Chapter 6 - The Flaming Escape
"It is a bomb!" Miller screamed, grabbing my shoulder.
We turned and sprinted desperately back down the long, carpeted hallway.
The timer reached zero just as we threw ourselves down the main staircase.
A massive explosion ripped through the upper floor of the luxurious mansion.
The shockwave hit us like a physical wall, throwing us violently to the first floor.
Wood splinters and shattered glass rained down on us as the roof began to collapse.
Thick, choking black smoke instantly filled the air, making it completely impossible to breathe.
I coughed heavily, struggling to push a heavy wooden beam off my crushed leg.
"Miller!" I yelled blindly into the dark, suffocating smoke.
I heard a weak groan coming from the burning rubble near the front door.
I crawled over the debris and found Miller bleeding heavily from a deep cut on his forehead.
"Go to the private docks behind the house," Miller gasped, clutching his injured ribs.
"He set this trap to buy time for the seaplane to take off."
I helped Miller out the front door and propped him safely against a large oak tree.
I grabbed his backup pistol from his ankle holster and sprinted toward the backyard.
The freezing night rain started pouring down, helping to suppress the raging fire behind me.
I ran through the muddy grass until the wooden docks finally came into view.
A sleek, twin-engine seaplane was bobbing gently in the rough, dark water.
The engines were already whining loudly, preparing for an immediate emergency takeoff.
I crept silently onto the wooden pier, keeping my body low to avoid the searchlights.
I saw Ryan violently dragging a heavily sedated woman toward the open cabin door.
It was Emily, looking pale and completely lifeless in her thin hospital gown.
I raised the pistol, ready to shoot Ryan right in his cowardly leg.
But a harsh voice cut through the sound of the roaring airplane engines.
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"Drop her right now, Ryan, or I blow your head completely off."
I turned my head and saw Vanessa standing at the end of the pier, pointing a silver revolver directly at Ryan.
