Chapter 5 - The Hidden Accomplice
Mason stared at me through the open window with a cruel, mocking grin on his face.
He was holding Dustin's favorite stuffed bear in his hands, aggressively twisting its small arms.
I desperately begged the boy to stay perfectly quiet and tell me where they had taken my son.
Mason’s grin widened, and he opened his mouth to scream for his grandmother Alana.
I reacted purely on instinct, reaching through the window and firmly clamping my hand over his mouth.
I quickly hoisted myself over the window sill and tumbled into the bedroom.
I pinned Mason against the wall, whispering a fierce warning that he needed to remain completely silent.
He nodded vigorously, his eyes finally widening with genuine fear as I released my grip.
He pointed a shaking finger toward the large wooden closet in the corner of the room.
I rushed over and threw the closet doors open, frantically searching through the hanging clothes.
Dustin was hiding under a pile of heavy winter blankets, trembling uncontrollably in the dark.
I pulled my son into my arms, promising him again that we were going to survive this.
I grabbed Dustin's hand and dragged him quickly toward the hidden door leading to the servant's staircase.
We descended quietly into the pitch-black, dusty passage that led directly to the first-floor pantry.
As we reached the bottom steps, I heard Parker shouting angrily from the hallway outside the bathroom.
He had realized the door was locked for too long and violently kicked it open.
I heard him screaming at his men to search the entire perimeter of the house immediately.
Dustin and I slipped out of the pantry and carefully unlocked the heavy back door leading to the yard.
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We sprinted out into the cool evening air, running desperately toward the safety of the tree line.
Suddenly, a blinding security spotlight illuminated the entire backyard, exposing us completely in the bright glare.
