Page 61 of Till Death Do Us Part

Her mother smiled back at her, her eyes brimming with pride. "That's my girl," she said, giving Kyla's hand a gentle squeeze. "Let's go inside and talk. Now remember, Rachel was going to leave too, and I told her, whatever you do, you can never ever leave. We are a family. Only death can part us."

Then, she closed the door behind them and locked it with a loud click. The sound was sharp and final.

Chapter60

As I turned the car onto the street, I could feel my heart beating rapidly. Matt was sitting beside me, his hands tightly gripping his gun as we approached the house.

I shook my head, my eyes fixed on the house in front of us. My grip on the steering wheel tightened as I leaned forward, the adrenaline already pumping through my veins.

"Please, just tell me what's going on," Matt asked, his hand hovering over the gun on his lap.

"I can't," I said, my voice low and urgent. "We don't have time. Just trust me on this."

I stepped out of the car, my eyes scanning the quiet suburban street. It was dark, but the streetlights cast an eerie glow on the houses lining the road.

Matt followed me, his footsteps echoing against the pavement. I could hear the distant sound of police sirens and knew our backup was on their way.

I raised my gun, my hand steady as I approached the front door of the house. Matt did the same, his eyes darting around nervously.

"Ready?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

Matt nodded, his jaw set in determination. Together, we kicked open the door and rushed in.

The inside of the house was just as dark as the street outside, but I could hear the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs. I motioned for Matt to follow me as we cautiously made our way up the stairs, our guns at the ready.

As we reached the top of the stairs, we saw the door to the master bedroom was slightly ajar. I nodded at Matt, and we approached the door slowly.

As we pushed it open, I could see the mother, Madeline Johnson, kneeling on the bed. In her hand was a bloody knife, and she was repeatedly stabbing her daughter, Kyla, who was lying on the bed, whimpering for help.

Matt's eyes widened in horror as he rushed toward Madeline. "Stop!" he yelled, tackling her to the ground. The knife clattered across the room, and I rushed over to Kyla's side.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice gentle as I tried to assess her injuries.

Kyla was gasping for air, her eyes wide in terror. "Please, help me," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of Madeline's thrashing.

I could feel my heart pounding as I tried to calm Kyla down. "It's okay," I said softly. "We're here to help you."

Meanwhile, Matt was struggling to subdue Madeline. She was fighting fiercely, but Matt was able to keep her pinned down for a few seconds. Suddenly, she broke free and grabbed the bloody knife from the floor. With one swift motion, she plunged it into Matt's side, causing him to scream in pain.

I could feel my heart racing as adrenaline surged through my body. With a trembling hand, I raised my gun and fired a shot at Madeline, but it only grazed her shoulder. She got up and ran toward me, grabbing the gun from my hand and pointing it at me.

"Get away from my daughter," she hissed, her eyes wild with rage. "She's mine. She always has been."

I backed away, my hands raised in surrender. "Please, Madeline," I said, my voice shaking. "We can help you. Just put down the gun."

But Madeline was beyond reason. She was panting heavily, her eyes fixed on me with a crazed intensity. I could feel my breath getting caught in my throat. I tried to back away, but she came closer. I could see the madness in her eyes as she pointed my gun at my head.

"Please, Madeline," I gasped, trying to reason with her. "We can talk about this. Just put down the gun."

But Madeline wasn't listening. She was panting heavily, her finger on the trigger.

I froze as Madeline's eyes locked onto mine, her grip on the gun tightening. I could hear Matt groaning in pain behind me, and I knew I needed to act fast.

"Madeline," I said, my voice calm and steady despite the fear pulsing through my veins. I could hear the sirens as backup came closer. "Put the gun down. It's over."

Madeline's eyes narrowed, and I could see the madness in them. "It's not over until I say it's over," she snarled, her finger tightening on the trigger.

I took a step forward, my hands raised in surrender. "Okay, okay. Just put the gun down. Let's talk about this."

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