PART 8 — THE HEADLIGHTS IN THE DARK NIGHT
The silence that followed was suffocating. Outside, the wind howled around the roof, but inside we heard only Willem's heavy panting and the rushing of our own blood in our ears.
"They're here," Willem whispered in a voice that was barely more than a rustling breath. His hand clutched frantically at the blanket. "They found us... after all these years."
Lucas let go of his father and spun around toward the bedroom doorway. His muscles were strained to the utmost. He looked at me, and that gaze carried a silent command: Stay here.
"Lucas, no," I whispered panically, stepping forward and grabbing his arm. "This is too dangerous. We have to get out of here, we have to call the police!"
"There's no reception here in the dunes, Mom, you know that well," Lucas replied grimly, pointing to his cell phone display: no signal. "And if we try to escape through the back door now, they'll catch us out in the open. I need to know who is out there."
Before we could discuss our next step, a loud, threatening sound echoed at the front door.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy fists pounded against the weathered wood. The house seemed to shake beneath it; dust trickled from the ceiling and the glass in the old windows rattled in their frames.
"Willem! We know you're in there!" echoed a heavy, mechanically sounding voice from outside, distorted by the wind. "Your time is up. Open the fucking door!"
I felt an ice-cold shudder run down my back. This wasn't some ordinary debt collector or old acquaintance. These were dangerous people. People who had destroyed our lives thirty years ago and were now apparently back to tie up loose ends.
Lucas walked with resolute strides into the hallway. I wanted to follow him, but something held me back. I looked at Willem, who lay on the bed trembling like a leaf in a storm. His eyes had glazed over, as if life had already partially drained from him.
"Lucas... don't do this..." Willem murmured weakly.
But it was already too late.
The front door gave way with a loud crash. Someone outside had kicked against it with full force. The wooden lock broke, and the door flew against the hallway wall with a harsh blow.
In the doorway stood two large figures wrapped in dark raincoats, their faces partially hidden in the shadow of their hoods. The headlights of the jeep cast long, terrifying shadows deep into our hallway.
