Chapter 7 - The Ultimatum
Sophie screamed as she watched her elderly parents struggling against thick ropes on the glowing laptop screen.
Thomas paced slowly behind them, twirling a wicked hunting knife in his hand.
He looked directly into the hidden camera, smiling as if he knew exactly who was watching on the other end.
"I know you are out there, Sophie, and I know you have my property," Thomas said, his voice echoing from the laptop speakers.
He gave her exactly one hour to surrender the USB drive at the abandoned sawmill on the edge of town.
If she failed to show up, he promised to burn her childhood home to the ground with her parents trapped inside.
The video feed abruptly cut to black, leaving Sophie in a state of absolute, paralyzing panic.
"I have to go to the sawmill right now," Sophie said, wiping tears from her dirt-stained face.
Claire grabbed her arm, insisting that walking into that building alone was a guaranteed suicide mission.
Sophie ignored the warning, marching over to the cabin wall and ripping a loaded hunting rifle from its mount.
"They are my parents, Claire, and I am not going to let them die for this stupid flash drive," Sophie declared fiercely.
She checked the rifle's chamber, her hands finally steady with a cold, terrifying resolve.
Claire watched her for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh of resignation.
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Claire walked over to a metal footlocker, pulled out a tactical shotgun, and racked the slide with a loud crack.
"We are not going alone, Sophie, because I know exactly where your brother is hiding."
