Chapter 16 - The Final Stand
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The sound of his daughter crying was the most beautiful thing Daniel had ever heard, but the moment was immediately shattered.
Elias stumbled backward into the room, his shotgun completely out of ammo. He collapsed against the desk, clutching his bleeding side.
Footsteps echoed slowly on the metal stairs. Silas appeared in the doorway, his suit ruined by dust and gunpowder, a fresh cut across his cheek. He aimed his silver revolver directly at Daniel, who was kneeling on the floor, holding the crying newborn.
Emma was still unconscious, her breathing dangerously shallow after the seizure.
“Well,” Silas said softly, stepping into the room. “A Christmas miracle. Too bad none of you are going to live to celebrate it.”
Daniel gently placed the baby on Emma’s chest, wrapping them both tightly in his coat. He slowly stood up, placing himself between his family and the gun.
“You want the money?” Daniel said, his voice eerily calm. “Let them walk out of here. I will stay. I will give you the passwords, the accounts, whatever you want. But they leave.”
Silas laughed, a cold, cruel sound. “You really think I care about the money anymore, Carter? You killed three of my men. You humiliated me. I'm going to kill your wife, I'm going to kill your kid, and then I'm going to take my time with you.”
Silas pulled the hammer back on the revolver.
Daniel closed his eyes, bracing for the impact. He had failed. He had tried to save them, but he wasn't a soldier. He was just a man.
BANG.
The gunshot was deafening in the small room.
Daniel flinched, but he didn't feel any pain. He opened his eyes.
Silas was standing frozen, a look of pure shock on his face. A massive red stain was spreading rapidly across the chest of his tailored suit. The gun dropped from his lifeless fingers, clattering against the concrete floor. Silas swayed for a moment before collapsing forward, dead.
Behind where Silas had stood, in the doorway, stood Rachel.
May you like
She was holding a small, shaking handgun with both hands. Tears were streaming down her face, and her teeth were chattering violently.
“I called the cops,” Rachel sobbed, dropping the gun and sinking to her knees. “I told them everything. They’re outside.”
