Chapter 9 - The Final Seconds
The water in the glass room reached Mia's shoulders.
She was desperately climbing onto a small metal bench to keep her head above the surface.
"Damian!" I screamed.
"The panel is broken!"
Damian saw the destroyed electronics and cursed loudly.
He dropped his empty gun and charged across the open space.
Julian stepped out from the shadows, raising his weapon for a lethal shot.
Damian didn't even slow down.
He tackled his brother with the force of a freight train.
They crashed into the concrete floor, fists flying in a brutal, bloody brawl.
I grabbed a heavy steel pipe from the ground and ran to the glass room.
I swung it with all my strength against the glass.
The pipe bounced off, vibrating violently in my hands.
The bulletproof glass didn't even scratch.
"Mommy!" Mia cried out, the water now licking at her chin.
I sobbed, hitting the glass again and again until my palms bled.
Behind me, Damian delivered a sickening blow to Julian's jaw.
Julian went limp, completely unconscious.
Damian sprinted toward me, searching his brother's pockets as he ran.
He pulled out a heavy brass master key.
"Stand back," Damian ordered, shoving the key into the manual override slot.
He turned it forcefully, and a loud click echoed from the heavy steel door.
I grabbed the handle to pull it open.
Suddenly, a cold metal barrel pressed against the back of my head.
"Nobody moves," David growled, his face covered in blood from his earlier wound.
He had recovered his shotgun and was pointing it directly at my skull.
"Back away from the door, Chloe, or I blow your head off."
I froze, my hand still resting on the door handle.
I looked through the glass.
Mia's head was entirely underwater.
She was drowning.
Damian stood frozen, his eyes darting between David's gun and the rising water.
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"You have ten seconds, Chloe," David laughed, enjoying the power.
"Let the kid drown, or you die with her."
