👉 Previous Decision: You chose to break out of the cabin window at night with Lily to search audio bunker #4 directly, or you contacted Evelyn Kincaid who revealed the second audio layer on the tape.
The cabin window, old and unlatched, creaked open. Arthur, with Lily bundled snugly in a carrier strapped to his chest, slipped into the cool night air. The three-mile trek through the thick pine woods was slow, arduous. Every snapping twig, every hoot of an owl, sent a jolt of adrenaline through him. He shielded Lily’s face from low-hanging branches.
When he reached the studio perimeter, the familiar scent of pine and damp earth brought a strange comfort. The front door, still damaged from the previous night, hung loosely on its hinges.
Inside, the studio was a wreck. Equipment lay overturned, cables tangled like snakes. His precious TEAC deck, the centerpiece of his world, sat on the mixer board.
A shadow detached itself from the darkest corner of the room. Julian Finch.
Arthur’s heart pounded. He held Lily closer, instinctively shielding her. Julian wasn’t holding a weapon, not exactly. In his hand, he gripped a heavy, industrial-grade tape bulk-eraser. Its magnetic coil hummed faintly, waiting.
“Arthur,” Julian said, his voice strained, a raw edge to it. He took a step forward, then another. “You have to give me the master reels.”
Arthur stood his ground, his hand tightening into a fist. “Julian, what are you doing here? Did you cut my power? Did you leave that casing?”
Julian shook his head, his eyes darting around the trashed studio. “No. Not me. But I’m here to destroy this.” He gestured with the eraser toward the master tape. “Airing these will get you killed. Before sunrise, Arthur. Army Intelligence will bury you.”
Arthur stared at him, the fear battling with a growing surge of anger. “You expect me to believe that after you send me tapes from a ‘serial killer’?”
“It was the only way,” Julian insisted, his voice laced with desperation. “They’re listening, Arthur. Every frequency. Every word. You don’t understand what you’re up against.”
He lunged, not for Arthur, but for the TEAC deck. Arthur reacted instantly, throwing his body in front of the machine, Lily a precious weight against his chest.
“They’ll kill you!” Julian shouted, his face contorted. “They’ll make it look like an accident! Just like they did with… with the others.”
His hand reached for the reel, the bulk-eraser swinging dangerously close. Arthur pushed back, desperate to protect the only evidence he had.
➡️ Read CHAPTER 7 to continue the story
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