Chapter 7 - Up the Wooden Stairs
The storm outside raged on, hurling sheets of rain against the side of the house like handfuls of gravel, but inside, the silence was heavy enough to suffocate. Arthur led the procession toward the staircase, his heavy boots clicking rhythmically against the hardwood. Evelyn followed closely behind him, her posture rigid, her grey cardigan catching the dim light of the hallway sconce.
Marcus stayed at the bottom, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides, his chest heaving as he stared up at the people he had trusted with his life.
"You're walking right into a trap, Arthur," Marcus warned, his voice low and dangerous.
Arthur paused on the third step, turning his head just enough to flash a cold, mocking smile over his shoulder. "Miracles never cease, dear brother. You spent sixteen years convincing yourself that you were the hero of this little tragedy, when all along, you were just the vault keeper."
Clara stood frozen by the front door, her dark denim jacket still damp against her shoulders, the maroon dress clinging uncomfortably to her skin. She looked at her mother, who was staring blankly at the floor where the ledger lay abandoned.
"Mom, we have to stop them," Clara whispered, stepping toward the stairs.
"No, Clara," Maya said, grabbing her daughter’s wrist with a grip that was surprisingly fierce. "Let them go up. There is something in that room your father and I hid even from Evelyn."
Clara’s eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
Before Maya could answer, a loud, metallic click echoed down from the landing above, followed by a sharp gasp from Arthur that was cut short by the sound of splintering wood.
"Arthur?" Evelyn’s voice rang out from the top of the stairs, laced with a sudden, genuine panic. "What did you just open?"
Marcus didn't wait. He bolted past Clara and Maya, taking the stairs three at a time with the desperation of a man whose worst nightmare had just come to life. Clara pulled her wrist free from her mother’s grip and sprinted up the wooden steps right behind her father, her heart pounding in her throat.
May you like
When Clara reached the second-floor landing, the sight that met her eyes made her stop dead in her tracks. The door to the master bedroom was wide open, and Arthur was on his knees before the walk-in closet, staring into the dark, empty cavity of the floor safe with eyes wide with sheer disbelief.
---
