Chapter 5 - Unraveling the Grid
Rachel shrieked, ducking low over her stomach as the sharp report of gunfire echoed down the quiet street.
"Brooks!" she yelled.
Through the rain-streaked windshield, she saw the flash of muzzle fire. Mark wasn't fleeing; he was shooting at Brooks from behind the stone pillar of the garage. Brooks returned fire, two quick shots, forcing Mark to dive back into the shadows of the garage structure.
"Stay in the car, Eli!" Rachel commanded, her adrenaline overriding every sense of fear.
She threw open the passenger door and tumbled out into the cold rain. Her foot slipped in the wet mud, but she caught herself against the hood of the cruiser.
The baby carrier was still sitting vulnerable on the rear bumper of the idling SUV—just twenty feet away from the firefight.
"Lucy!" Rachel choked out.
Keeping low beneath the sightline of the SUV's windows, Rachel scrambled forward through the downpour. The rain soaked through her jacket in seconds, freezing her skin, but she didn't care. She reached the rear of the vehicle, reached up, and grabbed the handle of the baby carrier.
A soft, tiny whimpering came from under the blanket.
"I got you, baby," Rachel whispered, tears mixing with the rainwater on her face. "I got you."
Suddenly, a heavy hand grabbed Rachel by the back of her hair, yanked her head back, and pulled her roughly into the shadows of the garage.
Rachel gasped in pain, her hands instantly flying up to protect her belly as she dropped the carrier onto the soft lawn.
Mark Halston stood over her, his face twisted in a mask of rage. Blood was dripping from a graze on his left shoulder, staining his yellow raincoat. In his right hand, he held a dark automatic pistol.
"You just couldn't mind your own business, could you?" Mark growled, grabbing Rachel by her jacket collar and hauling her up against the interior wall of the garage. "You stupid, meddling widow!"
"Where is Sarah?" Rachel choked out, fighting for air, staring straight into his manic eyes. "Where is she, Mark?"
"She’s where she belongs," Mark spat, raising the gun toward Rachel’s head. "And now you're going to join her."
BANG!
A heavy wooden plank swung out from the darkness of the garage corner, slamming directly into the back of Mark’s head.
Mark stumbled forward with a grunt of pain, dropping the gun onto the concrete floor.
Standing behind him, shaking violently and holding a heavy 2x4 piece of lumber, was Sarah Carter.
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She was thin, pale, and covered in bruises, her dark hair matted with sweat. But her eyes were burning with pure, primal maternal fury.
"Get away from my baby!" Sarah screamed.
