Stay
Prologue
I was sleeping when it happened. It was though everything came crashing down all at once when my butler, Ronald, shook me hard and my eyes flew open. That was when I heard it. I heard it all. The crashing. The yelling. The banging. The footsteps. But worse of it, the gunshots going off. It was close by. Too close. My butler grabbed my house robe off the post of my bed, took my hand and rushed me out of my bedroom without a second thought and no explanation as to what was going on. I was scared. Beyond scared. I thought about my family. I needed to warn them. I had to find them. I tried to pull my hand out of Ronald’s intense grasp, but he wasn’t having it. He wasn’t going to let me go.
“Ronald, please. I have to find everyone!” I shouted.
He ignored me and continued to guide me through the house. I could tell Ronald was scared, but he was keeping a brave face on. He was pushing through that fear for both out safety. We had finally reached the mudroom at the back of the house and I thought it was over. Ronald didn’t stop. He swung the door wide open and we ran outside. I looked behind me to see if we were being chased, my heart was pounding and my brain was unable to process what was happening. There was no time. If anything, time wasn’t on our side if we wanted to escaped the chaos alive.
I heard something and looked behind me for the second time and saw my parents running out of the house as well. My father was clinging to my brother William and my mother was practically dragging my other brother Henry. They ran as though it was the last thing they would do. We were still missing four.
“Ronald, where are the others?” I said, desperately hoping for some answers.
We ran toward the barn, but it felt like forever before we could reach there. The land was massive and filled with trees and plants. We ran over the garden, climbed the wooden fences, through the dirty grass where the horses spend their days all while barefoot. My house robe was the only thing keeping me from freezing against the cold night. My adrenaline was pumping, but I knew there would only be shock waiting for me at the end of this.
When I saw something in my peripheral vision, I turned my head left and saw Grant Brackman, my bodyguard, running with my sisters Mary and Charlotte. Not far behind was the oldest of the seven, James, holding our brother David’s hand. I had never felt so relieved in my life until I saw that everyone had gotten out of the house safely. It dawned on me why we were headed for the barn. The bunker.
I had no idea why this was happening to us. Who these bad guys were. What they wanted. I just knew no one saw this coming. And I had a feeling that this was just the beginning.
“Ronald, please. I have to find everyone!” I shouted.
He ignored me and continued to guide me through the house. I could tell Ronald was scared, but he was keeping a brave face on. He was pushing through that fear for both out safety. We had finally reached the mudroom at the back of the house and I thought it was over. Ronald didn’t stop. He swung the door wide open and we ran outside. I looked behind me to see if we were being chased, my heart was pounding and my brain was unable to process what was happening. There was no time. If anything, time wasn’t on our side if we wanted to escaped the chaos alive.
I heard something and looked behind me for the second time and saw my parents running out of the house as well. My father was clinging to my brother William and my mother was practically dragging my other brother Henry. They ran as though it was the last thing they would do. We were still missing four.
“Ronald, where are the others?” I said, desperately hoping for some answers.
We ran toward the barn, but it felt like forever before we could reach there. The land was massive and filled with trees and plants. We ran over the garden, climbed the wooden fences, through the dirty grass where the horses spend their days all while barefoot. My house robe was the only thing keeping me from freezing against the cold night. My adrenaline was pumping, but I knew there would only be shock waiting for me at the end of this.
When I saw something in my peripheral vision, I turned my head left and saw Grant Brackman, my bodyguard, running with my sisters Mary and Charlotte. Not far behind was the oldest of the seven, James, holding our brother David’s hand. I had never felt so relieved in my life until I saw that everyone had gotten out of the house safely. It dawned on me why we were headed for the barn. The bunker.
I had no idea why this was happening to us. Who these bad guys were. What they wanted. I just knew no one saw this coming. And I had a feeling that this was just the beginning.