Chapter 1: The Barricade
The heavy white door clicked shut, but Sarah knew the standard brass lock wouldn't hold a grown man.
"Mommy," a weak, fractured voice whispered from the bed.
Sarah didn't look back. Her eyes were locked on the brass doorknob. It rattled violently, twisting left and right as the man on the other side threw his weight against the wood. The frame groaned.
Think. Move.
Driven by pure, adrenaline-fueled panic, Sarah lunged for the heavy oak dresser against the wall. Her muscles tore and burned, her bare feet slipping on the hardwood floor, but she pushed with a guttural scream. The dresser scraped across the floorboards, wedging tightly beneath the doorknob just as another massive THUD rattled the hinges.
"Let me in, Sarah," a low, muffled voice came from the hallway. It wasn't a monster's growl; it was eerily calm, which made it infinitely worse. It was her ex-husband, David. The restraining order was a useless piece of paper sitting on the kitchen counter downstairs.
Sarah scrambled onto the bed, pulling ten-year-old Lily into her chest. The girl’s face was a mess of purple bruises, her nose still slowly leaking dark blood onto her pajama collar.
"I've got you, baby. I'm right here," Sarah breathed, her hands shaking as she dug her cell phone out of her pocket. Her thumb slipped on the screen twice before she managed to dial the numbers.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"My house. An intruder. He hurt my daughter," Sarah whispered frantically, keeping her eyes glued to the splintering door frame. "He's trying to break into the bedroom. You need to hurry. Please."
"Officers are being dispatched, ma'am. Stay on the line—"
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CRACK.
A jagged line of splintered wood spider-webbed down the center of the door. The dresser shifted an inch. He was getting through.
