Chapter 8 intruder

John made a sour sounding laugh. Stranger things appear to happen in real life than in books. It seems that my grandpa in particular was quite active in this group. He trusted them with the necklace, thinking it contained a key to a secret room buried within the house." "The chamber we just found," Marie thought, a feeling of dread twisting in her gut. "Exactly," John gave a nod. The book does, however, reveal an even greater mystery. Something my granddad never really explained, just hinted at." His forehead creased with concentration as he turned the pages. "There's a cryptic message here," he murmured, "written in the same coded language as the map." With her pulse pounding in her chest, Marie leaned in closer. They pieced together the broken words to decode the message together. It mentioned a potent relic that, in the wrong hands, might cause enormous havoc. John gasped in relief as he reached the last word, "The Phoenix Stone." "The Phoenix Stone?" Marie echoed, shivering at the mention of her name. "What is it?" John shook his head, furrows growing on his face from stress. "I'm not sure. The novel doesn't go into detail, but it makes it obvious that society thought the stone was concealed within the house and had been shielded for ages." They were enveloped in a thick quiet, only sometimes disturbed by the sound of water trickling from someplace in the large room. The air heavy with the echoes of a history they had forgotten, the weight of the discovery bearing down on them. "So, Alexander Pierce wasn't just after the necklace," Marie at last said, her voice almost audible above a whisper. The Phoenix Stone was his goal." John gave a somber nod. "He must have some knowledge of its position and strength. And he'll do whatever it takes to acquire it." There was a sharp snap in the room, and then there was the sound of stone grinding. Marie's terrified eyes grew wider. "John, did you hear that?" His hand reached automatically for his concealed earphone as he whirled around. His voice was tense as he continued, "It's coming from the passage." A seismic wave rattled the room, sending dust flying from the ceiling. Marie trembled as she grasped John's arm. "We must leave this place! Right now!" They hurried back through the little opening without saying another word, their hearts thumping fiercely. With a loud bang, the thick oak door leading to the secret room slammed shut as they arrived at the library. John sweat-slickened palms scrabbled at the latch. He screamed, "It's jammed!" Marie felt a wave of panic. Outside, footsteps resounded from the corridor. There was a visitor approaching. She gasped, looking around the room quickly, saying, "There has to be another way out." Her attention was suddenly drawn to a secret panel behind a bookshelf. It was tiny, just barely big enough for one person, yet it looked identical to the one they used to enter the room. "John," she yelled, gesturing. "The bookcase!" He got it right away. He pulled Marie toward the panel with a furious shove. "Leave! I'll keep them waiting." She yelled, "No, John!" but it was already too late. He was already reaching into the shelf to get a thick bookend. Marie pushed her way through the small gap as the doorknob clattered loudly, dropping hard on the dusty floor of a secret crawlspace. The library door opened as she hurried back, her heart racing in her ears. With their faces hidden by the darkness, two powerful guys burst into the space. John turned to face them, his body tight but his look steadfast. He wielded the bookend as if it were a weapon. "Who are you?" John asked in a strangely calm voice. "Where is it?" One man gave a growl. "The Phoenix Stone!" A whispered prayer leaked out of John's mouth as his eyes strayed to the secret panel. "There's no Phoenix Stone here," he bluffed, sounding steady even as his gut trembled. The guys looked at one other suspiciously. "Don't play games, Kings," one of them muttered, advancing menacingly. "We know you found something down there." John pretended not to know. "Where down? This room is empty but for few old, dusty books." The other guy gave a smirk. "Save us from wasting time. We watched as you went inside the secret room. Tell us the location of the relic now, or else chaos may ensue." John's thoughts were racing. He realized that there was no way he could resist them. He needed to give Marie some time to get away. He inhaled deeply and made the decision to take a big risk. He responded, "Alright," in a rather desperate tone of voice. "In the study is the Phoenix Stone. You won't discover it so quickly, however." The guys paused, a glint of uncertainty dimming their vision. With a cautious tone, one of them questioned, "What do you mean?" John made up the fib, "There's a security system," while acting frantically. "There are hidden triggers all around the room. The whole facility may catch fire with just one incorrect move." The men's expressions twisted into a frown of dread and displeasure. Neither seems willing to take a chance on perhaps igniting an explosion. John exerted his advantage. "You will have to do what I say if you want the stone. really cautiously." The guys nodded reluctantly in agreement. With his pulse racing like a crazy tattoo across his ribs, John took them on a ramshackle tour of the library, alerting them to potential dangers such as booby-trapped bookcases. He remained vigilant about the concealed panel throughout, hoping Marie had made it out alive. Marie, meantime, found herself imprisoned in a small, dim crawlspace. She felt claustrophobic as cobwebs brushed over her face and the stagnant air filled her lungs. She reached for her phone, but there was no signal. She resisted the urge to give in to panic and concentrated on the work at hand. She slid blindly along the tight corridor, her knees slapping the hard stone floor. A dim light glowed ahead after what seemed like an age. She moved ahead, entering a dusty storage area with a newfound sense of optimism. Long shadows stretched over the room as moonlight came in through a tiny, high window. She felt a wave of relief as she saw an open door heading outside. After inhaling deeply, she cautiously left the storage room and tiptoed along an empty corridor, her eyes searching for any indication of John or the intruders. The entrance door was ajar as she arrived in the main foyer. She stepped out into the fresh night air without thinking, her bare feet slipping into the damp grass. With a rush of excitement coursing through her, she ran across the grass, making her way to the protection of the woods that surrounded the Kings' property. She slumped against a tree, panting, her whole body quivering. She felt a combination of relief and terror as tears welled up in her eyes. John. Was he secure? She needed assistance, needed to alert someone about the Phoenix Stone and the intruders. But whom might she put her confidence in? Her thoughts suddenly raced back to that memory. The notebook's inscription said, "A friend." Olivia may be the culprit. The idea of going to anybody else seemed like a risk she couldn't afford to take, even with their difficult background. Marie took out her phone and called Olivia, trembling as she waited for a response. Marie had a sad heart.