“Dad!” I scream, my voice cracking. “Stop! PLEASE!”
Maria crouches again, close enough that her face fills the frame beside his.
Her expression shifts. Not warm. Not kind. She leans in and speaks like she’s reciting something sacred.
“Sacrifice…” she whispers. “Is the price of salvation.”
Dad goes still. Like those words are a chain he recognizes.
Like they’ve been carved into the backs of people in dark rooms, and he’s heard them whispered through screams.
His eyes flick to the camera. To me. And I see it in him then. Not fear for himself. It’s fear for me.
“You’re the Preacher,” he rasps.
Maria smiles slowly as if she’s proud of who she is.
“As if it could have been anyone else,” she whispers. “You men always think evil wears a man’s face.”
She stands and steps closer to the safe room door, her palm brushing the steel like she’s petting it. Like she’s touching me through it.
I recoil even though there’s nowhere to go.
Her voice softens again, turning gentle. Motherly. “I won’t hurt you, Lily,” she says. “I swear. This isn’t about hurting you.” A pause. “This is about saving you.”
My throat closes. My lungs burn. I can barely see through my tears.
Maria looks down at Dad, then back up at the camera. “And he’s not dead,” she says calmly. “Not yet.”
My heart jolts painfully.
Dad’s chest rises. Barely. His breathing is thin, broken, but it’s there.
He’s still here. Still holding on.
Maria watches him like he’s a clock she can stop whenever she wants. “But he will be,” she continues softly, “if you delay any longer.”
My whole body shakes. “No…” I whisper. “Dad…”
Maria’s voice turns coaxing now. Persuasive.
“You can save him, Lily,” she says. “You can save all of this. If you open the door.”
My hand lifts, trembling, hovering inches from the release panel.
Maria leans closer, her tone turns almost comforting. “If you work with me, I can get him out,” she murmurs. “I can get him medical help.”
A beat.
“I have men outside. My warriors.”
She says it like it’s a gift. Like its mercy.
“They’re surrounding this place right now,” she whispers. “You don’t have to be afraid of them. They’re here for you.”
She smiles.
“That means that when Drago rushes back here, he can get your father the help he needs.”
