The party downstairs grew louder with laughter, clinking champagne glasses, and soft classical music.
Sarah stood in front of the massive gold portrait with the heavy tool resting in her hands.
Her palms were sweaty, but her mind was completely focused on the weak sounds inside.
She lifted the heavy iron tool high above her shoulder and took a deep breath.
With a loud scream of effort, she swung the blade directly into the painted canvas.
The edge sliced through the canvas and smashed into the wooden frame behind it.
Splinters of gold wood flew across the polished white floor of the upper balcony.
Guests in the ballroom below stopped talking as the sound of splintering wood echoed through the house.
Sarah did not stop for a single second to check if anyone was watching her work.
She struck the wall again, shattering the plaster layer and exposing thin wooden laths inside.
Dust filled the air as she swung three more times, creating a gaping hole in the barrier.
She dropped the tool on the floor and pulled the sharp wooden pieces apart with her bare hands.
Her hands hurt from the rough wood, but she kept pulling until the gap was wide enough.
She looked inside the pitch-black crawl space hidden behind the mansion's structural walls.
Cowering in the far corner was an elderly woman, weak and terrified by the bright light.
The woman wore a torn cotton dress and had dark bruises along her thin arms.
Sarah: Do not be afraid, I am here to help you get out!
The elderly woman reached out with a trembling hand, her eyes filled with tears of relief.
Sarah reached deep into the narrow gap and wrapped her arms around the frail woman's shoulders.
She pulled Clara out of the dark space and held her tightly on the hallway floor.