Chapter 5 - The Unseen Enemy
The acrid smell of the white smoke instantly burned Sarah's throat.
She coughed violently, her eyes watering as the room quickly filled with the toxic gas.
"We have to break the window!" Mark yelled over the loud hissing sound.
He grabbed a heavy metal IV pole from beside the empty hospital bed.
He swung it with all his might against the reinforced glass of the door.
The glass spider-webbed but refused to completely shatter.
Sarah ripped a piece of fabric from her torn dress and tied it over her nose and mouth.
She searched the room frantically for any other way out.
"Hit the hinges!" she screamed at Mark.
Mark adjusted his grip on the heavy metal pole and aimed for the bottom hinge.
He slammed the steel rod into the rusted metal once, twice, and then a third time.
The ancient hinge finally gave way with a loud snap.
Mark kicked the door with his heavy dress shoes until the bottom corner bent outward.
"Squeeze through!" he ordered, pushing Sarah toward the narrow gap.
She dropped to the floor and dragged herself through the jagged opening just as her vision started to blur.
Mark squeezed through right behind her, coughing violently and gasping for the fresh air.
They were back in the dark hallway, but David was nowhere to be seen.
The smoke was still leaking out of the room, masking their movements.
Sarah leaned against the cold stone wall, trying to catch her breath.
"Why would your father do this?" she asked, wiping tears from her stinging eyes.
"He went completely bankrupt," Mark panted, leaning beside her.
"He needed your mother out of the way to control the trust fund, and marrying you was the final step."
Before Sarah could fully process the betrayal, a loud gunshot echoed through the basement.
The deafening sound came from the sanctuary directly above them.
They both looked up at the wooden ceiling in absolute terror.
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Then they heard a woman scream in agonizing pain.
It was a voice Sarah would recognize anywhere in the world.
