Chapter 5 - The Archipelago's Phantom
"Claire, no! The balcony!" Jim roared behind us, releasing Clara to dive toward me.
But Clara was fast. As soon as Jim let her go, she drove her elbow backward into his nose, sending him staggering back with blood pouring from his face. She didn't hesitate—she grabbed the heavy floor lamp beside the sofa and shoved it into Jim's legs, tripping him over the coffee table.
"Out! Out!" Clara yelled, ushering me and Lily toward the sliding glass doors that opened onto the third-floor suite balcony.
We burst out into the blinding tropical sunlight and the roaring wind of the ocean. The balcony overlooked a sheer thirty-foot drop down to the rocky coastline, where the turquoise waves crashed violently against jagged black volcanic stones. To the left, however, was a narrow concrete ledge—a decorative architectural lip running along the exterior wall toward the adjoining building's service fire escape.
"We can't jump!" I cried out, terror gripping my throat as I looked down at the jagged rocks below.
"We're not jumping!" Clara shouted over the wind. "The fire escape! Over the railing!"
I looked at the six-inch ledge. It was madness. One slip meant falling onto the sharp rocks below. But behind us, inside the room, I could hear Bruce groaning in rage, trying to pull himself up using the sofa, while Jim was already spitting blood and pushing the shattered coffee table off his legs.
"Lily, look at me," I said, crouching down and holding her face in my hands. "Look at Mommy. Only look at Mommy, okay? Do not look down."
Lily’s eyes were wild with fear, tears streaming down her sunburned cheeks, but she gave a small, breathless nod. "Okay, Mommy."
"I'm going to carry you on my back. Wrap your arms tightly around my neck and hold on like a backpack. Do not let go, no matter what happens."
Lily threw her arms around my neck, wrapping her small legs firmly around my waist. I hauled her up, feeling her heart beating like a hummingbird against my spine.
Clara swung her leg over the polished steel railing first, stepping onto the narrow concrete lip. She pressed her belly flat against the hot stucco wall of the building, reaching a hand back toward me.
"Give me your hand, Claire! Step across!"
I gritted my teeth, swung my right leg over the railing, and stepped down. My sneaker squeaked against the concrete. The wind whipped my dress around my knees, pulling at my balance. Fifty feet below, the ocean churned against the black rocks, a churning white foam that threatened to swallow us whole.
"I've got you," Clara whispered, gripping my wrist with iron strength. "Move slow. Side-step."
Step by step, we shuffled along the exterior wall. Behind us, the sliding glass door of Room 408 smashed open. Jim burst onto the balcony, his face covered in blood, his eyes wild.
"Claire! Stop!" he yelled, reaching over the railing, but we were already ten feet beyond his reach. "You're going to get the kid killed!"
"Stay away from us!" I screamed, continuing to inch sideways along the ledge.
Jim reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black object—a remote key fob. He pressed a button.
A loud, piercing alarm immediately began to sound across the entire resort grounds. Red emergency lights started flashing along the exterior corridors.
"He's triggering the resort lockdown!" Clara said, her voice filled with panic. "He's telling security there's an active intruder! They'll block every exit at ground level!"
"Where do we go?" I cried out, my legs trembling under the weight of holding Lily against the wall.
"The roof!" Clara pointed toward the iron fire escape ladder just three feet ahead of us. "The utility roof connects to the adjacent resort's kitchen dock! They don't monitor that sector!"
Clara grabbed the iron ladder, swinging her body onto the metal rungs. She scrambled up three steps, then reached down to help me transition off the ledge.
I grabbed the warm iron rung with one hand, my knuckles white, and pulled myself off the ledge. Lily squeezed my neck tighter, gasping for air.
"Good girl, Lily. Hold on tight," I whispered, forcing myself up rung after rung.
We climbed up to the flat, asphalt-covered utility roof of the hotel. Solar panels, giant air conditioning compressors, and satellite dishes lined the expanse like gray monoliths. The afternoon heat radiating off the dark roof surface was overwhelming, sending waves of shimmering distortion across our vision.
Clara sprinted across the roof toward a small raised brick structure that housed the elevator mechanics. I followed as fast as I could, my feet burning through my sandals.
Suddenly, the heavy metal door of the roof access stairwell slammed open twenty yards ahead of us.
May you like
Two uniformed resort security guards emerged, tactical radios squawking on their shoulders. Beside them stood Bruce, leaning heavily on a wooden broom handle he was using as an makeshift crutch, his face twisted in pain and fury.
"There they are!" Bruce pointed at us, his voice hoarse. "Detain them! That woman stole my child!"
