Chapter 3 - The Ultimate BetrayalTime seemed to fracture into slow motion.
As Vanessa swung the heavy iron poker downward with murderous intent, Daniel didn't hesitate. He threw his body across the small space, tackling Vanessa hard against the stone wall. The poker slipped from her grip, clattering loudly against the concrete floor.
"You psychotic bitch!" Daniel roared, pinning her shoulders to the floor with a knee to her chest. His face was inches from hers, contorted with a fury that frightened even him. "You told me she died in the car accident! You held my hand at the funeral! You helped me mourn her!"
Vanessa laughed—a high, unhinged sound that echoed sharply off the concrete walls. Blood trickled from a small cut on her lip where she had hit the floor. "And you believed me, Daniel! That’s the funniest part. You were so blind, so wrapped up in your grief and your precious company, that you handed me your life on a silver platter. I didn't even have to try!"
Behind them, Evelyn was struggling to crawl forward, her weak muscles refusing to cooperate. "Daniel... watch out... she has—"
Before Evelyn could finish her warning, Vanessa’s hand swept up from the floor, clutching a small, concealed taser she had kept tucked into her waistband. With a vicious jab, she pressed it directly against Daniel’s side.
A jolt of high-voltage electricity tore through his nervous system. Daniel screamed, his muscles locking up instantly as he collapsed sideways onto the floor, paralyzed and gasping for air.
Vanessa scrambled to her feet, her breathing ragged, her hair wild around her face. She snatched the iron poker off the floor and pointed it menacingly at both Daniel and Evelyn.
"I've come too far to lose everything to a ghost and a gullible fool," Vanessa hissed, stepping backward toward the exit of the storage room. Her eyes darted toward the hallway. "Stay in this room. Both of you. If either of you tries to follow me before I get my things from the safe, I swear to God, I will burn this entire mansion down with all three of you inside."
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She backed out of the room, slamming the heavy storage door shut with a deafening bang. A second later, the sharp click of an external heavy-duty deadbolt sliding into place echoed through the air.
They were trapped.
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