Chapter 3 - The Desperate Escape
Rain pounded against the windshield of the SUV as the red and blue police lights flashed wildly.
"Hold on!" Daniel shouted over the roaring engine.
He threw the SUV into reverse and slammed the gas, tearing through his own perfectly manicured lawn.
Mud and grass flew into the air as the heavy vehicle completely bypassed the police cruiser.
An officer jumped out of the car, drawing his weapon and shouting for them to stop.
Daniel ignored him, spinning the steering wheel and crashing through the wooden fence at the edge of his property.
The SUV bounced violently onto the dark, empty neighborhood street.
Sarah was crying in the passenger seat, clutching her chest as she struggled to breathe.
Lily sat quietly in the back, holding her stuffed rabbit with wide, terrified eyes.
"Where are we going?" Sarah sobbed, shivering in her thin, dirty nightgown.
"Anywhere but here," Daniel said, checking his rearview mirror to ensure the police were not following yet.
He navigated the twisting backroads of the city, avoiding the main highways where cameras would spot his license plate.
"How are you alive, Sarah?" Daniel asked softly, keeping his eyes on the dark road.
"I don't know, my memory is so blurry," she whispered, rubbing her temples.
"The police told me you died in a boating accident three years ago, they even showed me a body," Daniel explained.
Sarah shook her head, her wet hair clinging to her pale face.
"All I remember is waking up in that dark room, and a woman bringing me food once a day," Sarah said.
Daniel clenched his jaw, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
"It was Vanessa, she planned this whole thing to get to my money," Daniel muttered.
He reached over and popped open the glovebox to grab a small flashlight.
A thick, manila envelope fell out, spilling several glossy photographs onto Sarah's lap.
Sarah picked one up, her eyes widening in absolute horror.
"Daniel, what is this?" Sarah asked, her voice trembling violently.
May you like
Daniel glanced over and saw that the photos were detailed surveillance pictures of Lily at her elementary school.
Scrawled in red ink across the bottom of the photo were the words: "She is next."
