Chapter 5 - Locked in the VaultA cold, mocking voice echoed through the vault’s intercom speakers.
"Did you really think I didn't know you'd come back for this, Clara?"
On the primary vault monitor, Julian’s face appeared. He was holding a glass of scotch, smiling with icy malice from his upstairs office.
"You always were too smart for your own good," Julian chuckled softly. "You survived the casket, my dear, but you won't survive oxygen deprivation. This vault is soundproof, sealed, and air-tight. In forty-five minutes, you and your little boyfriend will simply go to sleep... permanently."
The air conditioning fans shut down with a heavy thud.
"Julian, please!" Clara yelled at the monitor. "Let Leo go! He has nothing to do with this!"
"He interfered with my funeral, my reputation, and my business," Julian snapped, his eyes hardening. "He dies beside you. Enjoy your second burial."
The monitor clicked off. Silence settled over the vault as the temperature began to rise, and the oxygen levels slowly plummeted.
Leo pulled a heavy steel fire extinguisher from the wall and slammed it against the bulletproof glass observation window, but it didn't even leave a scratch.
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"It's useless," Leo gasped, wiping sweat from his forehead as the air thinned. "We're trapped."
"No," Clara said, her eyes flashing with determination. She looked at the server terminal. "Julian locked the physical door, but he forgot one thing... Vance still has access to the secondary security grid."
