Chapter 6 - THE SMOKE AND THE MIRRORThe hallway was already hazy with the faint, sickening odor of propane leaking from the kitchen stove. Downstairs, I could hear muffled crying—Lily’s voice, muffled by tape, trying desperately to call out for me.
"Marcus, hurry up!" Julian’s voice echoed from the ground floor. "The main valve is open all the way. We need to get out before the pilot light catches residual fumes!"
I crept toward the top of the stairs, gripping the heavy brass lamp like a war club. My right hand was coated in blood from the rope friction, but adrenaline completely numbed the pain.
Through the banister rails, I watched Marcus walking toward the front door, slipping on his jacket. Julian was standing near the pantry door, holding a small handheld blowtorch, grinning like a madman as he flicked the ignition switch.
A sharp, blue-orange flame hissed to life in Julian’s hand.
"Say goodbye to the evidence, Elena," Julian whispered to himself, raising the torch toward the trail of gas leaking across the floorboards.
This was my only chance. If that flame touched the floor, the house would go up in a fraction of a second, taking Lily and me with it.
I didn't think. I raised the heavy brass lamp and hurled it with every ounce of my remaining strength straight down the stairwell.
CRASH!
The lamp struck Julian squarely between the shoulder blades with bone-shattering force. He shrieked in shock, dropping the blowtorch as he tumbled face-first down the remaining steps, crashing into the bottom landing in a heap of twisted limbs.
Marcus spun around, pulling a heavy tactical knife from his belt. "What the—?!"
"Lily! Run!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, sprinting down the stairs while leaping over Julian’s motionless body.
Lily burst out of the pantry door, the duct tape hanging loosely around her chin, her little face streaked with tears. She didn't hesitate—she ran straight into my arms as I scooped her up in a fierce, desperate embrace.
"I've got you, baby! I've got you!" I yelled, pivoting toward the back door just as Marcus lunged forward, knife flashing in the dim light.
I kicked backward with my boot, catching Marcus square in the chest and sending him stumbling back into the kitchen counter. Shards of glass shattered everywhere as he collided with the spice rack.
I didn't look back. I threw open the back door, bursting out into the cool morning air of the backyard, carrying Lily toward the safety of the neighbor's fence.
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Behind us, the kitchen stove pilot light finally caught the heavy pool of gas accumulating near the floor.
BOOM.
