men, but judging by the scream he heard, he had. The figures continued their approach, so it hadn’t been a serious wound.
The men fired several shots, smashing windows and hitting the house with thudding sounds.
Sean burst through the screen door, snapping it off one of its hinges. Jenny, who had been walking away from Addison and the front windows, stopped and stared down at him.
“Two out back,” he said.
Without hesitation, she rushed past him.
“No,” he said. “Go to the back, like we planned. I got this.”
She stutter-stepped, then followed his instructions and made her way to the hallway.
Sean looked for Addison and was taken aback at the sight of Barbara on the couch with her hands wrapped around the side of her head. She was crying. Marley was barking. He ignored both and said, “How many did you guys take out?”
“All three coming up the hill.” Addison’s eyes were wide with adrenaline. She brushed back her dyed red hair, looking at Sean like she wanted his next command to be for her to spill more blood. He’d turned the woman into a rabid killer in a matter of minutes.
A series of shots were fired from the back room. Three, four, five in rapid succession. Another two shots followed.
“Watch the back door,” Sean said, rushing toward the hallway.
Jenny knelt on the floor, rifle resting on the window ledge.
“You okay?” he said.
She nodded without looking back. Like a hawk, she looked for any sign of movement from her wounded prey.
“Get them?”
“One. The other ran.”
“Don’t let up. There’s still those two that came out of the woods. Watch for them.”
As he left the room, there were more shots, followed by a scream from inside. Sean raced down the hallway. The echo of his prosthetic against the hardwood floor sounded as loud as rifle blasts.
A man stood in the doorway, aiming his rifle at Barbara. Sean fired two rounds before the guy could react. Both hit the guy in the abdomen. He fell backward, breaking the remaining hinge and taking the screen door with him to the ground.
“Where’s Addison?” he shouted.
Barbara continued to scream. She held her left hand over her right shoulder. Blood seeped through her fingers.
“Christ, not now,” he said.
This wasn’t the time to take care of her, not with at least one more man prowling around the house. He saw Addison on the floor and his heart sank. Enraged, Sean headed outside, stomping on the bleeding man’s stomach.
“Come on you bastard,” he called out to no response. Rounding the back corner, he found the third guy running into the woods. Sean fired three times, but all shots appeared to miss.
He finished the guy on the porch, then went back inside to deal with the likely death of Addison.
Only she was sitting up when he got in, leaning against Marley. Blood trickled down her forehead. Barbara remained on the couch, her arm the same color as her shirt. Her face pale. She’d stopped screaming.
Not a good sign. Shock might be setting in.
“What happened?” he asked Addison.
She shrugged. “I think something fell.”
He inspected the wound, then began searching the kitchen for anything he could use for medical purposes. There wasn’t much of use in there.
“Jenny, Emma!” Sean called out.
He heard doors open. The sound of rubber soles on the hardwood floor. They appeared at the mouth of the hallway.
“We’ve gotta go. Jenny, grab a few towels out of the bathroom. Emma, come help Addison with Barbara. Get her to the back door and wait.”
A long minute passed. Sean paced from the front to the back, peering out the windows. One of the trucks had pulled to a stop about a quarter mile from the house. Another was parked, all doors open, at the base of the hill. What happened to the third? Where did the woods behind the house go? Who was waiting on the other side?
Everyone waited where the screen door used to hang. Sean exited the house first and provided cover for the women.
“Addison, you
The men fired several shots, smashing windows and hitting the house with thudding sounds.
Sean burst through the screen door, snapping it off one of its hinges. Jenny, who had been walking away from Addison and the front windows, stopped and stared down at him.
“Two out back,” he said.
Without hesitation, she rushed past him.
“No,” he said. “Go to the back, like we planned. I got this.”
She stutter-stepped, then followed his instructions and made her way to the hallway.
Sean looked for Addison and was taken aback at the sight of Barbara on the couch with her hands wrapped around the side of her head. She was crying. Marley was barking. He ignored both and said, “How many did you guys take out?”
“All three coming up the hill.” Addison’s eyes were wide with adrenaline. She brushed back her dyed red hair, looking at Sean like she wanted his next command to be for her to spill more blood. He’d turned the woman into a rabid killer in a matter of minutes.
A series of shots were fired from the back room. Three, four, five in rapid succession. Another two shots followed.
“Watch the back door,” Sean said, rushing toward the hallway.
Jenny knelt on the floor, rifle resting on the window ledge.
“You okay?” he said.
She nodded without looking back. Like a hawk, she looked for any sign of movement from her wounded prey.
“Get them?”
“One. The other ran.”
“Don’t let up. There’s still those two that came out of the woods. Watch for them.”
As he left the room, there were more shots, followed by a scream from inside. Sean raced down the hallway. The echo of his prosthetic against the hardwood floor sounded as loud as rifle blasts.
A man stood in the doorway, aiming his rifle at Barbara. Sean fired two rounds before the guy could react. Both hit the guy in the abdomen. He fell backward, breaking the remaining hinge and taking the screen door with him to the ground.
“Where’s Addison?” he shouted.
Barbara continued to scream. She held her left hand over her right shoulder. Blood seeped through her fingers.
“Christ, not now,” he said.
This wasn’t the time to take care of her, not with at least one more man prowling around the house. He saw Addison on the floor and his heart sank. Enraged, Sean headed outside, stomping on the bleeding man’s stomach.
“Come on you bastard,” he called out to no response. Rounding the back corner, he found the third guy running into the woods. Sean fired three times, but all shots appeared to miss.
He finished the guy on the porch, then went back inside to deal with the likely death of Addison.
Only she was sitting up when he got in, leaning against Marley. Blood trickled down her forehead. Barbara remained on the couch, her arm the same color as her shirt. Her face pale. She’d stopped screaming.
Not a good sign. Shock might be setting in.
“What happened?” he asked Addison.
She shrugged. “I think something fell.”
He inspected the wound, then began searching the kitchen for anything he could use for medical purposes. There wasn’t much of use in there.
“Jenny, Emma!” Sean called out.
He heard doors open. The sound of rubber soles on the hardwood floor. They appeared at the mouth of the hallway.
“We’ve gotta go. Jenny, grab a few towels out of the bathroom. Emma, come help Addison with Barbara. Get her to the back door and wait.”
A long minute passed. Sean paced from the front to the back, peering out the windows. One of the trucks had pulled to a stop about a quarter mile from the house. Another was parked, all doors open, at the base of the hill. What happened to the third? Where did the woods behind the house go? Who was waiting on the other side?
Everyone waited where the screen door used to hang. Sean exited the house first and provided cover for the women.
“Addison, you
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