Page 56 of Chalk Outline
The dark figure moves through the garden, and the faint, silvery glow of the moon illuminates him.
I pick up the rifle from the table and place it over the top rail. My finger curls around the trigger, ready to wreak havoc if necessary.
“Winona, there’s someone outside your tower,” I say to the radio, my voice steady.
Please, get up.
I will run like a fucking maniac to tackle this clown if I have to.
I aim at the ground near where I shot the snake earlier today and pull the trigger.
The gunshot echoes between our towers.
My eyes snap to the zipline crossing between our balconies. She has the gear to cross it if she agrees.I know that will be an impossible task.I glance at the equipment I left on the floor near the table.
I need to stall him a little longer.
These are safe towers that nobody knows about unless... someone must have followed us from home. Now, if I have to guess... two of them are dead and the third one went off the grid.
I fire again.
Come on.I clench my teeth together.
I check on Winona upstairs, hoping she has woken up from the noise.
There’s no movement inside.
Lightning flashes brightly, illuminating the forest for a brief moment. The figure stands beside the outer wall, wearing a black robe with the hood pulled up and a knife at his side. I fire again as he slips behind the wall and starts banging on the door.
“Open the fucking door!” he yells. The echo carries it to me.
I recognize that voice. Dark. Disturbed. Unhinged.
I crack my neck from side to side until the muscles pop.
She doesn’t need this right now.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you.” He raises his voice even more, hiding behind the tower as I shoot.
Every fear I’ve ever known crumbles and dissolves within me, transforming into a weapon of rage that courses through my veins.
That fucker.
With fire in my eyes and my pounding heart, I stare sightlessly into the darkness encircling her tower, feeling anger, mortifying guilt, and a terrible ache.
Violent thunder crashes in the distance, vocalizing what I feel inside.
Haven’t I paid enough?
They took away everything from me.
Not her again.
I start shooting on auto, the gunfire tearing through the silent night.
“Let me in,” he singsongs as I reload a new magazine. Just as I’m about to start round two, the radio crackles, and her voice comes through.
“Jason, who the fuck is that lunatic?”
