When fate plays its hand

“That was fast,” Miranda remarked in surprise.

Paul gave a slight nod and took a thermos from his bag. “You got caught in the rain, and your clothes are still wet. Here, have some warm water.”

He’d brought a thermos of warm water. As soon as she took a sip, warmth spread through her. By the time she swallowed, her upper body felt comfortably heated.

Miranda couldn’t hide her amazement. “Dr. Jefferson, you even brought warm water!”

Paul didn’t respond, but he met Sam’s questioning gaze.

“You sure came well–prepared, Dr. Jefferson, Sam observed.

Paul’s tone was calm. “I prefer to be prepared. If her injury had been more serious and I hadn’t brought what was needed, the consequences could’ve been severe.”

Sam fell silent, feeling subtly reproached.

Miranda quickly asked, “Dr. Jefferson, do you know the way back?”

Paul glanced at the dark, rain–dampened surroundings. “With the rain and poor visibility, I did keep track of my path on the way here, but to make it back, we’ll still need to take it one step at a time.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “How confident are you?”

“80%,” Paul replied.

Miranda’s face lit up. “Dr. Jefferson, that’s very modest of you. Let’s follow your lead. Maybe we’ll even meet some of the garden staff on the way.”

Both men agreed to the plan. But then…

“Aren’t you going to rest a bit?” Paul asked.

Miranda shook her head. “No, I think it’s best if we get out as soon as possible.”

For the remainder of the journey, Sam carried her while Paul lit the way with his flashlight. Although they moved together as a group, the atmosphere was noticeably less friendly. Silence stretched between them, each man lost in his own thoughts.

Normally, Miranda would have felt awkward enough to want to sink into the ground, but her head felt foggy at the moment. It was likely from the rain, and she drifted toward sleep. Just as she was about to

nod off, Paul broke the silence..

“Mr. Cooper, would you like to switch?” he offered.

Sam brushed off his hand and replied coolly, “No need She’s light.”

Paul glanced at him and noticed that Miranda was nearly asleep. Swapping would only disturb her further, so he let the matter drop.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a faint glow appeared in the darkness. Though barely there, Miranda, who was now awake, immediately noticed. “There’s light up ahead! Let’s go that way!”

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Sam complied, and about ten minutes later, the three of them found the exit of the climate–controlled tropical zone.

Paul examined the sign overhead. “It’s the exit.”

Miranda sighed in relief. “Finally, we’re getting out of here!” Her enthusiasm was contagious, and even Sam couldn’t help but smile.

The exit was a reinforced glass door with a fingerprint lock. When Paul entered earlier, the door had been. open, so he passed through easily. But now, the door was closed.

He approached cautiously, wary of triggering any alarms. Next to the lock was a device that looked like an emergency intercom. After inspecting it, he spotted a paging button just above the device.

He hesitated, wondering if he should press it. Yet before he could decide, Sam, who was still carrying Miranda, stepped forward and hit the button without hesitation.

“You-” Paul began, but it was too late to stop him.

Sam shrugged. “What’s with the hesitation? Isn’t the yellow alarm button there precisely for emergencies? “With that, he pressed it a few more times.

Paul frowned, but Sam only felt that he was too hesitant, not nearly decisive enough. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

However, after two minutes, there was still no response from the other side.