming from the ground floor, the thought that one of the men were returning to the floor made her stomach drop.

She needed to find another exit -fast.

Her face paled when she heard heavy footsteps behind her. He was chasing her. She whimpered softly as she looked around, but when she noticed a corner, Ava ran to it with all her might that she almost slipped in the haste.

Immediately she turned to the corner, the elevator door opened and the bald man stepped inside the hallway. He almost collided with the other man who could barely see.

"She’s escaping!" The man yelled when he finally recognized the blad man. "Take the elevator! She’s heading to the stairs!"

The bald man didn’t have time to think. He quickly entered the elevator again, while the other man kept chasing her.

Ava kept running even if her lungs burned, and her feet screamed in protest. Spotting the door with ’EXIT’ written boldly on it, she hurriedly opened the door and began running down the stairs.

Soon, she reached the bottom of the stairs and burst through the door into the hospital lobby. Her eyes darted around wildly, moving past the bustling place filled with nurses, patients, visitors, as she scanned for an escape route.

Ava wanted to scream for help, but she was afraid. What if someone here worked for Matilda? She decided to keep a low profile until she was out of the hospital.

Her heart hammered as she ducked her head, pulling her messy hair forward to cover her face as she tried to blend in, but it wasn’t working. Not with the blood that smeared her clothes from her bleeding wrist, and her disheveled hair. People were already staring at her curiously, but she didn’t care.

Right after she hurriedly walked past the elevator door, the soft ding made her freeze. She turned instinctively to see the panicked bald man walking out of it. His eyes darted everywhere as he stepped into the floor. He was looking for her. Ava’s stomach twisted in horror as the man’s eyes finally landed on her.

Thinking quickly, she turned immediately and started walking faster. The man noticed her sudden increased pace and hurriedly followed her.

Ava felt her world stop when she pushed past a startled nurse, and he held her shoulders in concern even when she murmured a rushed apology.

"Are you okay, Miss?" The man frowned as he took in her appearance.

Panic flared in her chest, and she was forced to look up at him. "I-i’m fine," she lied, wriggling out of his hand. When she couldn’t free herself, "Please, let me go!" She pleaded, turning back to look at the bald man that had almost caught up to her.

The nurse hesitated, but he eventually released Ava. Ava didn’t waste a second. She ran toward the exit door. Her lungs burned and her legs ached, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t afford to. If she was caught, it was over.

Almost at the door, Ava risked a glance over her shoulders. The blad man was closing in, and panic surged her veins. She decided to run faster even if her whole body protested.

When Ava turned again, a man had appeared out of nowhere and she bumped into him. The impact sent her sprawling to the cold floor.

Pain shot through her palms as she caught herself, but it was nothing compared to the frustration that bubbled inside her.

Why did this keep happening?

Why now?

Ava scrambled to her feet, ready to push past whoever had the audacity to block her path, but strong hands gripped her shoulders. As the man held her, Ava’s body trembled with fear and exhaustion.

"Let me go!" She cried as she twisted the man’s hands.

But then she heard it -a voice she knew all so well.

"Little one?"

Time stilled.

Ava exhaled shakily as she looked up. Her wide, tear-filled eyes landed on the one person she least expected to see.

"Maximus..."