Chapter 9: The Siege at Dawn
The false sense of security was shattered at 4:15 AM on Friday morning.
A sharp, ear-splitting crash echoed through the mountain cabin as the wooden back door was kicked completely off its hinges. Splinters flew across the kitchen floor as three masked men clad in black tactical gear poured into the room, their suppressed submachine guns raised and sweeping the area with laser sights.
"Clear!" shouted the lead operative, his voice muffled by a heavy balaclava.
Thomas rolled off the cot instantly, grabbing his service revolver from the table and firing a warning shot into the wooden ceiling joist to buy precious seconds. "Becca! Get Lily and head out the cellar hatch!"
"Dad!" Rebecca screamed, clutching a terrified, crying Lily to her chest as she scrambled toward the hidden floor trapdoor behind the pantry.
Bullets chewed through the drywall and splintered the wooden cabinets as return fire zipped through the cramped room. Thomas ducked behind the heavy oak kitchen table, returning precise, veteran fire that caught one of the intruders in the shoulder, sending him crashing backward into the shelving unit.
"Move, Becca! Go!" Thomas yelled over the deafening roar of gunfire.
May you like
Rebecca didn't hesitate. She threw open the cellar
hatch, dropped down into the damp, dark earth tunnel beneath the cabin with Lily in her arms, and began crawling desperately toward the tree line as the sounds of shouting and gunfire echoed behind her in the burning dawn.
