Chapter 9 - The Roof Standoff
Sarah crashed hard onto the wet concrete of the rooftop.
Her handgun skittered across the slippery surface and fell over the dangerous edge of the building.
She looked up, blinking against the blinding light of the police helicopter hovering above.
The person who had tackled her was not a police officer.
It was Vanessa.
She had escaped the asylum and was standing on the roof, completely soaked in rain.
Vanessa held a heavy steel wrench she had found near the maintenance shed.
"You thought a little bump on the head would stop me?" Vanessa screamed furiously.
David scrambled to his feet and pointed his revolver at both of them in total confusion.
"Vanessa? What are you doing here?" David shouted over the roaring helicopter blades.
"I came to finish the job you were too weak to handle!" Vanessa spat at him.
Vanessa lunged at Sarah, swinging the heavy wrench with lethal force.
Sarah rolled to the side, dodging the blow just in time.
The wrench cracked the concrete exactly where Sarah’s head had been a second before.
Sarah swept her leg out, kicking Vanessa forcefully in the ankles.
Vanessa collapsed onto the wet roof, dropping the heavy tool.
Sarah scrambled to her feet and backed away toward the locked stairwell door.
David raised his revolver again, pointing it directly at Sarah's heart.
"This ends right now," David yelled, closing one eye to aim properly.
Suddenly, the heavy steel door of the stairwell burst open with explosive force.
Detective Miller kicked the door off its hinges and stormed onto the roof.
"Drop the weapon, David!" Miller roared, aiming his service pistol directly at the groom.
David panicked and wildly fired a single shot in Miller’s direction.
The bullet missed Miller completely and shattered the glass window of the access door.
Miller did not hesitate for a fraction of a second.
He fired twice, striking David precisely in the right shoulder and the knee.
David screamed in agony and collapsed instantly onto the freezing concrete.
The revolver slipped from his bloody fingers and spun away into the darkness.
Vanessa slowly raised her hands in the air, realizing she was entirely outmatched.
Five armed SWAT officers swarmed the roof, securing both David and Vanessa in heavy cuffs.
Miller holstered his weapon and ran over to Sarah, helping her stand up.
"Are you hurt?" the detective asked, checking her for any gunshot wounds.
Sarah took a deep breath of the freezing air and shook her head.
"I am fine, Detective," Sarah said, looking at the two criminals bleeding on the ground.
"It is finally over," she whispered, feeling a massive weight lift off her shoulders.
A paramedic rushed onto the roof and wrapped a warm thermal blanket around Sarah.
As they walked Sarah toward the elevator, Miller’s radio crackled loudly.
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"Detective, you need to hear this," an officer’s voice said through the static.
"The hospital just called with an urgent update regarding the bride's father," the officer announced.
