CHAPTER 12 — THE FATHER I NEVER KNEW
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
My mother stood beneath the broken stained-glass window, tears running silently down her face.
Behind her, moonlight spilled across the chapel floor.
And all I could hear was one sentence.
He isn't dead.
My father.
Subject Zero.
The first child.
The man who had created this nightmare.
I stared at her.
“You're saying my father is still alive?”
She nodded.
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I know how it sounds.”
“You've lied to me for years.”
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
“By hiding the truth?”
“Yes.”
“By allowing them to monitor my son?”
Her lips trembled.
“I had no choice.”
“There is always a choice.”
She looked at Noah.
“I thought I had already lost you once.”
I froze.
“What does that mean?”
She closed her eyes.
“Your father wanted you before you were born.”
“Why?”
“Because of your blood.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Because it's true.”
I stepped closer.
“What exactly is wrong with my blood?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why does everyone want it?”
“Because you carry a genetic variation that your father spent his entire life trying to create.”
I stared.
“Create?”
“Yes.”
“You said he was the first experiment.”
“He was.”
“Then how did he become Subject Zero?”
My mother looked toward the chapel door.
“He was born into it.”
I frowned.
“Born into what?”
“A family that believed blood was destiny.”
She sat on the nearest pew.
Her hands shook.
“Your father's family had been studying inherited diseases for generations. When he was born, they discovered something unusual.”
“The mutation.”
“Yes.”
“Pain resistance.”
“Yes.”
“But I thought it was rare.”
“It was.”
“Then how did they discover it?”
“They hurt him.”
My stomach turned.
“Your grandmother believed pain could reveal genetic differences. She tested him when he was a child.”
I looked at Noah.
My son was still trembling.
I pulled him closer.
My mother continued.
“He learned very young that crying didn't help.”
“And your father?”
“He became obsessed with proving he wasn't broken.”
“So he became a scientist.”
“Yes.”
“And started the experiments.”
“He believed he could perfect the mutation.”
I shook my head.
“You mean he wanted to make people like him.”
“No.”
She looked at me.
“He wanted to make someone better.”
I felt sick.
“Better?”
“A person who could survive what he couldn't.”
“That's Noah.”
She nodded.
“That's why they want him.”
I stared at her.
“And Ryan?”
“Ryan inherited part of the mutation.”
“And Evan?”
“Another part.”
“And Michael?”
She looked toward the boy.
“Michael was an early attempt.”
Michael lowered his head.
I knelt beside him.
“You're not an attempt.”
He looked at me.
“I know.”
His voice was small.
“Evan told me that.”
My eyes filled with tears.
Then I remembered something.
I stood.
“Where is Evan?”
My mother looked frightened.
“Who?”
“Evan.”
“I don't know.”
“He was captured.”
“By whom?”
“Your husband.”
She stared.
“Ryan?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
“The man pretending to be Thomas.”
Her face went white.
“Subject Zero.”
“Yes.”
She stood immediately.
“You have to leave.”
“Why?”
“Because if he has Evan, he's close.”
“Where?”
She looked around the chapel.
“The old crypt.”
I frowned.
“There's a crypt?”
“Yes.”
“Under the chapel.”
I looked at the floor.
“Where?”
She pointed toward the altar.
“Beneath it.”
I walked over.
There was an iron ring hidden beneath a rug.
I pulled.
A stone panel moved.
Cold air rose from below.
Noah grabbed my hand.
“Mom…”
“I know.”
My mother stepped forward.
“Don't go down there.”
I turned.
“Why?”
“Because that's where your father kept me.”
I froze.
“What?”
She swallowed.
“For three years.”
I stared at her.
“Your father imprisoned you?”
“He thought I knew where you were.”
“Where I was?”
“Yes.”
“I was with you.”
“No.”
Her voice broke.
“Not all the time.”
I didn't understand.
She looked at me.
“Claire, you were taken when you were six.”
I felt my blood run cold.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I don't remember.”
“They erased parts of your memory.”
“Who?”
“Your father.”
I stumbled backward.
Noah caught my hand.
“Mom?”
I forced myself to breathe.
“What happened to me?”
My mother looked at me.
“You were Subject 16.”
Silence.
I stared at her.
“No.”
“You were.”
“Then why don't I remember?”
“Because Thomas erased the records.”
“Why?”
“Because you escaped.”
I looked at the documents.
The numbers.
The names.
The children.
“Subject 17 was Noah.”
“Yes.”
“Subject 18 was Michael.”
“Yes.”
“Then what was Subject 16?”
My mother whispered,
“You.”
I felt dizzy.
Everything suddenly seemed to connect.
My father.
The experiments.
My mother.
Noah.
Ryan.
The genetic marker.
The memories I couldn't explain.
The nightmares I'd had since childhood.
The fear of locked doors.
The panic whenever I smelled antiseptic.
I had always thought they were childhood memories.
They weren't.
They were fragments.
I looked at my mother.
“Why did you let me believe I had a normal childhood?”
“Because you deserved one.”
“You should have told me.”
“I was afraid.”
“Of him?”
“Yes.”
“And Diane?”
“Yes.”
“And Thomas?”
“Yes.”
“Who wasn't afraid?”
She looked toward the underground passage.
“Evan.”
I closed my eyes.
Evan.
Always Evan.
The only one who had tried to expose everything.
The only one who had protected Michael.
The only one who had tried to save Noah.
I stepped toward the opening.
“We're going down.”
My mother grabbed my arm.
“Claire.”
“I have to find Evan.”
“You don't understand.”
“I understand enough.”
“You might find your father.”
I looked at her.
“Good.”
“He will recognize you.”
“Good.”
“He'll try to manipulate you.”
“He won't get the chance.”
She shook her head.
“You don't know what he's capable of.”
I looked down at Noah.
“I know exactly what I'm capable of.”
I took his hand.
“Protecting my child.”
Michael stepped beside us.
“I'll come.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
“I know the tunnels.”
“You're staying here.”
“No.”
He looked at Noah.
“We stay together.”
Noah nodded.
My heart broke.
Two children who had learned too early that adults couldn't always be trusted.
I nodded.
“Fine.”
My mother picked up a flashlight.
“Then I'm coming too.”
We descended.
The staircase was ancient.
Stone walls.
Damp air.
The deeper we went, the colder it became.
After several minutes, we reached a corridor.
My mother stopped.
“This is it.”
I looked ahead.
A metal door.
On it was a symbol.
A circle with three lines through it.
“What is that?”
“My father's symbol.”
I touched it.
A strange sensation ran through my hand.
A memory flashed.
A little girl.
Me.
Sitting on the floor.
A man kneeling in front of me.
He was smiling.
“Don't be afraid.”
Then a needle.
A bright light.
A scream.
I stumbled backward.
My mother caught me.
“Claire?”
I pressed my hand to my head.
“I remember.”
“What?”
“He told me not to scream.”
My mother began crying.
“I know.”
“He said it wouldn't hurt.”
She nodded.
“It did.”
I looked at her.
“You were there.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you stop him?”
“I tried.”
“Then why?”
“Because he had a gun.”
I stared.
“He threatened to kill you.”
“Yes.”
“And you obeyed.”
“Yes.”
I looked at the door.
“Then let's finish what we started.”
I opened it.
The room beyond was enormous.
Old machines lined the walls.
Cameras.
Medical equipment.
Computer terminals.
And in the center—
a chair.
Someone was sitting in it.
Evan.
His hands were tied.
Blood stained his shirt.
I ran toward him.
“Evan!”
He lifted his head.
“Claire.”
I untied him.
“Are you hurt?”
“I'm fine.”
“You're bleeding.”
“I've had worse.”
“Where's Ryan?”
His face changed.
“He's alive.”
“Where?”
“In the next room.”
I turned.
A second door stood across the room.
I ran to it.
Locked.
“Ryan!”
No answer.
“Ryan!”
A weak voice came through.
“Claire.”
I almost cried.
“I’m here.”
“I knew you would come.”
“I’m getting you out.”
Evan walked toward the control panel.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“The door is electronically locked.”
“Can you open it?”
“Yes.”
He entered a sequence.
The door opened.
Ryan was sitting against the wall.
His hands were tied.
His face was bruised.
I rushed to him.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded.
“I'm sorry.”
I untied him.
“You're going to explain everything.”
“I will.”
“Not now.”
He looked at Noah.
“Is he safe?”
Noah ran into his arms.
Ryan held him tightly.
“I'm sorry.”
Noah whispered,
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“Are you going to tell Grandma to stop?”
Ryan closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
“And you're not going to tell me to keep secrets anymore?”
Ryan's voice broke.
“No.”
Noah hugged him tighter.
I looked away.
I couldn't watch.
Not because it wasn't beautiful.
Because I was afraid I'd forgive Ryan too quickly.
He had failed our son.
But he was trying to make it right.
And that mattered.
Suddenly, the entire facility shook.
The lights flickered.
Evan looked toward the monitors.
“What's happening?”
One screen turned on.
A countdown appeared.
05:00
I stared.
“What is that?”
Evan's face went pale.
“Self-destruct.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“The facility is going to collapse.”
Ryan stood.
“Can you stop it?”
“No.”
“How long?”
“Five minutes.”
I grabbed Noah.
“We're leaving.”
Then another screen activated.
A live video appeared.
Diane.
She was standing beside a table.
And on that table—
a syringe.
She smiled at the camera.
“Claire.”
I stepped closer.
“Where is my mother?”
Diane laughed.
“Still asking the wrong question.”
“What do you want?”
“I want the child.”
“You're not getting Noah.”
“You don't have a choice.”
“I always have a choice.”
Diane looked toward another camera.
The image changed.
A hospital room.
My mother.
Bound to a chair.
A man standing behind her.
Thomas.
No.
Not Thomas.
Subject Zero.
My father.
I stared.
The man looked directly into the camera.
Then he smiled.
“Hello, Claire.”
My knees almost gave out.
He knew me.
He remembered me.
He had been watching me all along.
My father spoke again.
“You've grown.”
I couldn't speak.
Ryan stood beside me.
“Who is that?”
I whispered,
“My father.”
The screen went black.
Then a final message appeared.
YOU HAVE FOUR MINUTES.
Evan looked toward the exit.
“We need to move.”
We ran.
The corridor shook beneath our feet.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Alarms screamed.
My mother was still somewhere inside the estate.
Diane had her.
My father had her.
And somewhere in that maze of tunnels was the truth about my childhood.
We reached a junction.
Evan stopped.
“Left.”
Ryan pointed right.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because the east exit collapsed.”
Evan frowned.
“How do you know?”
Ryan looked at him.
“Because I've been here before.”
Evan froze.
“You remember?”
Ryan nodded.
“Fragments.”
“When?”
“When I was a teenager.”
“You were brought here too?”
“Yes.”
I stared at him.
“How many secrets have you been carrying?”
Ryan looked at me.
“Too many.”
The building shook again.
A huge crack appeared in the wall.
“Later,” I shouted.
We ran left.
At the end was a steel staircase.
We climbed.
One floor.
Two.
Three.
The alarms became deafening.
Then we reached a door.
Evan opened it.
We emerged behind the estate.
Night air hit us.
We ran toward the cars.
Then—
BOOM.
The ground shook.
The west wing collapsed.
Fire erupted from the windows.
I turned.
“My mother.”
Ryan grabbed my arm.
“We can't go back.”
“Yes, we can.”
“Claire, it's collapsing.”
“My mother is in there.”
“I know.”
“No!”
I pulled away.
Evan stopped me.
“Claire.”
“Let me go.”
“I know where she is.”
I froze.
“What?”
He pointed toward the burning mansion.
“She isn't inside.”
“How do you know?”
“Because your father moved her before the explosion.”
“Where?”
Evan looked toward the forest.
“He took her to the chapel.”
I stared.
We had just left the chapel.
“No.”
Evan shook his head.
“Not the old chapel.”
“The new one.”
“There's another?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
He pointed toward the hill.
A small stone building stood among the trees.
A light was burning inside.
I grabbed Noah's hand.
“We're going.”
Ryan followed.
Michael followed.
Evan ran ahead.
We reached the building.
The door was open.
Inside was silent.
Too silent.
My mother was gone.
Diane was gone.
But a chair stood in the center.
And on it was a photograph.
I picked it up.
It showed me as a little girl.
Standing beside my father.
On the back was handwriting.
YOU ASKED ME TO FORGET.
I stared.
“I asked him?”
Evan looked at the photograph.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He swallowed.
“Because you were the one who discovered what he was doing.”
I looked at him.
“What did I discover?”
Evan pointed toward the photograph.
“Look at your hand.”
I turned it over.
I was holding something.
A small silver key.
The same symbol as the laboratory.
My mother had once told me I had lost a key as a child.
I had never known what it opened.
Then I saw another note beneath the photograph.
THE KEY OPENS THE ROOM WHERE THE FIRST CHILD WAS BORN.
I looked at Evan.
“Where is that?”
He stared at the note.
Then slowly looked toward the floor.
“Under the Carter estate.”
I felt a chill.
“The estate just collapsed.”
“Not all of it.”
“What remains?”
Evan pointed beneath our feet.
“The original house.”
I frowned.
“The house under the house.”
Ryan looked at him.
“There's another level?”
Evan nodded.
“That's where my father was born.”
I stared at the key.
“And that's where Subject Zero began.”
A sound came from outside.
A car engine.
We rushed to the window.
A black SUV disappeared down the road.
Diane was driving.
My mother was in the passenger seat.
And behind them—
my father.
He looked back through the rear window.
Straight at me.
Then he raised one hand.
In it was Noah's blue blanket.
My blood ran cold.
He had taken it from the house.
Noah saw it too.
“Mom…”
I pulled him against me.
My father had my mother.
He had taken Noah's blanket.
And somewhere beneath the ruins of the Carter estate was the room where the entire nightmare had begun.
Evan looked at me.
“We have one chance.”
“What chance?”
“Find the original room before your father reaches it.”
“Why?”
“Because if he gets there first…”
“What?”
Evan looked at Noah.
“He'll finally have what he's been searching for his entire life.”
“What?”
“The original genetic formula.”
I stared at Noah.
Then at the burning estate.
Then at the road where my father had disappeared.
The countdown had ended.
But the nightmare hadn't.
It had only begun.
May you like
And this time—
my father had taken the people I loved most.
