Page 41 of The One that Got Away

A sudden movement caught her eye—the shadow of a man stepping out from behind the door with a raised gun. Time slowed as Lisa's instincts took over. With no thought for her own safety, she launched herself toward Daniel, wrapping her arms protectively around the boy just as the trigger clicked and a bullet sang past, embedding itself into the wall where he had been seconds before.

"Lisa!" Oliver's alarmed cry sliced through the tension.

"Keep them busy!" Lisa yelled, her voice laced with urgency.

With an understanding glance, Oliver charged at the gunman, his tall frame casting a menacing shadow. He feinted left, then right, his movements honed by years of battling the unpredictable sea.

"Go!" Oliver bellowed, his eyes locking onto Lisa's for a fraction of a second, conveying a world of trust and shared purpose. “Take Daniel. I’ll get Ava!”

Cradling Daniel against her chest, Lisa moved with a mother's ferocity, darting around the flailing bodies and dodging the wild swings aimed at Oliver. Her heart raced, each beat a drum of survival as she navigated the labyrinthine building, her every sense attuned to the precious burden in her arms.

"Almost out, Daniel. Hold on," she coaxed, feeling his small fingers clutching at her shirt.

Behind her, the cacophony of grunts and shattering glass faded into the background as she focused solely on the path ahead. Each step was a dance between life and death, and Lisa performed it with a grace born from love and desperation.

Sweat traced the contours of Lisa’s face as she darted through the dim corridors, Daniel's weight a constant reminder of what was at stake. The shadows around them seemed to pulse with danger, but there was no turning back. Oliver's footsteps reverberated behind her, a steady drumbeat against the haunting echo of their pursuers' shouts. She turned around briefly and saw him running with Ava slumped over his shoulder, her weight slowing him down.

"Left, up ahead!" Oliver’s voice cut through the tension, a light guiding them through the maze of uncertainty.

Lisa turned sharply, nearly losing her footing on the slick concrete floor. The air was thick with the stench of mildew and fear. She could hear Daniel's labored breathing, each inhale a quiet plea for safety.

"Keep moving," she whispered, more to herself than to the boy in her arms. Her muscles screamed, but her resolve was ironclad. They were a team, a family forged from trials by fire, and she would see them through this.

A shadow loomed ahead. A figure stepped out from an alcove, his silhouette menacing in the scant light. The glint of metal—a weapon—sent a jolt of panic through Lisa's veins. Time slowed as the kidnapper raised his arm, aiming directly at her.

"Mommy," Daniel whimpered, his small voice piercing the thick cloud of dread. “I want my mommy.”

Instinct took over. With a surge of adrenaline, Lisa twisted to the side, shielding Daniel with her body. The kidnapper lunged, and she dropped Daniel, who stood to his feet, staring at her, paralyzed. Lisa met the attacker with unexpected force. She gripped his wrist, leveraging her momentum, and twisted.

The weapon clattered to the ground.

"Run!" she roared, the sound primal and fierce.

Oliver sprang forward, barreling into the kidnapper. Their struggle was a blur of limbs and desperation. Lisa scooped up Daniel, cradling him close as she sprinted toward the exit.

Oliver grappled with the kidnapper, his movements fueled by a love so deep it left no room for hesitation.

"Lisa!" Oliver's cry spurred her on. “Keep going.”

With a final effort, Oliver drove his knee into the assailant's midsection. He doubled over, gasping for breath. Oliver seized the moment, wrenching his arm behind his back, and he hit him in the back of his head with the handle of the gun until he collapsed, subdued.

"Go, go, go!" he ordered, not daring to look back as he grabbed Ava from the floor and bolted after Lisa and Daniel.

They spilled out into the night, the cool air a balm to their burning lungs. The town slept unaware, its quaint streets a jarring contrast to the chaos they had just escaped. They were alive, whole, and together.

"Let's not stop until we're home," Lisa panted.

"Home," Oliver echoed, his voice a mix of exhaustion and elation. “And then we call the sheriff, okay?”

“Deal.”

Together, they raced through the darkness, leaving behind the nightmare that had ensnared them, propelled by the sheer force of their united hearts.

The key turned in the lock with a welcome click, and the door swung open to a world that seemed both familiar and forever altered. Lisa stepped into the dimly lit foyer of their home, her arm instinctively tightening around Daniel's small shoulders as Oliver followed close behind with Ava, who was waking up now but not yet fully aware of her surroundings.

Every shadow seemed to dance with the flicker of memories, each corner of the room holding echoes of laughter and whispers of danger now past. But as they moved through the silent house, it was not the shadows that took shape but the love and resilience that had brought them back to this place of refuge.

"Home," Daniel murmured, his voice laced with weariness and wonder. In response, Lisa squeezed him gently, her heart swelling with a cocktail of relief and protectiveness. The three other kids spent the night at Maggie’s and would know nothing of what had happened once they got back—only that Daniel and Ava were back, and they were safe.

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