Chapter 8 - The Arrival of Justice
Elias didn't scream. He didn't attack them. The cold, calculating clarity of a man who had nothing left to lose washed over him. Suddenly, the warm, amber lighting of the living room was aggressively pierced by a frantic, rhythmic strobe.
Through the glass panels of the front entryway, brilliant, blinding flashes of harsh blue and red lights painted the beige walls. The police had arrived. Elias turned his back on the terrified family and marched to the front door, pulling it open. A uniformed police officer stood on the threshold, his hand resting cautiously on his utility belt, responding to the frantic 911 call Elias had made from the road. The flashing lights from the cruiser outside cast long, chaotic, twisting shadows across Elias's face. The transition was absolute: the warm, deceptive safety of the home was gone, replaced by the cold, unforgiving illumination of the law.
