Chapter 13 - The Ashen Dawn
The dim light of the candles began to sputter and die one by one, starved of oxygen as the smoke from the gunshot settled heavily across the floor.
Eleanor knelt motionless beside the lifeless body of her husband, her hands stained dark with his blood, her beige coat ruined beyond recognition. The proud, untouchable matriarch of Vance Global was gone, replaced by a broken old woman trapped in the wreckage of her own deceit.
"We have to go," Julian whispered, his voice hollow as he stared at the corpse of the man he had mourned twice. "The police will have heard the shot. Even down here, someone on the street must have noticed."
Clara walked over to the mahogany table, picked up the silver crescent moon pendant, and fastened it securely around her own neck.
"No one is coming, Julian," Clara said, walking toward the hidden pivot wall. "The city archives were condemned by the zoning board yesterday morning. By sunrise, demolition crews are scheduled to bring the entire facade down with wrecking balls."
Julian spun around in sheer panic. "Demolition? They can't demolish this building with us inside!"
"They already have our permits," Clara replied, pressing a hidden iron stud in the stone wall that caused the heavy concrete blocks to swing outward, revealing the cold, grey light of dawn filtering down the basement stairs. "Mother made sure all the paperwork was signed, sealed, and delivered before we even stepped onto the front steps last night."
Eleanor didn't move from her husband's side. She sat staring at the empty space where Thomas's head had rested, her lips moving silently in a prayer that would never be answered.
"Mom, get up," Julian pleaded, grabbing her arm and trying to haul her to her feet. "We have to get out of here right now or we're going to be buried alive."
Eleanor shook her head slowly, pulling her arm away from her son's grasp with surprising strength.
"Go, Julian," Eleanor whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant rumble of heavy machinery beginning to gather outside in the street. "Leave me here with him. The empire was built on our sins, and the foundation has finally given way."
Julian hesitated for a split second, torn between maternal loyalty and the primitive instinct for survival, before the heavy ceiling above them groaned, showering them in a cloud of dry plaster and dust.
"I'm sorry," Julian choked out, turning away from his mother and sprinting toward the open exit.
May you like
He didn't look back.
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