Page 27 of Stalking Christmas

“What’s to explain,Red?Daddy is an asshole at the top of the state’s food chain, with incriminating blackmail information on the president, and has a hard-on for getting what he wants. It’s best to let Nic do what he does best right now,“ Micah chuckles as he follows us out of the room, with Daisy on his heels. Chrissy turns around and gives him a scathing look, filled with the promise of pain. A smile breaks across my face as he takes a step back from the angry look on her features, and crashes into Daisy. “What is it that he does best?” Daisy peeks around Micah’s shoulder, with her eyebrows up by her hairline, and the ridiculous reindeer antlers she’s wearing bobbing on her blonde head.

“Kill people,” Micah says.

“Murder,” I reply.

“Stalk, and decapitate body parts,” Chrissy answers at the same time. Daisy looks between all three of us with shock, and motions for us to proceed walking. “Sorry I asked,” I hear her mumble.

I press a code into a door at the end of the hallway, and it slides open with an electronic beep. It reveals the massive arsenal I have collected over the years. A part of me always knew something like this was bound to happen, the minute I started resisting taking orders from my father, and I wanted to be prepared to fight back. “Jesus, Nic, how long have you been stockpiling this stuff?“ My brother steps into the room, and runs his finger down a stainless steel hunter’s bow.

“You know how to use all this stuff? Who the hell trained you,‘Rambo’?“ Chrissy demands as she looks around with both awe, and apprehension, across her delicate features. “The United States government did; Nic used to be in the special forces, just think of him as an unhinged‘Captain America’,“ Micah chuckles, as he picks up a rifle and starts playing with it, not realizing the fucking thing is loaded, and could blow his head off. I grab it, yank it away from him, and start strapping weapons and ammunition to my body. “You’ll shoot your eye out, idiot.”

“I can help. Give me a weapon,” Micah whines, and I roll my eyes at his childish behavior. “I can fight too. You are not leaving us as sitting ducks inside of here, while you go out there and play‘Call of Duty’,asshole.”

I can hear Toothless slamming his immense body against the door at the other end of the hall, and I don’t want to be in his vicinity when he finally escapes. Somehow, I don’t think the demon will forgive me for drugging him.Fuck, I don’t have time for this shit.Very soon, we are going to have a bunch of thugs breaking into my home, intent on murdering us all. I hand Micah and Chrissy each a loaded handgun, equipped with a silencer, and a blade, and Daisy; a bat. Somehow, the little psycho managed to tuck the original gun that she used to kidnap me with into the top of her pants. My money’s on her being the most useful; something about her screams‘unhinged’.“Pointand shoot at anyone besides us. Don’t hesitate; if you do, you’re dead.”

My hand wraps around Chrissy’s neck, and I yank her into my body, my mouth crashing down against hers with fierce hunger, and filled with promises of the depravity I’m going to punish her with later. “You stay safe, sweet temptation. Don’t forget that you belong to me.” I stare at her, knowing that she’s as broken inside as I am, and all of her sins and darkness call out to mine and beg me to stay, beg me to grab her and run from this place, and live the next fifty-plus years by her side. However, I can’t delay it anymore, even though nothing within me wants to be parted from her, but I have to go murder these men before they get to us. It’s the only way to ensure she survives. I pull away from her as pain radiates inside of my chest, and has my breath struggling to escape.Fuck, I love this woman. This can’t be our ending; it’s just our beginning.

I stop in front of my baby brother, who, despite being the bane of my existence, and the reason we have been discovered, is the only other person besides Chrissy that I even remotely care about. I press my forehead against his, his gray eyes staring into mine with worry. “Don’t die, fucker, and Micah, protect them with your life. If something happens to her, you won’t be taking another breath when I find you.”

I race for my computer room in the basement, and the hidden exit that will release me into the wooded area behind my house, so I can hunt my prey without another glance backward. My father has made a big mistake, if he thinks I would just stand by and allow him to murder me. The cunt has consistently underestimated my abilities, and my willingness to be an orphan. He’s about to learn I’m the biggest monster in these woods. A quick glance at one of the screens confirms that Toothless has been released, and is currently getting lots of kisses from the girls;lucky bastard.I almost feel sorry forwhoever attempts to breach the house and go after them. He’s going to rip them apart one vicious chunk at a time.

I sprint for the tunnel that will bring me outside, climbing the metal ladder, and hesitating before I emerge. I pull up my hidden cameras that line the property, and give me eyes on where everyone is located. I can see Chris not more than twenty feet ahead of me, and stalking towards the side patio door. The fucker doesn’t know it’s electrified and armed, but he’s about to find out. I search the area for the other asshole, Henry, and spot him heading for the side of the house. He’s closer. I’ll take him out first, but I need to do it up close, and in person, so as not to announce my presence to the rest of the men my father has with him. It’s best if they think we are holed up inside, instead of me about to pick them off one by one.

I use the shadows provided by the giant evergreens surrounding the cabin, to move stealthily toward Henry, and pull out one of my large needle-style blades from the harness strapped to my thigh. When he’s busy peeking around a corner, and not watching his back like a fucking amateur, I slide up behind him on silent feet, and before he can utter a sound, I slam my hand over his mouth, and push the blade through the back of his neck until it protrudes out the front. His mouth opens on a gasp below my palm, and his eyes widen as his blood gurls up his throat, and slides down his face. “You fucked up, Henry. Whatever he promised you to kill me, it wasn’t nearly enough,” I whisper into his ear, as I pull back and grab a smaller blade from my thigh strap and thrust it into his eye, before yanking it out and doing the same to the other side. His warm blood sprays and coats my face, and it only heats my desire for more death. I’m taking it very personally that these assholes came here to murder me at my father’s orders, and I want to ensure I send a message, in case any of them manage to escape. Although I have my doubts about that, since I don’t plan to leave any of thembreathing. Henry drops like a sack of shit to the ground, and his body shudders before going still.One down, lots to go. It’s playtime.

Chapter 36

The Gift

He kissed me like it was the last time he might see me, demanding that I stay safe and remember that I belonged to him, and I didn’t utter one fucking word.Why didn’t I say anything?He might die out there, trying to protect us from his father, and I chose that moment in my life to remain silent.What the hell is wrong with me?

This man has all my emotions tangled up inside of me, and wrapped in dark chaos. Blood, mayhem, and unhinged violence, surround him like a thick layer of steel that is impenetrable, and yet he sat there and showed me a weak spot in his armor.I no longer comprehend if the world is up or down right now; all I do know is, that was the hottest kiss I’ve ever received, and the sweetest words anyone has ever spoken to me, and I let him go. Is this what it feels like to be genuinely wanted and cherished? To be overwhelmed by passion, and lose yourself to your emotions? All of these feelings are foreign to me, and they terrify me down to my guarded and mistrusting soul.

My hand tightens on the gun he gave me, as I stare sightlessly ahead to where he stood mere moments ago. I feel like I’m not seeing anything in front of me, just a haze, and instead, only the image of his serious expression, and those dark, stormy gray eyes as he declared that he loved me, remain.“I’d like to think that I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, but the truth is I think my heart has always been in love with you, and it was just waiting to meet you. You, Chrissy Cranbrook, are the reason it beats, and without you, there is no reason for me to keep breathing.”

Who the hell says things like that?Who declares their love to a person they kidnapped, during a siege, and then walks away? Instead of replying to his words, I sat there stupefied and overwhelmed, staring into his gunmetal gray eyes filled with expectation and hope. No one besides Daisy has ever told me they love me, and she certainly doesn’t mean the type of love that Nic is implying. All I could think about was whether this was what it felt like to be wanted. No one besides Toothless and Daisy has ever needed or wanted me. They have always been my only family. I spent my childhood and teenage years alone, with no one to count on besides myself, and I have always had to fight to protect myself from the monsters who would enjoy hurting me.

My heart soared with his words, and the earnest expression on his face. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back, but instead, I froze. When he begged me to respond,I couldn’t make the words form on my lips. I wanted to tell him that I felt something for him too, that it wasn’t just one-sided, but nothing left me, as my throat closed up with dread. What if he’s just saying all that to keep me here, playing me for a fool? I didn’t want anyone to see the constant self-doubt and vulnerability that lives within me, the one that never adds up to others’ expectations, and constantly causes me to feel like I’m lacking, or less than them. I’ve been hurt too many times because I trusted others, and they used that to exploit me. I refuse to allow anyone the opportunity to destroy what’s left of me.

A loud bang, as the door at the end of the hall splinters, and a black ball of fur races down the hallway toward me, reduces my current thoughts to ash. “Toothless! Hey, baby!” The sweet boy almost takes me down to the ground in his eagerness to get to me, and I wrap my arms around his thick neck. He’s happy and distracted for a mere second, before Micah makes the deadly mistake of moving. Before I can restrain him, he’s darting out of my arms, using his body to protect me and Daisy, and growling ferociously in Micah’s direction. “SHIT! Call off your beast!” Micah shouts with panic.

“I don’t know, I say we let Toothless eat him; he’s a dick,” Daisy shouts above the barking, as I grab onto the large dog’s collar, and am almost taken off my feet. “Stay, Toothless, friend!”Though I doubt that very much.

Toothless instantly heels, but continues to growl aggressively at Micah in warning, and honestly, I’m okay with that. I don’t trust the slimy fuck, he went to my house with nefarious intentions, and he’s the reason his psychotic father is here now. Who’s to say he wasn’t in on this plan from the very beginning? The only ones I can trust are Daisy and my dog, and actions always speak louder than words.We can trust Nic; he’s out there trying to save us,my mind supplies.

The sound of gunfire outside of the cabin gets all of our attention, and for a moment, I’m not sure what to do. I want to go help Nic, but he made it clear we’re not to step foot outside of the cabin, and to shoot anyone besides him who comes in. “We have to do something; we have to help him!” I yell at Micah, who has the audacity to point his gun towards Toothless. “Trust me, Red, my brother doesn’t need our help outside. He’ll have them all dispatched to hell shortly, so all we have to do is worry about anyone getting past him and inside.”

Just as he finishes his statement, we hear the sound of glass shattering, and painful, shrill screams from the other side of the cabin. I don’t hesitate to move in that direction; my self-preservation lost amongst all the noise, my gun firmly in my hand, and the blade shoved into my back pocket. I can hear the thundering footsteps of Micah, Daisy, and Toothless behind me, as we reach a large oak kitchen area, and see the glass all over the floor from the shattered patio door. A man is shuddering on his hands and knees, his body contorting grotesquely as electricity soars through his limbs.Jesus fuck, what the hell have I found myself involved in?

Toothless doesn’t hesitate to barge past me, growling deeply in his throat, as he places himself between us and the threat. The guy suddenly stops shaking and makes a move to attempt to stand, and before I can stop him, Toothless launches his muscled body at him, and bites into his upper arm, tearing into him. The screams are right out of a nightmare, and so is the blood.

My eyes meet Daisy’s, and where I thought I would see identical fear and disgust, instead, I’m rewarded with sparkling eyes, and a mischievous smile across her pixie face. “Daisy!” I shout to get her attention, but she hesitates to pry her eyes off the scene before her to meet my glance, and all the while, screams of terror and ripping sounds are happening, that causebile to race up the back of my throat. “Good boy, Toothless! You show him who’s boss!“ She cackles with glee, and claps her hands like a small child. I search for Micah, thinking the fucker must have escaped in the chaos, but I find him pressed against the furthest wall, looking a little green, his gray eyes wide with dread. “Keep... that... monster away from me!” He turns to the side and empties the contents of his stomach. I can’t really blame him; I’m close to doing the same.

A shadow moves from the corner of my eye, and before I can scream out a warning, a man dressed in dark camouflage grabs hold of Micah. His large arm wraps around his neck, and a gun is drawn to Micah’s temple. “Your daddy’s not too impressed with you,boy,“ his southern twang fills the air, and I have to grab Toothless, and haul him back with all my might, before he attacks the newcomer. “In fact, the governor has issued an order to kill you and your brother on sight. You must have really pissed him off.”

“I’ll... double... whatever he’s... paying, let... me... live,” Micah gasps as his face goes red with strain, but the response is a deep, rumbling chuckle from the man with the gun. “I don’t think you have that kind of money, boy. I’ll take my chances with the governor.” His dark eyes trail over Daisy and me, and my skin crawls with revulsion. “I’ll be taking those sluts as spoils of war too.” He tilts his chin in our direction.The fuck, he will! I would rather die.

I raise my hand with the gun, and it trembles in my grasp. “Whatcha gonna do with that, girlie, hmmm? Why don’t you put that down before you get yourself hurt,” he calls with a grin. I can almost read his disgusting thoughts, and I know that if this creep manages to kill Micah, and make it past Toothless, Daisy and I are going to wish for death. My finger twitches against the trigger as I take a few deep breaths. I’m only going to get one shot, before he fires that gun and kills Nic’s brother, andI’ve never in my life shot a gun at a person. While I’m busily contemplating what to do, and how accurate my shot needs to be, an explosion sounds from my other side, and the man’s head blows back against the wall and explodes like a crimson balloon. “Don’t call us sluts, you dirty old cunt!” Daisy’s shrill voice meets my ears, and I turn slowly to stare at her in awe, my mouth dropping open in horror.

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