Chapter 4 - Grace Prepares To Fight In Total Darkness
Grace felt the rush of cold air as Dominic slipped away toward the cellar stairs, his footsteps vanishing into silence.
Panic threatened to claw its way up her throat, but she forced her lungs to slow down just like Evelyn taught her.
Intention comes before sound, she repeated like a silent prayer inside her mind, gripping her wooden baton tighter.
“They’re close,” Grace whispered, turning her blind eyes toward the western wall of the subterranean wine cellar.
Evelyn froze mid-step, her head snapping around to face the direction Grace was looking with intense concentration.
“I don't hear anything, Grace,” Evelyn whispered back, her combat knife held steady in front of her chest.
“Not yet,” Grace corrected, her ears picking up a subtle vibration traveling through the concrete foundation walls. “Someone’s outside the outer utility hatch.”
Evelyn’s eyes widened slightly in the gloom as she realized the girl was tracking seismic footfalls through the ground.
“The old coal chute,” Evelyn muttered under her breath, realizing a second infiltration team was bypassing the main stairs.
“Can you lock the iron grate from the inside?” Grace asked, her posture dropping into a low fighting stance.
“The lever rusted shut years ago,” Evelyn cursed quietly. “We have to meet them at the landing.”
Grace didn't hesitate, stepping forward into the absolute blackness with her senses tuned to a razor-sharp edge.
“Let them come,” Grace said, her voice devoid of fear and filled with a terrifying, calm resolve.
Evelyn looked at the twelve-year-old girl and saw a reflection of Sofia staring back through the shadows of time.
The house around them groaned as the intruders forced open the heavy iron utility hatch on the north lawn.
Cold autumn wind rushed down the stone chute, bringing the metallic scent of gun oil and impending violence inside.
Evelyn shifted her weight, preparing to strike the moment the first intruder dropped down into the dark cellar.
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Grace lifted her wooden baton, her muscles tense and ready to unleash every lesson Evelyn had drilled into her.
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