Chapter 5 - The Reckoning at Midnight
"Emma... what is that smell?" Ethan gasped, rubbing his nose, his small voice filled with growing panic. "It burns my throat!"
"Gas," Emma whispered, her mind racing at lightspeed as terror threatened to paralyze her.
They had less than twenty minutes before the concentration of methane in the air reached lethal levels—or before a single electrical spark ignited the sub-basement into an inferno.
"Stay down on the floor, Ethan!" Emma commanded, ripping off her cotton uniform collar and wrapping it around the boy's nose and mouth. "Keep low! The air is cleaner near the ground!"
Emma scrambled to her feet, scanning the small room with frantic eyes. Concrete walls, an iron cot, a thin wool blanket, a ceiling light shielded by a heavy steel cage, and the ventilation grille eight feet up the wall.
She had no gun, no flash drive, no heavy tools.
All she had was her housekeeping utility apron, which Victor had foolishly neglected to remove when he threw her inside.
Emma dumped the contents of her apron pockets onto the floor: a small spray bottle of industrial-grade lime solvent, a stiff steel wire grout brush, a brass master key, a pair of heavy rubber cleaning gloves, and a long, sharp pair of utility scissors.
She looked at the electronic lock mechanism on the inside of the door.
The keyhole was on the outside, but beside the door frame was an emergency internal manual conduit access plate—a small metal box held in place by four rusted, painted-over screws. It was designed for technicians to service the lock solenoids from within the room.
"Ethan!" Emma called out, her voice filled with desperate determination. "I need you to hold my flashlight right here!"
She grabbed the long utility scissors, wedging the sharp point into the first painted screw of the access plate. She applied all her weight, twisting furiously.
The rusted screw groaned, metal scraping against metal, but didn't budge.
"Come on... come on!" Emma prayed through gritted teeth.
She grabbed the bottle of industrial lime solvent, spraying the concentrated acid chemical directly onto the rusted screws. The rust hissed, bubbling white as the acid ate through decades of corrosion.
Emma wedged the scissors in again. She twisted.
CRACK.
The first screw snapped free!
Working with frantic, terrifying speed while the nauseating smell of gas grew thicker in the air, Emma unscrewed the second, third, and fourth bolts. She yanked the metal access plate off the wall, exposing a tangle of copper wires, a heavy mechanical sliding bolt, and an electric solenoid relay.
Her lungs burned. Her eyes watered from the gas fumes.
"Emma... I'm feeling sleepy..." Ethan whimpered from the floor, his eyelids fluttering.
"Stay awake, Ethan! Look at me!" Emma shouted, tears stinging her eyes. "Look at me, buddy! We are going to see your dad in two minutes! Stay with me!"
Emma stripped the heavy rubber gloves off her hands. She grabbed the steel wire grout brush, bending it into a rigid, hook-shaped tool.
She inserted the hooked wire deep into the solenoid housing, searching for the manual mechanical release lever.
Click. Nothing.
Click. Nothing.
Outside the room, the faint sound of a timed electrical relay began to beep—the automated ignition system Isabella had set to ignite the gas line!
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
"Come on!" Emma screamed, shoving the wire hook with everything she had!
THUNK.
The mechanical release inside the wall popped! The heavy steel deadbolt retracted with a loud metallic snap!
Emma threw her shoulder against the door. It swung open!
Fresh, cooler air rushed into her lungs. Emma didn't waste a microsecond. She scooped Ethan up into her arms, carrying his frail body as she sprinted through the gas-filled sub-basement tunnel toward the maintenance hatch!
Upstairs, in the master study, William Sterling sat slumped at his mahogany desk.
His eyes were half-lidded, his speech slurred as Isabella stood over him, holding a fountain pen in one hand and a stack of legal documents in the other.
"Just sign here, my love," Isabella murmured softly in his ear, her voice smooth and hypnotic. "Just sign the authorization for the trust transfer. Then you can rest. You've been so tired lately..."
William blinked slowly, his hand shaking as he took the pen. "Where... where is Ethan? I... I thought I heard him calling me..."
"Ethan is safe in Maine, darling," Isabella lied softly, pressing the pen to the paper. "Just sign—"
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion rocked the foundations of Sterling Manor!
The glass windows of the study rattled violently as black smoke began to pour from the floor vents in the hallway! The mansion's emergency fire alarms began to blare, red strobe lights flashing across the ceiling!
William shook his head, the sudden shock of the blast clearing a fraction of the heavy fog in his drugged brain. "What... what was that?!"
The doors to the study burst open!
Emma Torres stood in the doorway, drenched in sweat, covered in soot, carrying Ethan in her arms! Behind her stood Mateo, bleeding from his head but holding a heavy iron poker!
"DADDY!" Ethan screamed, reaching out his arms.
William dropped the pen, his eyes going wide with pure, unadulterated shock. "ETHAN?!"
Isabella’s face transformed instantly from calm grace to a mask of absolute, demonic fury. Seeing her entire multi-million dollar scheme collapsing in a single second, she snatched her silver revolver from her purse, pointing it directly at William’s chest!
"Sign it, William!" she shrieked over the blaring fire alarms! "Sign it or I swear to God I’ll end you right now!"
"NO!" Emma roared.
Without an instant of hesitation, Emma threw herself forward, swinging her heavy brass housekeeping service tray with every ounce of strength in her body!
The heavy metal tray struck Isabella’s hand with a sickening CRACK!
The revolver went flying across the polished floorboards, skidding under the sofa!
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Isabella screamed in rage, turning to attack Emma, but William—snapping out of his trance with the primal instinct of a father protecting his child—lunged across the desk! He tackled Isabella to the floor, pinning her arms behind her back as Mateo rushed forward to assist!
Outside, the wail of police sirens and fire engines pierced the night, growing louder as emergency vehicles tore up the driveway!
