House of Cards || Daerin

10. Blood That Haunts

DANIELLE

A piercing scream tore through the silence from downstairs, making us both freeze. In seconds, Hanni and I dropped our books and raced out of our rooms, down the stairs.

My chest tightened, heaving with each breath as we slowed, shadows and darkness pressing in around us, only faint sounds guiding us forward. Hanni’s grip on my arm tightened, stopping me just before the living room entrance.

I saw why.

A tall figure in a thick, black mask stood over my parents, who were tied to chairs, helpless. My mother’s head slumped to one side, her hair matted to her face, and my father looked barely conscious, his face bruised and swollen. Dark blood smeared his cheek, and his eyes, half-closed, searched the room in quiet agony.

A sob clawed at my throat, but Hanni clamped a hand over my mouth and dragged me back, pulling us into the shadows behind the door.

We crouched low, holding our breaths, trying to make sense of this.

The masked man circled my parents slowly before grabbing my father’s hair, jerking his head up. A muffled groan escaped his lips.

“Did you think I’d never find out, Alistair?” the man hissed, his voice low and cold. “All the things you’ve done behind my back?”

“What… what are you talking about?” My father’s voice was strained, pained. “Who the hell are you?”

Hanni’s breathing grew faster beside me as she tried to pull me back, but I wouldn’t move.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” the man sneered, shoving my father’s head back with a rough push. “But I’ll make sure you die without a clue.”

A quiet gasp escaped me, too young to understand everything, but the fear was real. Hanni’s hand covered my mouth again, her grip shaking slightly.

The room flickered with dim candlelight, casting long, eerie shadows. Two other men, both dressed in black and armed, loomed nearby, their eyes cold and watchful.

My father squirmed against his restraints, but the ropes held him in place. The masked man stepped back, crossing to my mother, whose face crumpled with terror.

“Did you know, perhaps, what your husband has been doing?” he asked, his voice deep, almost amused.

My mother shook her head frantically, her voice barely a whisper. “No… I swear, I don’t know anything. Please, don’t do this.”

My father, desperate, yelled, “Take whatever you want—just let her go!”

“Oh, I’ll take everything, Alistair. Every last thing you’ve built.” The man’s gaze returned to my mother, his gloved hand reaching out to tilt her chin. "These lips would look better coated with blood instead of that lipstick,"

The rage in my father’s voice cracked as he strained against the ropes. “Get away from her—guards! Alex!” His voice echoed, raw and desperate, but silence followed.

Hanni pulled me further back, and I could feel her trembling as I fought back tears. My heart hammered in my chest, and the terror felt like it might break me.

“Hanni… what’s happening?” I whispered, unable to hold back my tears, the fear too much to bear.

“Shh.” Hanni held my face gently, her voice breaking. "It's okay. I'm here. Just stay quiet."