Chapter 5 - The Turning Tide
"Clara, lock the door!" Edward yelled as the taller thug recovered and punched Edward across the face. Edward tasted copper but gripped the man’s jacket, pinning him against the wheelchair so he couldn't chase after his family.
Upstairs, Clara slammed the heavy oak door of the master bedroom and turned the deadbolt, pulling Lily close to her chest. "It's okay, baby, it's okay. Daddy is protecting us," she sobbed, pressing the panic button hidden behind her vanity mirror, activating the estate's silent alarm to the state police.
Downstairs, the fight was chaotic. Julian was taking a beating from the shorter thug but managed to grab a heavy brass lamp from a side table, striking the attacker across the temple. The man collapsed, unconscious.
Edward was losing his grip on the taller thug, who was choking him. "You pathetic cripple," the man hissed.
Just as Edward’s vision began to blur, Julian tackled the man from behind, dragging him off Edward. Together, utilizing Edward's strategic positioning with the wheelchair and Julian’s raw desperation, they managed to pin the intruder to the floor just as the distant wails of police sirens began to echo through the valley.
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Realizing they were defeated, the taller thug managed to break free, grabbing his unconscious partner, and fled through the broken kitchen window into the night.
The house fell silent again, save for the blaring sirens getting closer. Julian collapsed on the floor, bleeding from his lip, gasping for air. Edward sat in his chair, his chest heaving, looking at his broken home.
