Chapter 5 - The Locked Gates
Valentina didn't move toward the main door. Instead, a slow, terrifying laugh began to bubble up from her chest—a dry, rhythmic cackle that grew louder until it filled the dark corners of the room.
"Get out?" she laughed, wiping a smudge of lipstick from her lip with the back of her hand. "Oh, Julian. You think this mansion is yours? Look at your phone. Look at your security panel."
Julian pulled his smartphone from his pocket. The screen was completely dead—showing a red icon indicating zero signal and a total disconnect from the local network.
"The storm outside didn't break the lines, darling," Valentina said softly, stepping back into the shadows near the corner of the room. "I activated the security lockdown protocol five minutes before we sat down for dinner. The heavy steel storm shutters over all the windows are down. The electronic gates at the end of the drive are locked. The landlines are cut. And the cell jammer in the pantry is running on an independent battery."
Julian’s blood turned to ice. "What have you done?"
"I knew Lily was hiding under the stairs earlier," Valentina smiled, her swollen red cheek making her grin look horrifyingly grotesque. "I knew she saw me. I hoped I could finish you before she said anything, but it doesn't matter now. The protocol is already running."
She reached into the pocket of her black gown and pulled out a small, sleek black remote control with a single red button.
"In thirty minutes, the backup generator in the basement will experience a sudden, catastrophic electrical short," Valentina explained, her voice as calm as if she were giving a medical lecture. "The resulting fire will engulf the ground floor in seconds. The coroner will find three bodies in the ashes: a tragic family fire caused by a storm-related electrical failure. The wealthy industrialist, his young daughter... and his grieving wife, who sadly succumbed to smoke inhalation before emergency services could cut through the steel shutters."
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"You're insane," Julian whispered, backing up toward the kitchen door, keeping Lily tight against his leg. "You won't survive this."
"I have the master key override in my pocket, Julian," Valentina smiled, holding up the remote. "You don't. You're trapped in here with me... and the fire is about to start."
