Chapter 5 - The Darkness
Marcus froze instantly, the heavy tactical knife still raised high in the pitch-black darkness.
"Lily?" Marcus called out, his cruel voice suddenly taking on a sickeningly sweet tone. "Come here, baby girl. Daddy is just trying to take you home."
Nathan seized the momentary distraction and violently drove his knee directly into Marcus's groin.
Marcus roared in absolute agony and rolled entirely off Nathan's chest.
Nathan scrambled desperately across the hardwood floor, frantically searching the darkness for his dropped shotgun.
He knew Lily was supposed to be securely locked in the basement with Rosa.
"Lily, run back downstairs right now!" Nathan shouted, his throat burning terribly from the lingering tear gas.
He heard the soft padding of her small bare feet running quickly across the living room carpet.
Marcus recovered with terrifying speed, lunging blindly toward the sound of his daughter's footsteps.
"You cannot run from me, Lily!" Marcus yelled, his heavy boots thundering through the dark house.
Nathan's frantically sweeping hands finally bumped into the cold steel barrel of his shotgun.
He grabbed the heavy weapon, chambered a fresh shell, and aimed entirely by sound.
"Stop moving, Marcus, or I swear I will end you right here," Nathan ordered loudly.
A heavy silence fell over the living room, broken only by the howling winter storm outside.
Nathan could hear Marcus breathing heavily somewhere near the grand staircase.
"You will not shoot me in the dark, Nathan," Marcus mocked confidently. "You might accidentally hit my precious daughter."
Marcus was absolutely right.
Nathan could not risk firing blindly with Lily wandering unprotected in the crossfire.
He needed light immediately.
Nathan slowly reached into the pocket of his medical scrubs and pulled out a small, high-powered surgical penlight.
He clicked the tiny button, and a thin, intense beam of white light cut through the dark smoke.
The narrow beam swept quickly across the room, illuminating overturned furniture and shattered glass.
The light finally stopped squarely on the base of the grand staircase.
Marcus was not standing there alone.
He had one strong arm locked tightly around Rosa's neck, using the terrified housekeeper as a human shield.
Marcus pressed the sharp edge of his tactical knife directly against Rosa's throat.
"Drop the gun, Doctor, or your loyal maid bleeds out right now," Marcus threatened coldly.
Nathan slowly lowered the barrel of the shotgun, his mind racing to find a surgical solution to a violent problem.
He placed the weapon carefully on the floor, keeping his eyes locked entirely on Marcus.
"Let her go, Marcus. She has absolutely nothing to do with this," Nathan reasoned calmly.
Marcus laughed, a cruel, satisfied sound.
"Where are the boys, Rosa?" Marcus demanded, pressing the blade slightly harder into her skin.
Rosa squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming heavily down her face, but she completely refused to answer him.
"She will not tell you anything," Nathan said, stepping slowly closer to draw his attention.
Marcus smiled wickedly and turned his dark eyes back to Nathan.
"That is fine," Marcus sneered. "Because the police just arrived."
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Nathan frowned, utterly confused, as a massive set of flashing blue and red emergency lights suddenly illuminated the front windows of the house.
Marcus smiled and added, "And the officer leading the rescue team is my brother."
