Chapter 20 - THE FINAL FALL
Victor lost his balance, tumbling backward against the floor-to-ceiling glass wall.
The impact of his heavy body cracked the reinforced glass panel.
Leo raised his pistol and fired a single shot—not at Victor, but at the cracked glass panel right beside Victor's head.
The bullet shattered the structural integrity of the massive glass wall.
The entire floor-to-ceiling window exploded outward into the night sky.
A ferocious wall of high-altitude wind rushed into the penthouse, blowing papers and furniture everywhere.
Victor screamed as the violent air vacuum dragged him backward over the broken window ledge.
He frantically grabbed onto the aluminum window frame with his fingers.
He dangled over the 800-foot drop, howling in sheer terror.
"Lily! Help me! I'm your father!" Victor shrieked over the roaring gale, his fingers slipping on the wet metal.
Lily stepped slowly to the shattered edge of the floor, looking down at him with cold, quiet eyes.
"My father died three years ago in that car crash," Lily said clearly over the howling wind.
Victor's fingers slipped off the wet metal edge.
He let out a terrifying, fading scream as he plummeted into the dark void of the stormy night below.
Silence descended over the penthouse, broken only by the sound of the wind.
Leo rushed over to the medical gurney, grabbing a pair of emergency shears and slicing the IV tube connecting Raymond to the poisonous pump.
Raymond gasped, pulling cold air deep into his lungs as his body relaxed.
"You... you crazy kids..." Raymond rasped out, a bloody smile spreading across his face.
"You actually did it."
Flashing red and blue lights began to illuminate the streets 80 floors below as dozens of police vehicles surrounded the building.
The storm clouds above began to break, letting a bright beam of morning sunlight hit the floor of the penthouse.
Lily turned to Leo, reaching out her hand just like she had in the ballroom.
Leo took her hand, pulling her close into a tight embrace as tears finally streamed down their dirt-stained faces.
May you like
They were no longer victims, and they were no longer alone.
The nightmare was finally over.
