Chapter 7 - The Downhill Escape
The deadly ceramic blade sliced through the air, missing my throat by a mere fraction of an inch as I threw myself backward.
David burst across the room, tackling Marcus to the hardwood floor with a deafening crash.
A brutal, desperate struggle broke out between the two men as they fought for control of the deadly weapon.
I scrambled to my feet, grabbing a heavy iron poker from the stone fireplace.
I swung the iron bar down with all my strength, striking Marcus squarely on the side of his head.
He instantly went limp, collapsing onto the floor and dropping the ceramic knife.
David pushed the unconscious man off him, gripping his arm where the blade had left a deep, bleeding gash.
He shouted that the safe house was entirely compromised and the syndicate would be arriving within minutes.
I ran to the bedroom and helped Clara out of bed, wrapping a thick blanket tightly around her shivering shoulders.
We rushed out the back door into the freezing rain, piling into David's heavily armored black SUV.
David slammed his foot onto the gas pedal, tearing out of the muddy driveway and speeding down the treacherous mountain road.
I looked back through the rear window and saw the blinding headlights of three cartel trucks closing in fast.
Automatic gunfire erupted from the pursuing vehicles, shattering the thick, bullet-resistant glass of our back window.
Clara screamed and ducked down in the backseat, clutching my hand with terrifying strength.
David swerved violently to avoid a line of spiked tire strips that the syndicate had deployed across the asphalt.
The massive SUV lost traction on the wet pavement, skidding dangerously close to the edge of the steep cliff.
We crashed through the metal guardrail, the vehicle flipping violently as it plummeted down the wooded embankment.
The world dissolved into a chaotic blur of shattering glass, crushing metal, and deafening noise.
I woke up hanging upside down in my seatbelt, my vision blurred and my head throbbing with agonizing pain.
The overwhelming smell of leaking gasoline filled the crushed cabin, warning me of an imminent explosion.
I frantically unbuckled my belt and crawled through the shattered windshield into the cold mud.
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I looked back into the crushed interior of the armored SUV, desperate to pull my daughter to safety.
David and Clara were completely gone.
