Chapter 7 - Blood on the Hardwood
The intruder staggered, his thick hands clawing at the doorframe to steady himself, his face contorted into a mask of pure rage. He was bigger than me, broader, and fueled by adrenaline and malice.
“You crazy bitch!” he roared, lunging forward with one massive hand outstretched to grab my hair.
I ducked beneath his wild swing, my shoulder slamming into his chest, but he barely budged. He caught my collar, his fingers twisting into the fabric, yanking me forward as his other fist cocked back to strike.
“Leave my mom alone!”
A sudden, sharp cry echoed from the doorway. Maya stood there, her face stained with tears, her small hands gripping the heavy ceramic lamp she had managed to snatch from the hallway table. Before the man could pivot, Maya brought the lamp down across the back of his thick neck with all her might.
The ceramic shattered into a dozen pieces. The man grunted, his eyes rolling back for a fraction of a second, his grip on my shirt loosening.
“Maya, grab the kids!” I screamed, shoving him back with a desperate kick to his midsection.
He stumbled backward, tripping over a pile of stray duffel bags on the floor, and crashed hard onto his back.
We didn't wait to see him get up. I grabbed Maya’s wrist with one hand and swept Chloe up into the other arm, while Leo bolted ahead of us down the hallway. We burst out of the bedroom, flying past the wrecked kitchen where broken dishes and scattered cereal boxes covered the tile, heading straight for the front door.
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My hand slammed onto the deadbolt, turning it furiously. The metal mechanism clicked open.
As the front door swung wide, letting in the bright, mocking Savannah sunshine, a heavy hand grabbed the back of my jacket, yanking me backward off my feet.
