Chapter 10 - The False Savior
The cold steel of the gun barrel pressed heavily against my racing heart.
I looked into Lily’s terrified, tear-filled eyes and smiled softly, mouthing the words "I love you."
Daniel's sick, victorious smile stretched across his face as he watched me prepare to die.
He slightly loosened his grip on my daughter, anticipating the sound of the gunshot.
In that singular fraction of a second, Carter pulled the trigger of his weapon.
The thunderous crack echoed through the massive asylum room.
Carter’s bullet struck Daniel precisely in the right shoulder, instantly shattering the bone and forcing him to drop his revolver.
Before Daniel could fall backward over the cliff, Carter sprinted across the room with terrifying speed.
He grabbed Lily by her waist, ripping her away from Daniel just as my husband lost his balance.
Daniel let out a horrifying scream as he plummeted over the edge, disappearing into the dark, rocky abyss below.
I dropped the gun and ran across the room, collapsing into Carter and my daughter.
I held Lily so tightly I thought I might crush her, burying my face in her messy hair as I wept uncontrollably.
Carter placed a strong, reassuring hand on my back, letting out a long sigh of relief.
He told me it was finally over, and the nightmare was completely finished.
He picked Lily up in his arms and told me to wait here while he brought the SUV around to the back entrance.
I nodded, overwhelmed by profound gratitude for the brave military doctor who had saved my family.
Carter walked out of the room with Lily, leaving me alone in the quiet, dusty wing.
I noticed Carter had dropped his uniform jacket during the frantic sprint across the room.
I picked it up to bring it to him, but a heavy encrypted cell phone slipped from the pocket and clattered onto the floor.
The screen lit up instantly, displaying a newly received text message.
I picked the phone up, assuming it was a message from his commanding officer or his extraction team.
The sender ID was simply listed as "Patricia."
The text message read: "Good job gaining the mother's absolute trust, Colonel."
May you like
My blood turned completely to ice as I read the second line of the message.
It said: "Bring the girl to the extraction point immediately and dispose of the mother exactly as we agreed."
