Chapter 14 - The Override Code
The red numbers on the glowing laptop screen ticked downward with terrifying speed, casting a harsh crimson glow across the dark, empty entryway of the house.
00:09... 00:08... 00:07...
David slammed his fingers against the keyboard, frantically typing in every combination of numbers he could think of—their anniversary date, Clara’s birthday, his own birthday, Lily’s birth weight. Each keystroke resulted in a harsh, electronic buzzing sound and a flashing error message across the display.
Access Denied. Access Denied.
Lily buried her face deep into David’s shoulder, coughing softly as the faint, unmistakable scent of natural gas began to drift out from the hallway leading toward the old nursery.
00:04... 00:03...
"Think, David, think!" he muttered frantically to himself, sweat stinging his eyes as the realization hit him like a lightning bolt. Clara didn't use sentimental dates. She used patterns of control. She used the very first lie that started the entire nightmare.
With shaking fingers, David typed in a six-letter word—the name of their first daughter, the secret buried beneath the backyard garden.
C-H-L-O-E
He hit the enter key just as the timer flashed 00:01.
The screen instantly flickered from red to a steady, calming green. A soft chime echoed from the laptop speakers as the internal gas valves hissed shut, cutting off the deadly flow just inches before the pilot light could ignite.
David collapsed against the hallway wall, gasping for breath as his legs finally gave out beneath him. He pulled Lily tight against his chest, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face as the sheer weight of the near-death experience washed over him.
"We're safe, baby. We're safe," David choked out, pressing a desperate kiss into her blonde curly pigtails.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed from the top of the wooden staircase.
Detective Miller burst through the hallway archway, his service pistol raised and ready, flanked by two armed officers who had finally breached the back perimeter fence.
"Status!" Miller demanded, his eyes darting down the hallway. "Did you override the gas?"
"It's stopped," David whispered, pointing a trembling finger at the laptop resting on the floor. "The gas is cut. But Clara... she's still upstairs."
Miller nodded tightly. He motioned for his officers to fan out and take positions at the base of the stairs. "Cover the exits. Nobody leaves this house."
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Miller led the tactical team up the wooden staircase, their boots moving in
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