Chapter 5 - The Hunt
The footsteps stopped directly outside the guest room door.
I held my breath, the wooden stock of the rifle pressed firmly against my trembling shoulder.
A thin beam of light swept across the gap beneath the door, illuminating the dust particles in the air.
“She has to be in here,” Nicole whispered from the hallway, her voice filled with venom.
“Kick it open,” Arthur ordered, his voice dangerously low.
I aimed the rifle squarely at the center of the wooden door, my finger resting lightly against the trigger.
The door violently burst open, the frame splintering as Arthur kicked it with all his massive strength.
The beam of his flashlight hit me directly in the eyes, blinding me momentarily.
But I didn't need to see perfectly to pull the trigger.
The hunting rifle went off with a deafening, thunderous roar that shook the very foundation of the cabin.
The heavy slug tore through the empty space just inches from Arthur’s shoulder, completely destroying the hallway mirror behind him.
Arthur shouted in pure panic, dropping his flashlight and throwing himself flat onto the floor.
Nicole screamed hysterically, turning and sprinting blindly back down the staircase.
“Don't move, Arthur!” I commanded, pumping the lever action of the rifle to load the second round.
The sound of the metallic click echoed sharply in the silent, dark hallway.
Arthur lay completely still on the floor, his breath coming in ragged, terrified gasps.
“You’re crazy,” he hissed, keeping his hands visible in the dim moonlight filtering through the window.
“I am a mother protecting her family,” I replied coldly, stepping carefully out into the hallway.
I kept the barrel aimed directly at his head, making sure he understood I was not bluffing.
Downstairs, I could hear Peter groaning, finally regaining his senses after the brutal blow to his head.
“Mom?” Peter called out weakly from the living room floor.
“I’m okay, Peter!” I shouted back, my eyes never leaving Arthur’s prone figure.
“Where is Nicole?”
“She ran out the back door,” Peter groaned, his voice filled with overwhelming exhaustion and heartbreak.
“She took my car keys.”
Arthur let out a bitter, mocking laugh from the floor.
“She left me behind, just like she was going to leave you behind, Peter.”
I nudged Arthur’s shoulder hard with the barrel of the rifle.
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“Get up slowly, and walk down the stairs with your hands on your head.”
He complied, cursing quietly under his breath as we made our way back down to the chaotic living room.
