One Wrong Move
Silence ruled the room.
Not the calm kind.
The deadly kind.
Damian didn't move.
Not yet.
His eyes scanned everything.
Walls.
Ceiling.
Floor.
Every inch.
Victor said one wrong step…
So that meant—
The right steps existed.
A faint red blink caught his attention.
Near the corner.
A sensor.
His gaze shifted.
Another.
Then another.
Pressure triggers.
Motion detection.
Layered traps.
Damian exhaled slowly.
Not fear.
Focus.
"Elara…"
He said her name quietly.
The screen flickered again.
She was still there.
Hanging.
Barely conscious.
Her breathing weak.
Her body trembling.
"Stay with me," he murmured.
Even if she couldn't hear him.
His hand moved slowly to his pocket.
Pulling out a small blade.
Not for fighting.
For precision.
Step one.
He moved.
Slow.
Controlled.
His foot landed carefully between two tiles.
No sound.
No reaction.
Step two.
Another careful shift.
A faint click—
Damian froze instantly.
The timer on the screen flickered.
Faster.
A mistake.
But not fatal.
Yet.
Victor's voice echoed again.
"Tsk… I expected better."
Damian didn't respond.
Because now—
He understood something.
This wasn't just about reaching her.
It was about breaking him.
Making him panic.
He wouldn't.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Then—
He changed strategy.
Instead of moving forward—
He crouched.
His fingers brushing the floor lightly.
Feeling the pattern.
The spacing.
The wiring beneath.
A faint smirk touched his lips.
"Predictable…"
Victor went silent.
Because that word—
Was dangerous.
Damian stood slowly.
Then moved again.
Not randomly.
Not guessing.
But knowing.
Step by step.
Tile by tile.
Avoiding every trigger.
The timer slowed.
Victor's voice returned.
This time—
Less amused.
"You think you've won?"
Damian kept walking.
"No," he said calmly.
"I think you're running out of time."
The words hit differently.
Because for the first time—
Victor wasn't fully in control.
Damian reached the end of the room.
A door.
Heavy.
Locked.
He didn't hesitate.
One kick—
The door burst open.
And there—
Elara.
Hanging exactly as he saw.
Weaker now.
Barely holding on.
"Damian…"
Her voice was broken.
But alive.
He moved to her instantly.
Ignoring everything else.
The ropes.
The blood.
The bomb ticking nearby.
"I'm here."
His hands moved quickly.
Cutting the ropes.
Her body collapsed forward—
But he caught her.
Holding her tightly.
"You came…"
She whispered weakly.
"I always do."
For a moment—
Everything faded.
Then—
Beep.
Both of them froze.
Damian's eyes shifted slowly.
The timer.
Faster now.
Much faster.
Victor's voice returned.
Cold.
Final.
"End of the game."
A pause.
"You found her…"
"…but can you leave with her?"
Damian's grip tightened around Elara.
Because now—
The real problem wasn't finding her.
It was escaping alive.