Chapter 3 - The Blackout
"Give me the remote, Maya," Officer Miller demanded, his finger hovering dangerously over the trigger.
Maya stood completely still, her chin raised in absolute defiance.
"It doesn't matter if you take the remote, the footage is already in the cloud," she told him.
Adrian grabbed a heavy brass candlestick from the table, stepping aggressively toward his sister-in-law.
"You stupid, ungrateful woman," Adrian spat, raising the brass weapon in the air.
I knew I had to do something before they murdered her right in front of me.
I grabbed the heavy crystal wine decanter from the table and hurled it directly at the chandelier.
The heavy crystal shattered against the light fixture, tearing the wiring loose from the ceiling.
A massive shower of bright blue sparks rained down over the dining table.
The main circuit breaker blew with a loud popping sound.
The entire vineyard estate was instantly plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness.
"Don't let them leave the room!" Eleanor screamed from the darkness.
I heard the terrifying sound of a gunshot, followed by the shattering of the dining room window.
Someone grabbed my wrist in the dark, pulling me forcefully toward the kitchen hallway.
I tried to fight back, swinging my fists wildly into the empty black space.
"Stop fighting, Claire, it is me," Maya whispered frantically into my ear.
We ran blindly through the massive kitchen, our shoes slipping slightly on the polished hardwood floors.
I could hear Adrian cursing loudly in the dining room as he tripped over a fallen chair.
"We need to get to the garage," I whispered as we reached the back corridor.
"We can't," Maya panted. "Charles locked the garage doors manually before dinner, and he has the only key."
Heavy, tactical footsteps began pounding down the hallway behind us.
The beams of heavy police flashlights started cutting through the darkness of the house.
"The wine cellar is down the next hall," Maya instructed. "The door is solid steel and locks from the inside."
We rushed down a spiraling stone staircase, feeling our way along the cold brick walls.
I found the heavy iron handle of the cellar door, pulled it open, and shoved Maya inside before following her.
I threw my body weight against the door, sliding the massive steel deadbolt into place just as someone slammed against the outside of it.
"Open this door right now!" Adrian screamed, pounding his fists furiously against the metal.
We backed away into the dark, massive cellar, surrounded by thousands of expensive wine bottles.
I turned on my phone's flashlight, casting a dim beam across the dusty room.
May you like
But we were not alone in the cellar.
Sitting in a leather armchair in the far corner, holding a suppressed pistol, was Charles.
