Chapter 9 - THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE
The two sisters sprinted down the narrow alleyway as the footfalls of the masked men echoed behind them.
Isabella’s broken heel caused her to limp badly.
"I can't... I can't run!" Isabella gasped, her breath coming in ragged pants.
"Move!" Seraphina barked, grabbing Isabella's arm and hauling her through a narrow iron fire escape door.
Seraphina slammed the heavy metal door shut and threw the deadbolt just as a body slammed violently into the outside frame.
The metal groaned under the impact.
"Break it down!" a voice shouted from the other side.
Seraphina didn't hesitate.
She pulled Isabella up a dark, narrow stairwell leading into the basement of an abandoned warehouse.
They collapsed behind a pile of dusty wooden crates, breathing heavily in the near darkness.
"Who... who were those men?" Isabella sobbed, clutching her bruised ankles.
"Did you bring them?!"
"If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have pulled you through that door," Seraphina said, her voice sharp despite her heavy breathing.
"Those were Victoria's mercenaries."
Isabella stared at her sister in utter shock.
"Mother? Mother wouldn't send killers after us!"
"They weren't sent for both of us, idiot," Seraphina hissed, looking toward the top of the stairs.
"They were sent for me."
"And if you happened to get caught in the crossfire, Victoria would just claim it was a tragic accident."
"She would blame it on 'crazed fans' or 'anti-Vance activists'."
"It solves all her problems in one single night."
Isabella felt a cold drop of sweat trickle down her neck.
She remembered her mother's terrifying expression outside the courthouse.
The utter desperation in Victoria's eyes.
For the first time in her life, Isabella realized her mother was not a protector.
She was a predator.
Above them, the metal door gave a loud, terrifying groan as heavy tools began working on the hinges.
"They have heavy equipment," Seraphina whispered, checking her phone.
"No signal down here."
Isabella began to panic again.
"What do we do? We're going to die here!"
Seraphina looked at Isabella.
Really looked at her.
Isabella was covered in dirt, her gown ruined, her mascara running down her face.
She looked entirely stripped of her fake heiress aura.
"Give me your coat," Seraphina ordered suddenly.
"What?"
"Give me your coat!" Seraphina demanded, unbuttoning her own white coat.
"We look identical."
"If we split up in the dark, they won't know which one to chase."
Isabella's hands trembled as she removed her designer coat.
"Why are you doing this?" Isabella whispered.
"You hate me."
"I hate what was done to me," Seraphina corrected her, swapping coats rapidly.
"I hate the system that raised you to be blind."
"But you are my blood, Isabella."
"And Victoria Vance is not going to kill another child of hers while I am still breathing."
The metal door suddenly blew inward with a loud bang.
Heavy footsteps began descending the iron stairs.
"Search the basement!" a harsh voice shouted.
"Find them!"
Seraphina looked Isabella dead in the eyes.
"When I run left, you run right toward the loading dock exit."
"Don't stop."
"Don't look back."
"What about you?!" Isabella asked, her voice trembling.
Seraphina offered a small, terrifying grin.
"I've been running from monsters my entire life."
"I'm good at it."
Seraphina grabbed an empty glass bottle from the floor, stood up, and threw it violently toward the far right corner of the warehouse.
The shattering glass echoed loudly.
"Over there!" the mercenaries yelled, rushing toward the sound.
"Go!" Seraphina screamed at Isabella.
Seraphina darted out to the left, drawing the main group of men away.
Isabella scrambled to her feet and ran frantically toward the faint light of the loading dock.
As she reached the outer doors, she heard the sound of violent scuffling behind her.
Then a sharp, heavy thump.
Followed by silence.
Isabella stopped at the exit.
Her heart was screaming at her to run away and save herself.
She turned back into the darkness.
"Seraphina?" she called out softly.
May you like
No answer.
Only the sound of heavy boots walking slowly toward her.
