Chapter 7 - The Ticking Inferno
Vanessa held the small remote high in the air, her thumb resting heavily on the main activation button.
She explained that she had placed highly explosive charges along the primary natural gas lines beneath the house.
If anyone tried to arrest her or stop her from leaving with the money, she would bury them all in a fiery tomb.
Nathan dropped his heavy crowbar, terrified for the safety of his innocent wife and brave brother.
He pleaded with Vanessa to just take the heavy duffel bag of cash and walk out the front door.
Vanessa smiled wickedly, slinging the strap of the heavy bag over her slender shoulder.
She ordered David to stand up and walk toward the front door, planning to use him as a human shield.
David nervously complied, his eyes darting frantically around the smoke-filled foyer.
As they slowly backed toward the main entrance, Sarah finally found the strength to stand up on the staircase.
She looked directly into Vanessa's eyes and told her that she was a pathetic, empty shell of a human being.
Vanessa’s face twisted in pure fury, deeply insulted by the woman she was trying to replace.
In a moment of pure ego and rage, Vanessa raised the remote and pressed the activation button anyway.
A series of mechanical clicks echoed from the deep basement, signaling the start of a sixty-second countdown.
Vanessa turned to run, but David suddenly tackled her from behind, desperate to save his own life.
He aggressively ripped the heavy bag of money from her grasp and bolted out the front doors alone.
Vanessa screamed in rage, scrambling to her feet and chasing after the treacherous lawyer.
Ethan grabbed Sarah's hand, and Nathan ran up the stairs to join them.
They had absolutely no time to chase the criminals or call the police.
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They sprinted blindly down the second-floor hallway, heading toward the emergency fire escape at the back of the mansion.
As they reached the heavy metal door, they heard the terrifying hiss of massive amounts of gas flooding the floorboards beneath them.
