Chapter 10 - THE CUT WIRE
"Power's out," Daniel said sharply in the darkness. "Stay where you are. Nobody move."
A metallic clatter came from the fuse box in the scullery. Daniel clicked on the flashlight of his phone, illuminating the hallway in a sharp beam of white light.
"It's not a storm outage," Clare said quietly, her voice steady and chillingly calm. "The village substation is two miles away, but the streetlamp at the bottom of the lane is still burning."
She walked to the window and looked down through the blizzard. The amber light of the distant streetlamp shone through the falling snow, but at the base of her stone wall, two figures in dark heavy jackets were moving silently toward the wrought-iron gate.
"They're here," Anna whispered, her voice choking on terror. "They found us."
"Daniel," Clare whispered. "Take Anna and Maya into the pantry. The door has an interior bolt and the walls are double-thick stone. Go."
"Mum, I'm not leaving you out here," Daniel hissed, stepping in front of her. "I'm not hiding in a cupboard while some thugs break into our house."
"You are going to protect that little girl," Clare commanded, her eyes flashing with a fierce, maternal intensity Daniel had never seen before. "If they get their hands on that envelope, Anna and Maya will never see tomorrow. Take the documents, take Maya, and lock that door. I will handle this."
"Mum—"
"Go, Daniel! Now!"
Daniel swallowed hard, grabbed Anna’s arm, and ushered her and Maya down the stone stairs toward the pantry beneath the kitchen. The heavy oak door clicked shut, followed by the slide of an iron bolt.
Clare stood alone in the dark kitchen. The only sound was the howling wind against the windowpanes and the crunch of boots on the snow-covered gravel outside the back door.
She did not hide. She did not cower.
May you like
She walked over to the kitchen counter, picked up the iron poker from the fireplace, and stepped toward the back door just as the brass handle began to turn slowly.
***