Chapter 19 - The Violent Storm of the Crimson Night
I pressed the heavy,
plastic button firmly,
and instantly,
the entire front porch was violently,
suddenly illuminated by massive,
blindingly bright,
military-grade tactical strobe lights we had hidden carefully,
secretly in the wooden eaves.
Julian staggered backward abruptly,
crying out in sudden,
painful shock as the intense,
searing flashes of bright light completely,
instantly destroyed his natural night vision,
leaving him totally,
helplessly blind in the chaotic,
disorienting glare.
"Drop the weapon!"
Arthur roared furiously,
his deep,
booming voice echoing terrifyingly,
loudly over the roaring,
violent wind of the approaching storm,
stepping aggressively out from the dark bushes,
leveling the heavy hunting rifle directly at Julian's broad,
armored chest.
But Julian was not a coward like his older brother,
he was a hardened,
psychopathic killer who thrived entirely,
gleefully on intense,
bloody violence,
and he recovered from the blinding shock with terrifying,
unnatural speed.
Instead of surrendering quietly,
he blindly,
recklessly fired three rapid,
silenced shots into the dark brush where Arthur had yelled from,
the deadly,
hissing bullets tearing viciously,
destructively through the thick,
wet leaves just inches from my face.
Arthur fired back instantly,
the massive,
deafening boom of the hunting rifle temporarily drowning out the thunder,
hitting Julian squarely,
forcefully in his left shoulder,
spinning the large,
armored man around with incredible,
devastating kinetic impact.
Julian grunted in severe,
agonizing pain,
but the heavy,
military-grade Kevlar vest he wore beneath his black jacket absorbed the worst of the massive,
deadly trauma,
preventing the large bullet from instantly,
fatally piercing his dark,
evil heart.
Realizing he was completely,
tactically outgunned and caught entirely in an open,
vulnerable position,
Julian scrambled frantically,
desperately off the illuminated wooden porch,
diving forcefully,
violently through the large,
glass living room window of the empty cottage.
The massive,
expensive pane of glass shattered spectacularly,
explosively into a million,
glittering shards,
the loud,
violent sound echoing terrifyingly across the isolated,
quiet beach,
as Julian rolled expertly,
smoothly into the dark,
shadowy interior of my home.
"He is inside,"
I whispered intensely,
my voice tight,
strained with pure,
unadulterated fury,
refusing to let this arrogant,
violent monster completely desecrate the beautiful,
safe sanctuary I had built for my innocent son.
Arthur and I moved carefully,
methodically toward the shattered,
jagged window frame,
our boots crunching loudly,
dangerously on the broken,
bloody glass that littered the wooden porch,
knowing that navigating the dark,
narrow hallways of the house would be incredibly,
extremely deadly.
The massive,
raging storm finally broke violently overhead,
sending sheets of freezing,
heavy rain lashing aggressively against the wooden siding of the cottage,
the loud,
booming thunder perfectly masking the subtle,
stealthy sounds of our cautious,
deliberate footsteps.
Inside the dark,
destroyed living room,
the heavy,
metallic scent of fresh,
hot blood mixed sickeningly with the salty,
damp ocean air blowing fiercely through the broken window,
indicating that Arthur's powerful shot had definitely,
severely wounded the dangerous intruder.
Suddenly,
a massive,
blinding flash of lightning illuminated the dark,
narrow hallway,
revealing Julian's large,
imposing silhouette hiding perfectly,
silently behind the kitchen counter,
his silenced weapon aimed directly,
lethally at my head.
I threw myself violently,
desperately onto the hard floor just as a deadly,
hissing bullet shattered the beautiful,
antique vase standing on the wooden table behind me,
showering my dark hair with sharp,
tiny fragments of cold,
painted ceramic.
This was absolutely,
undeniably a fight to the bitter,
bloody death,
a final,
brutal clash between a fiercely protective mother and the last,
lingering remnant of a completely destroyed,
May you like
poisonous dynasty,
and I refused to lose.
