Chapter 7 - The Ghost Returns
Thick white smoke filled the altar area as tear gas canisters rolled across the marble floor.
The armed men started coughing violently, blindly firing shots into the ceiling.
Eli crawled under a pew, covering her ears as the deafening sound of gunfire erupted.
Through the dissipating smoke, she saw the figure in black tactical gear stand up.
The person swiftly disarmed the fake priest with a brutal kick to the chest.
Then, the figure pulled off their heavy tactical helmet.
Eli’s breath caught in her throat.
It was a face she hadn't seen in ten agonizing years.
Laura.
Her mother looked older, battle-scarred, and absolutely furious.
"Get away from my husband, you witch," Laura growled at Vanessa.
Richard fell to his knees, utterly paralyzed by the sight of his dead wife.
"Laura?" he choked out, completely unable to comprehend reality.
"I'll explain later, honey," Laura said, drawing twin handguns from her holsters.
Vanessa snarled like a cornered animal and grabbed Richard by the collar.
She pulled him up and pressed her backup pistol against his temple.
"If I don't get the money, nobody gets out of here alive!" Vanessa screamed.
Laura froze, her weapons aimed steadily at Vanessa's head.
"Let him go, Vanessa, the FBI has the entire building surrounded."
Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder by the second.
Vanessa realized she was trapped, but a sinister smile crept across her face.
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"I may be going down, but I'm taking your whole world with me," Vanessa hissed.
She suddenly shifted her aim away from Richard and pointed the gun directly at Eli under the pew.
