Chapter 4 - The Darkness
Screams erupted from every corner of the dark room.
The sound of shattering glass echoed as people bumped into tables.
"Grab him!" Mark's voice yelled out in the darkness.
I felt a strong hand grab my wrist.
I almost screamed, but a familiar voice whispered in my ear.
"Mom, it's me. Stay low."
Grant pulled me under the head table just as a heavy body crashed into the chairs above us.
"Where did he go?" one of the large men shouted.
The glow of cell phone flashlights started popping up around the room.
Grant pulled me along the carpeted floor, crawling toward the kitchen doors.
"Grant, what about your father?" I whispered frantically.
"The video was a fake, Mom," he whispered back.
"It was a deepfake generated by Mark to force my hand."
"Dad is safe on a fishing trip in Canada."
A wave of immense relief washed over me.
We made it to the swinging doors of the kitchen.
Grant pushed them open slowly, and we slipped inside.
The kitchen was completely empty, illuminated only by emergency exit signs.
"The catering staff ran out when the doors locked," Grant explained.
"We need to get to the loading dock."
We hurried past stainless steel counters and massive stoves.
Suddenly, the kitchen doors swung open behind us.
Vanessa stumbled into the kitchen, her wedding dress torn and dirty.
She looked terrified.
"Grant, please," she cried, running toward us.
"He's going to kill me."
"He said I know too much."
I stepped between her and my son.
"You lost the right to ask for his help," I snapped.
Vanessa fell to her knees, sobbing violently.
"I didn't know about the deepfake, I swear!"
"I just wanted the money so my mom wouldn't go to jail."
Grant looked down at her with cold indifference.
"I know you didn't, Vanessa."
"Because you're not smart enough to pull that off."
He grabbed a heavy iron skillet from a nearby rack.
"But you're about to make yourself useful."
Suddenly, the kitchen lights flickered back on.
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Standing at the opposite end of the room was Diane.
And she was pointing a very real, very shiny revolver right at us.
