CHAPTER 12:

William and Julia walked silently and cautiously from room to room to find the bathroom where the window was ajar. They moved hand in hand, feeling the freedom slowly approaching. They were already upstairs, and they had not seen anyone yet. There was no sign of the three men and the mansion was entirely silent.

When they finally got to the guest bedroom with the double bed that Julia had previously collapsed in tears, they looked at each other anxiously. There were only a few meters separating them from the bathroom which was just opposite.

The young man walked past Julia, trying to place her behind him to protect her from whatever might be in the hallway at this very moment. He opened the door as quietly as possible and stuck his head in. He remained frozen. One of the killers stood in the now lit hallway, his rifle drawn. His back was against the wall across from the room they were in, to their left.

Julia did not say a word but felt William tense and she understood immediately. She pulled his jacket a little and the young man went back into the room. He closed the door and turned to the young woman whose hair was totally disheveled.

"One of the men is leaning against the opposite wall, to the left of the bathroom…" William whispered as low as possible.

He saw Julia's face crumple and he gently stroked her cheek.

"It'll be fine… I'll go back to the next room, and I'll lure him over here. You, keep an eye on him and, as soon as you can, rush to the bathroom and jump out the window."

Julia looked at William and had no reaction, processing what the young man had just told her.

"What?" suddenly asked the doctor. "No…no, no…we're both going together, please…"

"Julia… It's the only way. When I have attracted him, I will go back to the bedroom, and I will go to the bathroom myself. I'll join you right away, I promise. OK?"

The young woman nodded, startled.

"Promise me you'll do what I told you. It is important. Do not wait for me. Jump…"

William looked Julia in the eye, his gaze mirroring hers. Her green-gray eyes shone with tears, and she nodded harshly.

"I promise you."

The young man nodded in turn, completely terrified deep inside. He kissed Julia softly, feeling that thing explode in his heart again. This wonderful thing. He had the impression that she gave him immense courage for this ordeal he was about to experience. They would get through this together...

William reluctantly left the lips of this woman he felt like he had met years ago and not just hours ago. She clung to him, her hands tightening a little more around his. He slipped subtly towards the bedroom door that led to the adjoining room and entered it, leaving once and for all the embrace of the young woman.

Julia watched him for a moment as he headed for the door to the other room that led directly to the hallway. He put his hand on it and turned his head towards Julia. He nodded at her, signaling that he was ready for the diversion.

The young doctor nodded and took her eyes off William feeling anxious about what might happen. Julia grabbed the guest bedroom doorknob and slowly opened the door to reveal the killer. He had not moved an inch. He remained slumped against the wall; his rifle still held in his right hand.

For the first time, she could see the face and appearance of one of the three men. Finally, she realized that she had hardly seen them. Every time she had come across one of them, she was hidden somewhere in a completely dark room. But now she could see his dirty brown hair falling over his face. His protruding nose and hunching back.

Julia stared at him, afraid she would blink and miss William's diversion. He had not told her what he was going to do and that worried her. He had to be discreet and subtle, he did not have to put himself in unnecessary danger, so close to the goal and more.

The young woman suddenly saw the door of the adjacent room which led to the corridor opened violently. It knocked against the hallway wall and the killer jumped. He turned around, his back to Julia, the rifle pointed directly at the door. She saw him move subtly and silently towards the door in question. Although Julia was terrified that he would find William, she forced herself to do as he asked. She opened the door as quietly as possible and winced when she heard it creak slightly. She looked back in the direction of the killer who did not seem for a second to notice a door open behind him. He continued to move cautiously towards the door of the other room, the rifle raised in front of him.

Julia managed to slip down the hallway and reach the bathroom door, which was only a few feet in front of her. She opened it too and was happy that it was one of the only doors in this mansion that had to be pushed and not pulled. Once definitively in the bathroom, she did not close the door behind her so that William could pass more easily and more quickly. Then she rushed to the window which she opened wide and jumped without thinking. During her fall – which seemed like an eternity – she heard a shot ring out. Her heart skipped a beat and she landed hard on her right wrist, in the bushes. Face against the ground, her breath was blocked for a few seconds. She took a deep, hard breath, her wrist hurting so much she was sure she had broken it. But above all, she thought she would die of worry when she remembered the shot she had just heard. She did not dare think for a second that William could have been shot. Alone. Up there...

She tried to crawl a little to the right, the bushes scratching her face and tearing at her clothes. Why did not William jump?

Note: Things have gone very wrong… Where is William? Was he shot? Thanks for reading! It's always great fun.