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Everett and I moved in sync to the entrance. The steel hinges groaned as we opened the door, and we cautiously stepped outside. Two local cops hid behind a police car, returning fire toward the tree line. Fire lights flashed in short bursts from the barrels of both guns as they aimed toward the still-darkened woods on the edge of town. We took cover behind the coroner’s van, and I carefully peered around the edge to assess the scene playing in front of me.
My only thought was on Ava. I had to get to her.
THIRTY-TWO
AVA
There was some movement in the corner of my eye, and when I looked, I thought I saw someone in the tree line. I squinted my eyes, and therehewas. The stringy brown hair, the grotesque smirk, the sweaty skin, and he was staring right at me.
Hestarted walking slowly through the field towards us with something long in his hand. Ifocused my eyes on what he was holding...It was an assault rifle.
"Sarah,he'shere." I stammered.
"What?" She asked, looking up from her phone.
"He's right there," I pointed out.
Her eyes followed my finger, and her jaw dropped. He raised the rifle and pointed it at us.
“Ava, get down now." She yelled.
I ducked for cover. The sound of bullets filled the air as he opened fire. Bullets hit the car, breaking the windshield, and glass poured down around me. I held my arms over my head and screamed. The noise was deafening. There was yelling and returning fire, drawing gunfire away from our car. My ears rang. My door opened, and I jumped back, afraid it was him.
"Get out and stay low." Sarah pulled me out of the car and used her body to shield me as she led me to the back of the car. "Stay down. When I tell you, I want you to run to my suburban and get out of here."
"No, Sarah, I'm not leaving you."
"Ava, yes, you are. You drive until you get back to the house, and you don't look back."
The two cops, engaged in a shooting battle, called for backup on their radios. I saw James and Everett come out of the mill and duck behind the coroner's van. James looked at me helplessly. We both knew it was too dangerous for him to run past two cars to get to me.
A loud explosion sounded to the left of me, sending cops flying through the air. The heat sent me ducking for cover. Sarah covered me with her body, debris landing around us. The gunshots stopped briefly, and I couldn't see James through the burning flames and smoke.
Sarah peered carefully around the car.
"I'm going to lead him away from you, and when I do, you run like hell."
She squeezed my hand and jumped up before I could say anything. She aimed her gun at the killer and fired off several rounds before he returned fire. She dodged and ran, drawing his attention away from me.
"Now, Ava!" Sarah screamed, her voice shrill with urgency. She shoved me forward before turning in the direction of the killer. She unleashed a barrage of bullets at him, but he was too quick and returned fire with a vengeance. Bullets whizzed through the air as she ducked in and out of cover, desperately trying to get away from him and draw his attention away from me.
I stumbled to my feet and ran towards the suburban. I was almost there when I heard a scream. I turned to look, and Sarah had been shot. She fell to the ground, gripping her leg. She had fallen between two cars, and I couldn't see anyone else coming to our rescue.
Did he kill James and Everett?
Several bodies were littered across the ground, but no one shot at the killer anymore. He stood up from behind another car and walked towards Sarah. She groaned in pain, trying to crawl toward the weapon she had dropped.
I watched in horror as the killer walked towards Sarah. He raised his gun, pointing it at her, smiling.
I yelled at him to stop, but he ignored me. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me and dove for the pistol a few feet from a dead cop. I felt my finger curl around the trigger, and with shaking hands, I fired two shots, missing him both times but gaining his full attention. He ducked, looking at me in surprise, and I fired another shot, missing his head by mere inches. However, my actions caused him to drop his gun. He cocked his head to the side, hesitating briefly before ducking and sprinting toward the tree line.
"Ava!" James shouted my name, limping toward me with Everett leaning on him. I looked in the direction the killer was running and then looked back at James. His voice begged me to stop, but at that moment, I only wanted retribution for those he killed in cold blood. I wouldn't be the reason anyone else died, so I turned away from them and ran faster than ever after the killer - if I didn't make it out alive today, then neither would he.
"No, Ava!" He cried after me.
I rushed into the tree line and saw him running ahead of me. I jumped over logs and weaved in and out of trees. My heart pounded, and my lungs felt like they were about to burst, but I kept running. I shot at him, bullets ricocheting off trees near him. I was a terrible shot, but I hoped I got lucky and hit him. He disappeared into a wall of foliage, and I blindly followed in pursuit. I crashed through the underbrush into a clearing at the edge of a cliff.
He was standing at the edge of a cliff. I could hear water rushing from the river below. I kept my gun pointed at him, panting to catch my breath. I stepped forward and aimed my gun at him, my hands shaking violently from the strain of my run.
