Chapter 6 - Burning Bridges
At midnight, the quiet darkness of the woods was shattered by the sharp snap of breaking twigs outside the cabin walls.
Mark was awake instantly, his hand closing around the grip of the loaded pistol on his nightstand. He rolled off the bed, staying low beneath the window line. Outside, night-vision infrared beams swept across the wooden porch.
"Elena, wake up," Mark whispered, shaking her shoulder gently. "Get the girls into the root cellar under the kitchen. Now."
Elena moved with lightning fast maternal instinct, gathering Maya and Lily from their cots and ushering them into the hidden trapdoor beneath the kitchen rug. "Stay quiet, babies. Daddy and Mommy are right here," she whispered, locking the heavy hatch from below.
A sudden, blinding flash exploded through the front windows—a tear-gas canister. Thick, acrid chemical smoke instantly filled the living room, burning Mark’s eyes and throat. Glass shattered as two armed mercenaries smashed through the front windows, their tactical rifles raised.
Mark fired through the smoke, three rapid shots tearing through the chest of the lead mercenary, who collapsed heavily against the stone hearth. The second mercenary opened fire, bullets ripping through the log walls and splintering furniture.
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Mark dove behind the heavy oak dining table, reloading his sidearm with slick, sweat-drenched hands. Outside, a loud whoosh echoed as a flare was ignited, and within seconds, the dry wooden porch burst into roaring flames.
Julian’s men weren't trying to capture them anymore—they were burning the cabin to the ground with everyone inside.
