Sarah was petrified, clinging desperately to the door, her mind refusing to contemplate what would happen if the men got out.

"Sarah," Ariana voiced suddenly, her tone decisive.

"I'm going to count to three, and then we both bolt. Don't look back, don't stop, just run."

Terrified, but seeing no other choice, Sarah nodded. She held her breath, mentally preparing for Ariana's countdown.

“One, two, three— run!"

With her heart hammering in her chest, Sarah sprinted towards the stairwell. But as she neared the stairs, a horrifying thought struck her, Ariana couldn't run.

Frantically, Sarah spun around to see Ariana struggling to hold the door back all by herself.

Her first impulse was to rush back, but Ariana saw her hesitation and yelled at her, "Keep going!"

With that, Ariana let go of the door, and started hobbling away in the direction opposite to the stairs.

The men barreled out of the room, and Sarah knew getting captured again wasn't an option. So, ignoring the screaming fear in her, she dashed down the stairs.

Upon getting out, an irate Mike scanned around briefly, dismissed Sarah, and set his sights on Ariana. His eyes seethed with rage as he charged after her, bellowing like a madman.

"Get that woman! She's not escaping today!"

The sound of the closing footsteps confirmed Ariana's belief. They would focus their pursuit on her, and if she ran with Sarah, she would only slow her down. So, it seemed best to stake it all on one last gamble.

She remembered the balcony she and Theodore had escaped through earlier. To assist in their previous rescue, the team had ripped off the burnt fencing, leaving behind just a flat platform. The balcony wasn't visible in the dark, which gave her an edge.

So, Ariana sprinted towards the balcony with all her might. The bare platform quickly came into view.

The men chasing her were so focused that they didn't notice the upcoming hazard.

Right when they were about to grab her, she increased her pace, ignoring the pain in her foot. She dashed to the edge of the balcony and, without any hesitation, took the plunge!

Jack, who was close behind, couldn't react in time. He fell straight over the edge. A heavy thud broke the silence of the night. Jack didn't even have time to scream. It wasn't clear if he was dead or unconscious.

Ariana, on the other hand, managed to cling onto the edge of the balcony, her body dangling over the small platform. There was no time to catch her breath, let alone feel relieved. Sweating profusely, she looked up to find Mike standing at the edge of the platform. His quick reflexes had saved him from falling. Ariana felt a sinking feeling in her heart. The danger wasn't over yet.

Mike managed to steady himself at the edge of the platform, watching Jack's fall with wide-eyed shock. A cold sweat broke out as he considered how narrowly he'd avoided the same fate. His fear quickly turned to fury as he locked eyes with Ariana, who was clinging onto the balcony's edge.