Chapter 11
The shockwave from the front gate explosion rattled the heavy glass display cases in the study, sending porcelain figurines crashing to the floor in a shower of white dust and shards. Thick, acrid smoke began to billow out of the heating vents, filling the air with the unmistakable stench of burning plastic and ozone. Clara coughed violently, pressing the torn hem of her yellow floral dress against her nose and mouth as she dragged herself back toward the center of the room. Down in the floor cavity, Dr. Harrison was coughing too, his voice muffled and desperate as he clawed at the splintered wood that still trapped his leg.
"Clara! You have to help me get out!" Dr. Harrison pleaded, his arrogant composure completely dissolved into whimpering terror.
"If the police find me down here while the system is purging, they'll lock me away in maximum security for the rest of my life! Use the manual release key on the control panel!"
Clara paused, her hands resting on the cold floorboards as she looked down into the dark pit where the man who had stolen her family was begging for mercy. The red countdown timer on the utility panel behind the bookcase was ticking steadily downward: 6 minutes and 42 seconds. Outside, the shouting of police officers could be heard through the muffled iron shutters, accompanied by the heavy thud of battering rams striking the reinforced front door of the estate.
"You didn't give my father a key when he begged for his life," Clara said, her voice eerily calm amidst the rising chaos and smoke.
"You didn't let Leo out when you locked him in the root cellar. Why should I help you now?"
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Before Dr. Harrison could formulate a response, a massive crash echoed from the foyer as the front door finally gave way under the weight of the police battering ram. Heavy footsteps and shouted orders echoed down the long hallway, drawing closer to the master study with every passing second. Clara knew she had mere moments before the authorities reached the room, but she also knew that if she didn't find the physical master key to the basement, Leo would remain trapped beneath the burning floorboards forever.
With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she pushed herself up on her hands and knees, ignoring the searing pain in her head, and crawled back toward the open utility alcove to search Dr. Harrison's dropped tactical vest hanging on the wall hook. Her trembling fingers brushed against a heavy steel ring of keys just as the study door's exterior handle began to rattle violently under a police crowbar.
