Chapter 9 - Under Siege
A heavy, low-frequency thrum began to vibrate through the floorboards beneath our feet, drowning out the distant wail of incoming police sirens.
David’s head snapped toward the front window. He sprinted over, peering cautiously through the splintered blinds. His expression darkened instantly.
"They're not just sending ground units," David muttered, reaching down to retrieve his dropped carbine and checking the magazine feed with practiced speed. "They brought an armored transport. They're going to use a chemical flash-breach to clear the house."
"Chemical?" The senior police officer, who had been sheltering behind the hallway wall, stepped forward, his face pale with sudden dread. "That's a military-grade incapacitation agent. It'll kill everyone inside an enclosed space within seconds!"
"Which is why we aren't staying here to argue about jurisdiction," Vance said, walking briskly toward the back pantry door. He unclipped a heavy tactical key ring from his belt and slammed a biometric override pad beside the wooden frame.
BEEP-GREEN.
The pantry floor split down the middle with a pneumatic hiss, sliding smoothly apart to reveal a steep, concrete stairwell leading down into the reinforced storm cellar David had mentioned earlier.
"Move, move, move!" David ordered, grabbing Ethan by the hand and urging him toward the open descent. "Elizabeth, go! Now!"
I didn't argue. The instinct to protect my son overrode every ounce of lingering resentment I held toward the man who had abandoned us. I grabbed Ethan’s other hand and hurried down the cold concrete steps, the heavy steel door of the pantry beginning to slide shut automatically above us.
May you like
Just as my feet hit the bottom of the bunker, a deafening explosion echoed from the front yard, shaking the entire foundation of the house as a blinding white light flooded the upper level.
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