Chapter 17: The shot
674 Words
The gunshot echoed through the mansion.
Sharp, violently, unforgiving.
For a split second—Time stopped.
Isabella's breath caught in her throat, her body frozen in place as the sound rang over and over in her ears.
Then chaos erupted.
"Get down!"
Before she could even react, a strong force slammed into her.
Not pain.
Protection.
Leonard.
His arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her down to the ground as his body covered hers completely, shielding her.
The impact knocked the air out of her lungs.
Her hands instinctively clutched onto his shirt, fingers trembling.
"Leonard—"
"Don't move."
His voice was low, firm, commanding.
But beneath it—
He could hear something else.
Fear. Not for himself, for her.
Around them, the mansion exploded into motion.
Footsteps pounded against marble floors.
Guards shouted over each other.
Orders clashed in the air.
"Secure every entrance!"
"Lock the gates!"
"Find the shooter!"
The lights flickered violently—Then went out completely, darkness swallowed everything.
Isabella gasped softly, her grip on Leonard tightening.
"I can't see anything," she whispered.
"I'm here," he said immediately.
His hand shifted slightly, tightening around her as if anchoring her to him.
"You're not going anywhere."
The darkness felt suffocating.
Every sound amplified, every breath louder.
Then—
A crash.
Glass shattered somewhere nearby.
Isabella flinched.
"Stay down," Leonard ordered again, his body tensing over hers.
Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like forever.
Then—
The lights flickered back on.
Dim, unsteady, but enough.
Leonard slowly lifted his head, his eyes scanning the room with sharp precision.
Isabella followed his gaze and froze.
The once-perfect living room was now a mess.
A shattered window.
Curtains blowing wildly from the night wind.
Guards moving with urgency.
"Someone on the floor".
Her heart dropped instantly.
"Someone's been hit!" a guard shouted.
Leonard stood up quickly, pulling Isabella up with him—but keeping her firmly behind his body.
A barrier, A shield.
"Stay back," he said.
But she couldn't.
Her eyes were locked on the figure lying on the ground.
Daniel.
Blood spread across his chest.
Unstoppable.
"No..." Isabella muttered.
Daniel groaned faintly, his body barely moving.
Still alive but barely.
Leonard stepped forward slowly.
Carefully.
His eyes cold and calculating.
"Don't die yet," he said. "You still owe me answers."
Daniel let out a weak, breathless laugh.
"Still... giving orders..." he murmured.
Even now—
Even like this—
He sounded almost amused.
Isabella's chest tightened.
This didn't feel over.
It felt like something worse was coming.
Leonard crouched slightly, his gaze locked on Daniel.
"Who did this?" he demanded.
Daniel's lips parted slightly.
But instead of answering—His eyes shifted.
past Leonard to Isabella.
Something in that look made her heart skip.
"Run..." he whispered.
She frowned.
"What?"
Leonard's expression darkened instantly.
"Run," Daniel repeated weakly.
His hand lifted slightly.
Shaking, pointing.
Not at Leonard, but behind them.
Isabella's breath ran cold, slowly—
very slowly—
She turned.
And everything inside her stopped.
A figure stood at the far end of the hallway.
Half-hidden in shadows, still, watching.
Holding a gun, pointed directly at her.
Her breath caught sharply.
"Leonard..." she whispered.
But it was already too late.
The figure moved, fast and precise.
The gun lifted slightly.
A second shot rang out.
Louder, closer, deadlier.
Leonard reacted instantly.
He turned—
Pulled Isabella into him—
Wrapped his arms around her— Shielding her completely.
The force of it made her stumble.
The sound of the bullet cutting through the air—
So close— Too close.
Then—
Warmth.
Something wet spreading.
Isabella's hands trembled as they pressed against his chest.
And when she pulled them back— They were covered in blood.
Her breath hitched, her vision blurred.
"Leonard...?" She called
He didn't answer immediately.
that—
That terrified her more than anything.
Her hands shook as she looked up at him.
"Leonard... say something..." she yelled at him
His grip on her tightened slightly—
Then weakened.
And his body began to collapse.
- Writer
