Chapter 6 - Into the Dark
Without waiting another second, Valentina slammed her thumb down on the red button.
A deep, mechanical clunk echoed through the walls of the mansion, followed by a low, vibrating hum that seemed to shake the very foundations of the house. Instantly, every single light in the dining hall went out.
The room was plunged into total, suffocating darkness, saved only by the weak, flickering amber light of the single remaining candle on the overturned candelabra.
"Run!" Julian screamed.
He scooped Lily up into his arms, pushing her face into his neck, and bolted toward the service door that led into the main kitchen. Behind them, the sharp, metallic sound of Valentina’s high heels clicked rapidly against the marble floor as she pursued them into the dark.
Julian slammed the heavy oak kitchen door behind them, throwing the manual brass deadbolt into place.
"Daddy, I'm scared!" Lily sobbed, her arms wrapped around his neck like iron bands.
"Shh, baby, listen to me," Julian whispered, setting her down on the stainless steel counter of the dark industrial kitchen. The room was illuminated only by the rhythmic blue flash of the emergency gas indicators. "I need you to be a brave girl. Do you remember the secret game we played last summer? The hide-and-seek game in the wine cellar?"
Lily nodded frantically, her small chin quivering. "The room behind the big barrels?"
"Yes," Julian said, grabbing a heavy butcher’s knife from the magnetic strip on the wall. "I want you to go down the laundry chute right now. It leads directly to the basement corridor. You crawl into the small room behind the wine barrels and lock the door from the inside. Do not open it for anyone except me. Do you understand?"
"What about you, Daddy?"
"I have to fix the lights," Julian lied, pressing a firm kiss onto her forehead. "Now go! Quickly!"
He pulled open the small square door of the laundry chute, helping Lily slide her small body inside. With a quiet splash of fabric, she slid down the metal tube into the dark basement below.
Julian shut the chute door just as a heavy impact slammed against the kitchen door behind him.
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BANG!
The wood around the deadbolt splintered. Valentina was using something heavy—a brass fire poker from the dining room—to smash through the lock.
