[INT. OLD HOUSE – BASEMENT – NIGHT]
Rain leaks through the cracks above. Shadows crawl along the walls like ghosts.
Harriet clutches Fred's hand, her knuckles white.
His blood pools beneath him — hot, sticky, and real.
Rufei, bound now by two of Vance's men, struggles against the ropes, teeth clenched in fury.
Liora watches it all unfold with that same cruel smirk.
MR. VANCE
(strolling)
"Your father... he wasn't a saint, Harriet."
He circles her slowly, like a predator.
MR. VANCE
"He made promises. Then he disappeared. And left people like me to rot in the hell he built."
Harriet's voice trembles.
HARRIET
"I don't know what you're talking about—"
Vance grabs her by the chin again.
MR. VANCE
"Oh, but you do. Deep down. Somewhere. The dreams? The nightmares? That house you never went back to — the attic. You saw something, didn't you?"
Harriet blinks.
Her heart drops.
She remembers.
A small box.
A torn letter.
A map she never understood — something her mother made her promise to forget.
Fred coughs beside her, blood on his lips.
FRED
(barely audible)
"Don't give it to him…"
Mr. Vance kneels beside him.
MR. VANCE
"You know, Burrow, I always thought you'd be a smart one. Shame."
He presses the gun to Fred's temple.
Harriet screams.
HARRIET
"Stop!"
Liora leans forward.
LIORA
(sickly sweet)
"Give him what he wants, Harriet. Or we all die tonight."
---
[INT. BETTA'S CAFÉ – SAME TIME]
Betta's hands shake as she redials Fred — again. No answer.
BETTA
(to herself)
"Come on, come on..."
Suddenly, the door bursts open.
CALEN, Fred's sharp-eyed assistant, storms in, soaked in rain. He's younger, clever, quiet — but deadly.
CALEN
"Where is he?"
Betta looks up, startled.
BETTA
"Fred? He— he went after Harriet."
Calen's jaw tightens.
CALEN
"He didn't call backup?"
Betta shakes her head.
BETTA
"No one. Just ran out."
Calen curses under his breath, already dialing someone.
CALEN
(into phone)
"Activate Team Two. Fred's in the field. He's bleeding and compromised."
He turns to Betta.
CALEN
(urgent)
"Do you have Harriet's location?"
Betta opens Harriet's shared location app.
BETTA
"Last pinged… an old farmhouse. Near the northern woods. Wait — it's her childhood address."
Calen's face turns grim.
CALEN
"Of course it is."
---
[INT. OLD HOUSE – BASEMENT – MOMENTS LATER]
Vance stands now, pacing. Fred breathes shallow, still conscious — eyes locked on Harriet.
MR. VANCE
"You'll lead me to the vault, Harriet. Or I'll bury all of you beneath this house."
He signals his men.
They start dragging Fred and Rufei up the stairs.
LIORA
(softly, to Harriet)
"You broke everything. Now you get to lose everything too."
Harriet trembles.
But her eyes are no longer scared.
They burn.
---
[INT. FRED'S SUV – SPEEDING – NIGHT]
Calen drives like the wind, headlights slicing through the fog.
He loads his gun calmly.
CALEN
(to Betta beside him)
"If we're late, Fred dies. If we're early, someone else does."
Betta clutches her seatbelt.
Her heart pounds, but her voice is firm.
BETTA
"Then let's not be late."
---
[INT. OLD HOUSE – UPPER FLOOR – NIGHT]
Fred is tossed to the ground near a crumbling fireplace. Rufei is thrown beside him — both beaten but breathing.
Harriet is dragged behind them, her wrists raw from rope.
Vance gestures to Liora.
MR. VANCE
"Watch them."
He turns to Harriet.
MR. VANCE
"Take me to the vault. Now."
Harriet stares at him.
A flicker of resolve lights behind her tear-stained eyes.
HARRIET
"Fine. It's in the attic."
Vance smiles.
And somewhere below them…
Calen's boot kicks in the back door.
To be continued…
---