Chapter 4 - Shadows and Scissors
The sudden darkness was thick and disorienting.
My niece began to wail, her cries echoing loudly in the pitch-black hallway.
My brother grasped my shoulder, his grip tight and trembling.
He pulled us into the adjacent laundry room and quietly shut the door.
The only light came from the faint moonlight filtering through a high, narrow window.
He whispered that he had no idea what was in the bandage.
His ex-wife had arranged the surgery, and his mother had picked the baby up from the clinic.
The pieces of a terrifying puzzle were starting to fall into place.
Someone had used this innocent child as a courier.
Heavy footsteps creaked on the hardwood floor just outside our hiding spot.
The grandmother's voice slithered through the darkness, dangerously calm.
She told my brother that he didn't understand the people they were dealing with.
She said if they didn't hand over the drive, none of them would survive the night.
I held my breath, trying to soothe the crying toddler against my chest.
Suddenly, the blade of a heavy pair of medical shears pierced straight through the hollow core door.
The sharp metal tip stopped mere inches from my face.
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The aunt giggled from the other side.
She whispered that she knew exactly where we were.
