A woman stands in front of a door. She pauses before moving her hand to turn the doorknob. Her heartbeat hammers in her chest. She throws open the door and waits. For a beat, the woman does not move. Then, her feet carry her through and she's in. It's colder than she expected it to be in the room. There is a light on the wall but it's dim and casts a sheen of orange light around her. The woman's eyes travel to the center of the room. There's the crib. The baby stirs in the new light shining through. Slowly, the woman makes her way to the crib. She sees the baby's eyes flicker open and then shut. The baby lifts an arm to stretch. The woman stops in her tracks. "Get the hell away from my baby."
A man's voice.
All the color drains from her face. Before she can register what she's doing, the woman grabs the baby, holding the infant to her breast, and turns to face the man.
"I won't hurt her."
When she speaks, the woman feels her throat closing. She would never hurt the baby, but the father, that was a different story. The man stands in the doorway, his hands in fists by his sides.
"Put her down."
"She needs me."
At this, the man steps forward. That's when the instincts of a mother kick in and the woman finally takes out her defense. She feels her finger hover over the trigger of the small pistol as she pulls it from her belt.
"Step back Devon!"
A moment passes as father and mother stare each other down. "She's no longer yours. You know that! No one has to get hurt." By this time, the woman had backed up to the side window.
"I'm taking my baby from you and that awful woman. You're not going to stop me because you know I deserve to have my baby."
Devon's eyes widen, tears filling his eyes. He holds up a hand.
"Please. Please don't do this Andrea."
The woman, having made up her mind, points the gun at the ceiling and shoots. BANG! Everything seems to happen at once. The ceiling cracks. The man throws himself to the floor. Andrea turns and jumps through the window, holding her baby tight. Somewhere in the darkness of the house, a little girl opens her eyes.
YOU ARE READING
A Key Drenched In Blood
Mystery / ThrillerA family of eight are lured to an escape room that has declared it's prey. Who will survive? What dark secrets does this family have? What is really happening? - Clover Dawson has just remarried to the man of her dreams, Cody Hatchett. She looks for...
