Chapter 7: Taken in the Dark
Chapter 7: Taken in the Dark
The call lasted less than ten seconds.
Yet it changed everything.
Sabrina slowly lowered the receiver as the visitor stood and walked away without another word. The guard escorted her back to her cell, never noticing the faint smile that had returned to her lips.
She whispered to herself,
"You found the journal..."
"...exactly as planned."
That same evening, the Bennett mansion was transformed into a fortress.
After discovering Anna's journal and the camcorder, Captain Daniel Brooks doubled the security.
Two patrol cars guarded the front gate.
Four armed officers patrolled the grounds.
Motion sensors were installed around the estate.
Every entrance was monitored.
No one entered without authorization.
No one left unnoticed.
At least...
That was the plan.
Lily had fallen asleep shortly after dinner.
Mrs. Harper tucked the blanket around her.
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
Lily smiled sleepily.
"Will Ethan still be here tomorrow?"
Mrs. Harper nodded.
"He'll be here."
"And the police?"
"They'll be here too."
Lily relaxed.
She had never felt safer.
Outside her bedroom door, Ethan sat in a chair, unable to sleep.
The old journal rested on his lap.
He kept rereading Anna's final words.
Trust the key beneath the angel. It opens everything.
What key?
What did it unlock?
And why had Anna written as if she already knew she was going to disappear?
Captain Brooks approached quietly.
"You should get some rest."
Ethan shook his head.
"I can't."
Brooks understood.
"I've sent officers to the Bennett family cemetery."
"They'll search beneath the angel statue at first light."
Ethan looked toward Lily's bedroom.
"I just want this to end."
Brooks answered honestly.
"I think it's only beginning."
Just after midnight...
The mansion became strangely silent.
Too silent.
Officer Ramirez frowned as he monitored the security cameras.
One by one, the outdoor feeds flickered.
Static.
Then normal.
Then static again.
He grabbed his radio.
"Unit Three, report."
Silence.
"Unit Three?"
Nothing.
A second officer tried another channel.
"Front Gate, do you copy?"
Only crackling static answered.
Ramirez immediately stood.
"Something's wrong."
Outside the estate...
A black utility van sat hidden among the trees.
Its headlights remained off.
Inside, four masked figures watched the mansion through night-vision binoculars.
One of them looked at a tablet displaying the estate's security system.
"Signal jammed."
Another checked his watch.
"You have three minutes."
The leader spoke calmly.
"No mistakes."
Inside...
The lights flickered once.
Twice.
Then the entire mansion went dark.
Emergency backup power should have activated immediately.
It didn't.
Every hallway disappeared into darkness.
Lily woke with a frightened gasp.
"Ethan?"
No answer.
Only silence.
Then...
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Approaching her bedroom.
Ethan jumped from his chair.
"Lily!"
He reached for the bedroom door.
At that exact moment, something slammed into the back of his head.
His vision exploded into stars.
He staggered forward.
A shadow emerged from the darkness.
A masked figure.
Professional.
Fast.
The intruder struck again.
Ethan blocked the second blow, crashing into the hallway wall.
"Police!"
he shouted.
No response came.
The attacker fought with military precision.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
Another shadow appeared behind Ethan.
Then another.
Three intruders.
All dressed in black.
Captain Brooks heard the commotion from downstairs.
"Second floor!"
He sprinted toward the staircase, drawing his weapon.
Two officers followed.
Before they reached the landing—
A flash grenade exploded.
The hallway filled with blinding white light.
A deafening bang echoed through the mansion.
Brooks instinctively covered his eyes.
"Damn it!"
Inside Lily's room...
The little girl screamed.
She tried to run toward the window.
One masked intruder caught her before she reached it.
"No!"
she cried, kicking and struggling.
"LET ME GO!"
The man didn't speak.
He simply wrapped a blanket around her to silence her cries.
Lily bit his arm.
Hard.
The intruder grunted in pain but never let go.
Ethan forced himself back to his feet.
Blood ran from a cut above his eyebrow.
He charged toward Lily's room.
One attacker intercepted him.
Ethan threw a desperate punch.
The man staggered.
Another punch.
Another.
For a moment...
Ethan actually gained the upper hand.
Then the third intruder struck him across the ribs with a baton.
A sickening crack echoed through the hallway.
Ethan collapsed to one knee.
Still...
He reached toward Lily.
"RUN!"
The little girl stretched out both hands.
"Ethan!"
Their fingertips almost touched.
Almost.
The masked man pulled her away.
Captain Brooks finally reached the second floor.
He fired one warning shot into the ceiling.
"Police! Drop the child!"
The intruders reacted instantly.
Smoke canisters rolled across the hallway.
Thick gray smoke swallowed everything.
Visibility dropped to almost zero.
Brooks coughed violently.
"Find the girl!"
By the time the smoke cleared...
The hallway was empty.
The bedroom window stood open.
Cold night air rushed inside.
Lily was gone.
Silence.
Then Ethan's broken voice.
"No..."
He crawled toward the open window.
"No..."
Captain Brooks looked outside.
Fresh tire tracks led away from the rear garden.
The kidnappers had escaped through the woods.
He grabbed his radio.
"All units!"
"Child abduction!"
"Lock down every road!"
"State police!"
"Air support!"
"NOW!"
Twenty minutes later...
The entire county erupted into chaos.
Police checkpoints appeared on every highway.
Helicopters searched the forests with thermal cameras.
News stations interrupted their programming.
An Amber Alert flashed across television screens and mobile phones.
MISSING CHILD
LILY
AGE: APPROXIMATELY 6
Inside the mansion...
Ethan refused medical treatment.
Despite his cracked rib and bleeding head wound, he searched Lily's bedroom again and again.
"There has to be something."
Mrs. Harper sobbed quietly in the hallway.
"They took her..."
Ethan clenched his fists.
"I promised."
His voice cracked.
"I promised I'd protect her."
Captain Brooks placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll bring her back."
Ethan looked at him.
"You don't know that."
"No."
Brooks admitted.
"But I know whoever did this left in a hurry."
"What makes you think that?"
"They made mistakes."
Officer Ramirez entered carrying a clear evidence bag.
"We found this."
Inside lay a black tactical glove.
It had been torn during the struggle.
Captain Brooks smiled grimly.
"DNA."
Ramirez nodded.
"And fingerprints."
Another officer hurried upstairs.
"Captain."
"What now?"
"We found blood."
"Whose?"
"Unknown."
Brooks looked toward Ethan.
"It wasn't yours."
Meanwhile...
Inside the speeding black van...
Lily slowly regained consciousness.
Her wrists weren't tied.
Her mouth wasn't covered.
She looked around fearfully.
Three masked strangers surrounded her.
One of them handed her a bottle of water.
She refused.
The man removed his mask.
He wasn't old.
Maybe forty.
Calm blue eyes.
A scar across his left cheek.
"I'm sorry we frightened you."
Lily shrank into the corner.
"I want Ethan."
"I know."
"You hurt him."
"We had to."
"No!"
Tears streamed down her face.
"He'll come for me."
The man smiled sadly.
"I hope so."
Lily noticed something strange.
The kidnappers weren't cruel.
No one shouted.
No one threatened her.
One woman even draped another blanket over her shoulders.
The scarred man sighed.
"You must hate us."
Lily nodded.
"Yes."
He looked out the window.
"One day..."
"...you'll understand why we had no choice."
Back at police headquarters...
Forensic specialists worked through the night.
The DNA from the glove returned first.
Officer Ramirez burst into Captain Brooks' office.
"We got a match."
Brooks stood immediately.
"Who is it?"
Ramirez handed him the report.
Brooks stared.
His expression slowly changed from excitement...
To complete confusion.
"This..."
"...can't be right."
"What?"
"The DNA belongs to—"
Before he could finish, another phone rang.
It was the officer stationed at the Bennett family cemetery.
Brooks answered.
"What did you find?"
The officer sounded breathless.
"Captain..."
"We found the angel statue."
"And?"
"There was something buried underneath."
Brooks held his breath.
"What is it?"
"A small iron key..."
He paused.
"...and a sealed envelope."
"What does it say?"
The officer swallowed.
"It's addressed to Ethan."
Brooks closed his eyes.
"Read it."
The officer carefully opened the weathered envelope.
His voice trembled as he read the first line.
Ethan, if Lily has been taken, then you're already too late.
Captain Brooks felt his blood run cold.
Anna had written that letter...
May you like
Eight years earlier.
End of Chapter 7
