Chapter 8 - Trial by Fire
The improvised device hit the ground floor right at the base of the stairs. The glass vials shattered, and the highly volatile surgical ether ignited instantly upon contact with the burning road flare.
A massive wall of roaring flames erupted in the foyer, catching the heavy velvet curtains and the antique wooden furniture. The intense heat drove the remaining mercenary backward, screaming as the edges of his winter coat caught fire. He stumbled back through the breached window, abandoning the push into the house.
The estate's fire suppression system immediately detected the blaze. Warning klaxons blared alongside the security alarms, and the ceiling sprinklers activated, raining freezing water down over the entire first floor.
Elias lay on his back on the second floor, gasping for breath as the water soaked through his clothes. The fire was doused, leaving a thick, blinding curtain of white smoke and steam filling the house. Visibility was reduced to zero.
"Elias!" Julian screamed from the front yard, his voice laced with pure, unhinged madness. "You’re making this very difficult! You’re just a doctor! You don't know how to fight a war!"
May you like
Elias slowly stood up, water dripping from his face. He picked up his shotgun. "You're right, Julian," Elias muttered to himself, stepping quietly down the ruined staircase into the thick smoke. "I don't fight wars. I perform excisions. And you are a tumor."
He moved through the steam like a ghost, using his intimate knowledge of his own home’s layout to navigate completely blind. He was heading for the front door. He was going to end this at the source.
