NARRATOR

The impact was brutal. The air escaped from the woman's lungs in a strangled gasp as her head slammed against the stone.

The pain was immediate and blinding.

Katherine felt the world spin around her before collapsing, powerless, onto the plush carpet.

Her vision blurred, and from the floor, she barely made out Francis retreating, a shadow vanishing through the door.

*****

Meanwhile, Francis ran like a condemned man through the hallway, dodging a few maids checking the rooms, making his