Chapter 1 - The Vault
I dropped the package on the hallway floor and rushed toward the wooden basement stairs.
The air grew significantly colder with every step I took into the dark depths of the house.
I reached the bottom and fumbled for the light switch on the concrete wall.
A single fluorescent bulb flickered to life, revealing a space that made no sense.
Dorothy’s basement used to be filled with dusty boxes, old furniture, and holiday decorations.
Now, the room was completely empty except for a massive steel vault built directly into the foundation.
The heavy metallic door looked like it belonged in a high-security bank, not a suburban home.
The faint, desperate knocking sound I had heard earlier was coming from inside the steel structure.
I ran to the heavy wheel on the front of the door and pulled with all my strength.
The thick metal did not move a single inch.
I looked around frantically and found a heavy iron crowbar resting near the bottom of the stairs.
I wedged the sharp end of the tool into the door seam and leaned my entire body weight against it.
Suddenly, the wooden floorboards creaked loudly directly above my head.
Someone was walking heavily across Dorothy’s kitchen floor.
The heavy basement door at the top of the stairs slammed shut with a deafening crash.
I froze in pure terror as the lock clicked securely from the outside.
May you like
Heavy, deliberate footsteps began to slowly descend the wooden staircase into the basement.
The metallic click of a handgun being cocked echoed loudly through the freezing room.
