Chapter 9 - The Glass Cathedral
The deafening crash of shattered stained glass echoed like thunder through the cathedral as colored fragments rained down over the white flower arrangements like a storm of jewels. Alarms shrieked from the security panels near the vestry, filling the sanctuary with a piercing, red-flashing panic.
"Stop him! Don't let them reach the exit!" Arthur shouted, his authoritative composure finally fracturing as he waved his cane frantically at his men.
The plainclothes security guards charged down the aisle, trampling the remaining white roses and eucalyptus leaves. But David was already moving. With a strength born of pure adrenaline, he grabbed Elena by the arm and scooped Mia up into his other arm, holding his daughter tightly against his chest as she shrieked in surprise.
"Dad! Where are we going?!" Mia cried out, burying her face in the dark fabric of his suit jacket as cold wind rushed in through the gaping hole in the stained-glass window.
"Hold onto me tight, sweetie! Don't look back!" David yelled over the wailing alarms.
He didn't run toward the heavy oak doors where the corrupt officers blocked the path; instead, he bolted toward the shattered side window, kicking away the remaining jagged shards of colored glass from the stone sill. Below the window lay a steep, grassy embankment leading directly down to the private parking lot where his car was parked.
"David, you're insane! You'll kill us!" Elena screamed, scrambling up onto the stone sill behind him, her trench coat whipping wildly in the sudden draft.
"It's the only way out!" David shouted back. Without another second of hesitation, he leaped out into the open air, holding Mia safely against his chest, tumbling down the damp grass slope until they hit the gravel parking lot in a chaotic tangle of limbs and bruised pride.
Elena scrambled out of the window frame after them, rolling down the embankment and landing hard on the gravel beside David. She gasped for air, clutching her scraped elbows, her eyes wide with terror as shouts echoed from the cathedral window above them.
"They're coming! David, get up!" Elena panted, scrambling to her feet.
David pushed himself up, his knees throbbing, and rushed toward his black sedan parked at the edge of the lot. He fumbled frantically in his suit pocket, pulling out his electronic key fob and pressing the unlock button with a desperate click. The headlights flashed twice in the gathering dusk.
He threw open the back door, gently placing Mia inside and buckling her seatbelt with trembling fingers. "Stay right here, baby. Daddy's got you."
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As David slammed the back door and ran around to the driver's side, a sleek black SUV tore around the corner of the chapel, its high beams blindingly bright, blocking the only exit out of the private lot and cutting off their escape route.
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