Chapter 3 - The Library Shadows
Serena held the silver revolver with a surprisingly steady hand, her eyes completely devoid of any human empathy.
She ordered Victor to sit back down on the floor and place his hands flat on the marble surface where she could see them.
Victor complied slowly, his mind intensely focused on the terrifying sound of Marcus hunting Lily and Ethan through the dark corridors.
He knew Lily was smart, but she was entirely unarmed and navigating a pitch-black mansion against a trained killer.
Down the long hallway, Lily slipped quietly into the massive, two-story grand library, gently closing the heavy oak doors behind her.
She crouched behind a towering mahogany bookshelf, softly shushing the terrified toddler who was clinging desperately to her neck.
Ethan whimpered softly into her shoulder, his tiny injured arm wrapped tightly in a makeshift sling Lily had fashioned from her scarf.
Heavy footsteps slowly approached the library doors, pausing ominously just outside the thick wooden barrier.
The bronze door handle slowly turned with a sharp squeak, and the heavy door was forcefully kicked open against the wall.
Marcus stepped into the room, shining a blinding tactical flashlight across the endless rows of antique books.
He taunted Lily with a sickeningly sweet voice, promising that he would make her death quick and painless if she surrendered the child immediately.
Lily held her breath, pressing her back firmly against the cold wood of the bookshelf as the beam of light swept mere inches past her face.
She noticed a heavy, brass bookend resting on the shelf directly beside her right hand.
Knowing she could not run forever carrying a heavy child, Lily grabbed the heavy brass object and prepared for a desperate fight.
Marcus slowly walked down the adjacent aisle, his flashlight beam illuminating the dusty floorboards right next to her hiding spot.
He stopped moving entirely, his sharp ears picking up the faint, rapid sound of Ethan's panicked breathing.
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A cruel smile stretched across his face as he reached his hand around the corner of the bookshelf to grab her.
Before Lily could swing the heavy brass bookend, a large, cold hand clamped aggressively over her mouth from the darkness behind her.
