Chapter 8 - The Battle in the Dark
"Run, Leo! Upstairs!" I screamed, shoving the boy toward the carpeted staircase behind me.
Leo didn't hesitate. He scrambled up the stairs as fast as his small legs could carry him, crying out for help.
I didn't run. I turned to face Isabella in the dark corridor, positioning my body firmly at the bottom of the staircase to block her path.
"Stay away from him, Isabella!" I yelled, holding my phone flashlight directly into her eyes to blind her in the darkness.
"Get out of my way, you filthy maid!" Isabella roared, swinging the heavy steel wrench wildly toward my head.
I ducked beneath the heavy swing, the steel whistling inches past my ear. I drove my shoulder straight into her chest with all the strength I possessed, knocking her backward onto the slick marble floor.
Isabella let out a sharp gasp as her back hit the floor, but her madness gave her terrifying strength. She grabbed my leg, twisting her fingers into the fabric of my dress, dragging me down with her.
We tumbled across the marble floor in the dark, struggling for control of the heavy wrench.
"You stole my life!" Isabella spat, her nails digging into my face, leaving deep red scratches along my cheek. "You stole Arthur! You stole the boy!"
"You tried to murder a child!" I screamed back, using my forearm to press against her throat, pinning her against the stone floor. "You're a monster, Isabella! And you are never touching Leo again!"
Isabella clawed frantically at my arms, her face turning purple as she fought for air. With a desperate surge of energy, she brought her knee up, striking me sharply in the ribs.
The sudden pain knocked the breath from my lungs. I fell sideways, gasping for air.
Isabella scrambled to her feet, grabbing the heavy wrench from the floor. She raised it high above her head, standing over me with a lethal, psychotic sneer.
"Goodbye, Elena," she hissed.
BANG!
A deafening gunshot echoed through the high marble foyer.
Isabella froze, her eyes widening in utter shock. The heavy steel wrench slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly against the marble floor. She slowly looked down at her right shoulder, where blood was rapidly blooming across her trench coat.
Standing at the front entrance of the mansion, illuminated by the flashing red lights of police cruisers pulling up the driveway, was Arthur Montgomery.
He held a silver sidearm in his shaking hands, his eyes blazing with a fierce, protective rage that looked like pure fire in the dark.
Isabella collapsed onto her knees, sobbing in pain, as four armed police officers rushed past Arthur, pinning her to the floor and snapping heavy steel handcuffs onto her wrists.
Arthur dropped his weapon, sprinting across the marble floor toward me.
"Elena! Oh God, Elena!" he cried out, lifting me into his arms, pulling me tightly against his chest as I gasped for air. "Are you hurt? Look at me!"
"I'm... I'm okay," I choked out, pressing my hand against my aching ribs. "Leo... Leo is upstairs..."
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Arthur kissed my forehead repeatedly, tears streaming down his face. "He's safe. Douglas found him in the master room. You saved him again, Elena. You saved him again."
I rested my head against Arthur’s shoulder, listening to the frantic, loving thud of his heartbeat, knowing that the nightmare was finally, truly over.
