Chapter 9: The Servants' Quarters
"We can't take the main stairs," Ethan whispered, peering out into the darkened hallway. "Victoria’s loyalist staff will be awake by now. We need to use the servants' corridors."
Clara nodded, holding tightly to little Leo, who had thankfully slept through the commotion but was now awake, clinging to Clara’s neck in silent terror.
Ethan led the way, his gun drawn and held low at his side. They slipped into the narrow, unadorned passageways hidden behind the mansion’s grand walls. The air here was stale, smelling of dust and floor wax.
As they crept past the kitchen access door, a floorboard shrieked beneath Ethan’s shoe.
"Who's there?" a gruff voice called out from the kitchen. It was Graves, the butler Victoria had hired just three months ago. The heavy kitchen door began to swing open.
Ethan moved with terrifying speed. He grabbed the heavy iron door handle and yanked it shut just as Graves tried to step through, the heavy wood slamming violently into the butler's face. Graves let out a muffled cry of pain as he fell backward. Ethan swiftly turned the deadbolt, locking the butler inside the kitchen.
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"Keep moving," Ethan urged Clara, his eyes scanning the shadows. "The garage is just down the next flight."
They hurried down the final, spiraling iron staircase that led to the subterranean garage. Clara’s breath was ragged, her injured shoulder screaming in protest with every step she took while carrying the heavy toddler. But freedom was just on the other side of the heavy fire door.
