Chapter 7 - Night of Terror
The peace didn't last long.
At 11:42 PM, the secure safehouse experienced a sudden power surge. The overhead lights flickered once, twice, and then plunged completely into darkness.
Emergency red backup lights hummed to life along the baseboards, casting long, crimson streaks across the hallway.
“Stay down!” Detective Ramos shouted, drawing his service weapon as he rushed into the main room from the security monitoring station. “We’ve tripped an external breach! Someone disabled the perimeter sensors!”
Elena pulled Chloe behind the heavy oak dining table, shielding her with her own body. I grabbed a heavy brass lamp from the side table, my heart hammering like a trapped bird against my ribs.
“Is it Scott?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“Federal marshals confirmed his burner phone pinged two miles away ten minutes ago,” Ramos muttered, crouching by the door. “He found us.”
A heavy, metallic thud echoed against the reinforced exterior door, followed by the scraping sound of a heavy pry bar sliding into the frame.
Bang!
The door shuddered, the deadbolt groaning under brutal, repeated strikes. Scott wasn't just trying to sneak in; he was breaking down the barrier with savage, unhinged desperation.
“Police! Drop the tools and step away from the door!” Ramos shouted, aiming his weapon directly at the entryway.
Instead of retreating, a harsh, guttural laugh echoed through the hallway.
“You think a locked door is going to keep me from my family?!” Scott’s voice roared from the other side, sounding manic and completely detached from reality.
Crash!
The wooden frame splintered into a million pieces as the door flew inward. Through the smoke and flying debris, a dark silhouette stepped across the threshold.
It was Scott.
May you like
In his right hand, he clutched a heavy tactical flashlight; in his left, a terrifyingly sharp hunting knife gleamed under the emergency red lights. His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and wild with rage as he scanned the room, locking eyes instantly with me, then with Elena, and finally with little Chloe.
“You ruined everything!” Scott screamed, lunging forward toward the living area.
