Chapter 132 Karma is a bitch!!

Chapter 132: Chapter 132 Karma is a bitch!!

A bell echoed through the pristine, spotless passageway, its sharp sound spreading through the entire building as a warning. Thomas Hart ran down the hallway, his breathing heavy, his shoes striking against the polished floor as he desperately tried to find the apartment where his family had been assigned a room. He kept looking over his shoulder. He was terrified. Every second he spent in the hallway felt like another second closer to death.

Then, while rushing around a corner, Thomas suddenly slammed into someone. "Ah!" He staggered backward.

It wasn’t just one person. Three men in uniform were rushing past him, heading in the exact direction he had come from.

Thomas froze. He knew. He knew exactly what had happened, and worse, he knew what it was going to cause throughout the entire safe zone.

He couldn’t stay. He had to leave. He had to get his family out. The world outside was dangerous, but after what Thomas had discovered, this place was even more deadly. At least outside, there was a chance to run. Here? There was nowhere to hide.

Thomas had discovered what the general had been doing. He had discovered how the general had been permitting the scientists to experiment on families and how everything had been kept hidden from the ordinary survivors. People were disappearing. Families were being selected. Humans were being taken into laboratories and placed under operating tables. And the worst part? The people who went in didn’t come back.

Instead, their families were given excuses. Some were told their relatives had been transferred. Others were told they had been killed while protecting the safe zone. But Thomas had seen the truth. He had seen enough to understand what was really happening. They weren’t being protected. They were being harvested.

His family wasn’t safe. Not even inside this supposedly secure place. Thomas couldn’t bear the thought of seeing his family butchered under an operating table. He had to get them out before the same thing happened to them.

He finally reached the apartment. His hands shook as he opened the door. He rushed inside and immediately headed toward the room that had been assigned to his family. "Mother!" He slammed the door behind him.

Thomas stumbled toward the couch and collapsed onto it, immediately covering his face with both hands. His entire body was shaking.

"Son?" Madison Hart turned toward him. "Son, here you are!" She walked closer, confused by his condition. "What’s happening? Is that not the sound of the alarm bells I’m hearing?"

Thomas slowly lowered his hands. His face was pale. "Is everyone here?" His voice was suddenly sharp. "Tell me. Are they all here?"

Madison blinked. She was shocked that her son had practically yelled at her. "Of course they’re all here." She glanced around the room. "Ava is here, your father is here, and guess who else we invited?" A small smile appeared on her face. "Simon Donovan." She looked pleased with herself. "I don’t even know how I managed to find him, but I invited him for breakfast with us."

She expected Thomas to smile. He didn’t. Instead, his expression became even more desperate. "Send that motherfucker away!"

Madison’s smile disappeared. "Thomas!"

"We have a family discussion to have right now." Thomas stood up. "It can’t be shifted for any reason. If we don’t talk about this now, we’re going to perish." His voice cracked. "And I can’t let that happen to us."

Madison’s cheeks turned pale. She stared at her son. "You still haven’t told me what’s wrong." She stepped closer. "Thomas, I’m your mother. Whatever happened, I can understand. Just tell me."

Thomas trembled. How could he explain it? How could he tell them what he had seen? How could he tell them that the danger wasn’t outside? It was inside their own safe zone. This place was a nightmare. They shouldn’t have come here.

Rich or poor, powerful or helpless, none of it mattered. Inside this facility, people were nothing more than life stocks. Resources. Test subjects. And if the scientists decided their bodies were no longer useful, they could simply be replaced.

Thomas had even heard whispers about substitutes. Clones. Perfect copies that looked exactly like the original person. A family could lose someone and never even realize the person standing beside them wasn’t the same human anymore. The thought made Thomas’s stomach twist.

He opened his mouth. "Mother, we have to—"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Thomas froze. His face immediately changed. It looked as though he had just seen a ghost. "No."

Madison frowned. "What?"

"Don’t open the door." Thomas stood up. "Please, don’t open the door."

Madison stared at him in confusion. "I said speak to me and let me know how I can help you." She grabbed his shoulder. "What did you do?"

Thomas shook his head. "Nothing."

"What offense did you commit that you’re this terrified of?"

Thomas opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The knocking continued. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Ava, who had been sitting farther away and listening to everything, stood up. She glanced toward the door. "There might be someone outside."

Thomas’s eyes widened. "Ava, don’t!"

But she had already walked toward the door. "I’ll just check." ℯℯ𝘭.

"Ava!"

She opened it.

Thomas’s heart dropped. It was too late.

Men wearing military uniforms stormed into the apartment. Several of them immediately grabbed Thomas. "What the hell?!" Madison screamed. "Leave my son!"

The soldiers ignored her. One grabbed Thomas by the arm. Another seized his other arm. "You’re under arrest."

"What?" Thomas struggled. "For what?"

"You need to appeal to the jury immediately. Come with us."

"No!" Madison rushed toward them. "Wait! What did he do?"

One of the soldiers shoved her aside as though she were nothing. "Don’t touch him!"

James Hart and Simon, who had been discussing something in the other room, rushed out after hearing the commotion. James looked completely confused. "What’s happening?" He stared at Thomas being dragged away. "Son?"

Thomas looked toward his father. "Dad!"

James immediately stepped forward. "Leave him alone and let him talk, for goddamn sake, you birdbrains!"

The soldier turned. Without warning—BANG! The butt of a pistol slammed into James’s mouth. Blood immediately spilled from his busted lips.

"Father!" Ava screamed.

James collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

Madison’s eyes widened in horror. "James!"

Ava rushed toward him. "What did you do?!"

Simon stood frozen. He had never expected the military to attack someone inside their own apartment.

Thomas was still being dragged away. "Mom!"

Madison turned toward him. "Thomas!" She rushed after them, but another soldier shoved her back. She fell heavily onto her knees.

"Please!" Her voice cracked. "He’s my only son!" She crawled forward. "I can’t live if he’s gone." Her hands trembled. "Please, I’m old. Look at my age. Have mercy on him."

The soldiers didn’t care. One of them looked down at her. "As he leaves, just know that he is never coming back alive again."

Madison’s face went completely white. "NO!"

Thomas was dragged away. His voice echoed through the hallway. "Mother!"

The door slammed shut.

And Thomas Hart disappeared.

At least for that day. He never came back.

The entire safe zone descended into chaos. Alarms continued ringing. Red lights flashed throughout the building. Then the speakers came alive.

"All citizens are instructed to remain inside their assigned apartments and keep their doors locked." The announcement echoed through the safe zone. "Anyone found outside will be considered a potential perpetrator. An investigation is currently ongoing. Anyone found guilty will face severe punishment."

Madison stared blankly at the door. Her entire body shook. Then she collapsed. "No!" She grabbed her hair. "Not my son!" Her voice rose into a scream. "What am I supposed to do?" She looked toward the ceiling. "What am I supposed to tell my ancestors?"

Ava was still crying as she and Simon helped James onto the couch. James groaned weakly. Ava grabbed a small cloth and began wiping his forehead. Her tears kept falling. "Don’t do that again, Mom."

Madison didn’t even seem to hear her. She remained rooted to the floor. "My baby boy." She sobbed. "What is going to happen to him?"

Ava looked at her. "I shouldn’t have let him work with those people." Madison’s voice trembled. "Now who knows what he’s been accused of?" She covered her face. "If he dies, I won’t make it."

Ava’s expression tightened with pain. "Why?"

Madison looked up. "Why what?"

"Why is Thomas everything to you?" Ava’s voice broke. "Am I not your daughter too?" Madison stared at her. "Would you die with him and leave me here motherless?" She gestured toward James. "With him?"

Simon remained standing nearby. He had been trapped inside the apartment because of the lockdown, and there was nowhere he could go. He felt extremely uncomfortable. This was a family moment. He shouldn’t interfere. So he simply looked away.

But the crying and arguing continued. Ava sniffled and wiped her face. She was about to walk away when a cracked voice suddenly came from the couch.

"Ava..."

Everyone went silent.

James’s eyes had opened. His breathing was weak.

Ava immediately turned toward him. "Dad?"

James stared at her. Then he spoke. "You’re not the real daughter of this family."

Ava froze. "What?"

James swallowed. "And you’re not mine either."

The room became completely silent. Madison stopped crying. Simon slowly looked over. Ava stared at James as though she couldn’t understand the words coming out of his mouth.

"What are you saying?"

James’s voice remained weak. "I only had Thomas."

Ava’s lips parted. "You..."

"Thomas is my legitimate child." Ava’s face drained of color. James continued, "You’re an orphan who was taken in." Ava staggered backward. "I allowed you to stay because you looked like my daughter." He paused. "The daughter I lost a long time ago."

Ava’s breathing became faster.

"I couldn’t have another child, so I decided to take you in." Her eyes widened. "But you’re not mine."

Ava’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t speak. The words struck harder than any slap. She slowly fell backward. THUD! Her body hit the floor.

"Ava!" Madison screamed.