Chapter 4 - THE PUPPET MASTER’S CALL
“You’ve Found Him. Now, Let’s See If You Can Keep Him.”Before Daniel could even process the horror on the monitor, the house's main power cut out.
The lights in the subterranean vault flickered and died, plunging them into pitch-black darkness, save for the eerie blue glow of the surveillance monitor.
Upstairs, Mariana screamed.
“Mariana!” Daniel yelled, scrambling up the ladder with Leo clung tightly to his back like a baby koala.
He burst through the hatch back into the living room. The house was dark, illuminated only by the moonlight filtering through the large floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Daniel! Someone is outside!” Mariana gasped, pulling Inés close to her.
Daniel looked out the window.
The quiet, upscale cul-de-sac of Querétaro was no longer peaceful. Three black SUVs had pulled up, blocking Patricia’s driveway. Men in tactical gear, carrying heavy-duty flashlights and crowbars, were stepping out of the vehicles.
Patricia was gone. She had managed to slip out the side door in the confusion when the power went out.
The home phone on the kitchen counter began to ring. Its shrill tone pierced the tense silence.
Ring... Ring...
Daniel walked over, his boots crunching on the shattered glass of the vase. He picked up the receiver.
“Mr. Rivas,” a smooth, aristocratic voice spoke from the other end. “I must congratulate you. Usually, families give up after six months. Your daughter’s hearing is remarkably acute.”
“Vance,” Daniel spat, his knuckles turning white. “I am calling the police. The military. Whoever it takes to burn your little kingdom to the ground.”
The man on the phone chuckled softly.
“Do you truly believe the local police aren't on my payroll, Daniel? Who do you think helped clear the highway cameras the night we brought your boy here? If you step outside that house with Leo, you will all be buried beneath the next model home. But I am a reasonable man. I’m willing to make a trade.”
“I will never give you my son!”
“I don’t want Leo anymore. He’s damaged goods now. He knows too much,” Vance said coldly. “I want the girl. Inés. Her sensory abilities... she is a rare specimen. Give us the girl, and you, your wife, and your boy walk free. You have five minutes to decide before my sweep team cleans the house. Oh, and Daniel? Don't bother running. The gates are locked.”
The line went dead.
Daniel dropped the receiver. He looked at Mariana. He looked at Leo, who was shivering violently, and Inés, who was staring at him with wide, trusting eyes.
“What do we do, Daniel?” Mariana whispered, tears of terror streaming down her face.
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Daniel looked at the heavy iron pry bar still in his hand. A desperate, dangerous plan began to form in his mind.
“We aren't running,” Daniel said, his voice hardening into steel. “We’re going to fight.”
