Chapter 3 - The Broken Window
David lunged forward and tackled Julian to the floor just as a high-caliber bullet shattered the reinforced glass.
The deafening crack of the sniper rifle sent the rest of the children diving under their metal desks in sheer terror.
Shards of thick glass rained down across the classroom floor like jagged diamonds.
David kept his body pressed over Julian, shielding the wealthy boy from a potential second shot.
Lily screamed for her father, but David firmly ordered her to stay hidden behind the heavy wooden teacher's desk.
The disguised voice on the radio chuckled darkly, clearly amused by the sudden violence.
The caller explained that the shot was merely a warning to prove they were not bluffing.
Julian trembled slightly beneath David, finally showing a crack in his arrogant and detached facade.
The boy realized that his father’s money could not protect him from men willing to shoot blindly into a school.
David quickly crawled toward Lily, grabbing the communication beacon along the way.
He pressed the talk button and demanded to know what the men outside actually wanted from him.
The voice replied that David had stolen something very precious from their organization five years ago.
David’s heart hammered against his ribs because exactly five years ago was when he had legally adopted Lily.
The caller demanded that David hand the little girl over to the extraction team waiting outside the classroom door.
If he complied, David and the other children would be allowed to walk away unharmed.
David looked at Lily, whose tear-stained face was completely buried in her hands.
He had promised his late wife that he would protect this little girl with his life.
David spoke into the radio, his voice cold and filled with a lethal promise.
He told the caller that they would have to kill him before he ever let them touch his daughter.
The radio went silent for a few agonizing seconds.
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Then, the heavy metal door of the classroom violently shuddered.
Someone on the other side was attaching a breaching charge to the steel frame.
