Chapter 7 - The Unlikely Ally
The deafening crash of metal tearing against metal shook the entire foundation of the house.
The massive yellow snowplow effortlessly pushed the marked police cruiser completely off the driveway, crushing it violently against a thick pine tree.
Detective Kane stumbled backward, completely losing his aim as he stared in shock at the ruined vehicle.
"What the hell was that?" Marcus screamed, dropping his tactical knife in pure panic.
The driver's side door of the massive snowplow swung open aggressively.
A heavily bundled man stepped down into the freezing snow, holding a long, rusted hunting rifle.
It was Old Man Miller, the reclusive mountain caretaker who lived in a small cabin three miles down the treacherous road.
Nathan had saved Miller's life five years ago by performing a risky emergency surgery to remove a burst appendix in the middle of a blizzard.
Miller never forgot a debt.
"Get off the doctor's property right now!" Miller roared, his gruff voice carrying powerfully over the storm.
He fired a heavy warning shot from his hunting rifle, shattering the remaining glass in the front windows.
Detective Kane raised his service weapon, aiming it directly at the old man in the snow.
"Drop your weapon, old man! I am a police officer!" Detective Kane shouted back.
Nathan did not waste this miraculous second chance at life.
He dove fiercely across the floor, grabbing his dropped shotgun and rolling smoothly onto his back.
He aimed the heavy weapon squarely at the center of Detective Kane's chest.
"Drop the gun, Detective, or I swear I will end your career and your life right now," Nathan warned, his voice deadly calm.
The corrupt officer hesitated, his eyes darting frantically between the armed old man outside and the determined surgeon inside.
Marcus, completely terrified by the sudden shift in power, abandoned his brother entirely and sprinted desperately toward the back hallway.
"He is going for the basement!" Nathan yelled, jumping quickly to his feet.
Miller fired another warning shot into the air, keeping Detective Kane entirely pinned down near the shattered front door.
"I have the dirty cop, Doc! Go get that monster!" Miller shouted.
Nathan sprinted down the dark hallway, his heart hammering violently against his ribs.
He reached the heavy steel door of the basement just as Marcus began pounding desperately on the metal frame.
"Open this door, you little brat!" Marcus screamed, his voice completely unhinged.
Nathan raised the butt of his shotgun and slammed it brutally into the back of Marcus's skull.
Marcus groaned loudly and collapsed heavily onto the floor, completely unconscious before he even hit the ground.
Nathan stood over the monster who had murdered his sister, breathing heavily in the dark hallway.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the heavy brass key to the basement door.
He unlocked the deadbolt and slowly pushed the heavy steel door open.
"Lily? It is Uncle Nathan. The bad men are gone," Nathan called out softly into the darkness.
He expected to hear her crying or see her hiding in the corner.
Instead, the basement was completely silent.
He turned on his small penlight and swept the beam across the small room.
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The two infants were sleeping peacefully on the bed, wrapped warmly in thick blankets.
But Lily was entirely gone, and a small, narrow window near the ceiling was wide open, letting freezing snow blow steadily into the room.
