Page 71 of These Rough Waters

The guy swings around, finding me and whips out his gun, firing off several aimless shots. There was no silencer on the gun and the shots were loud enough that it would wake half the town but more importantly, the woman inside the cabin.

I didn’t have my weapon on me so had no way of taking a shot. I dodge left to right, grabbing a log from the pile in the shelter. I had no idea where Rett was, no doubt playing with his own kill. Where I was quick, he liked to make it slow and regardless of the shot, during a hit it was each man for himself. He wouldn’t be coming to my aid.

Beside my head, a light flicks on.

No.

Distracted by the sudden light, the guy stops firing and turns his attention to the window which I use to my advantage, rushing him as I raise my hand and beat the log around the side of his head. He hits the ground with a grunt, and I lunge to finish but he twists quickly, firing off a shot that slices through the edge of my thigh.

The pain is like a fiery hot poker against my skin, but I can’t stop. I land on him, straddling over him as he tries to aim the gun but I whip my hand around, slamming the log against the side of his head, once, twice, three times, hearing his bone crack with each brutal hit.

His body goes limp, gun falling out of his hand, but his chest still moves so I wrap my hands around his throat, pressing down hard on his airways, choking him. I feel hot blood on my hands, a mix of his and mine and a steady stream of it running down my thigh. The body beneath me goes still, his life taken by my hands and finally Rett stumbles over, grinning like a maniac with blood dripping down the side of his face.

“The old Torin would never have taken a bullet.” He teases.

“Maya’s awake.”

His head whips towards the house as I get to my feet, limping against the pain shooting from the wound on my thigh.

I’m just around the corner of the cabin when the front door opens and she appears with a fire poker in hand, dressed only in a little pair of shorts and oversized tee. Her eyes widen when she sees me.

“T-Torin,” She stutters.

“Get back in the house,” I growl, “Don’t come out until I get back here, do you understand?”

“I heard–”

“Inside, Maya,” I stop in front of her, staring down into her pale and frightened face, “Don’t come outside until I’m back, okay?”

She nods.

I raise my hand, swiping across her cheek with my thumb before a wince visibly jerks my body at the slash of crimson red I leave on her skin.

“Lock the doors. Close the curtains and turn off the lights,” I demand, dropping my hand, “Put Harper in your bedroom with you and close your door, barricade it if you can.”

“W-what happened?”

“Please, Maya, just do it.”

“Okay,” She whispers with a tremor in her voice.

She was pale, her bottom lip trembling. “You’ll know it’s me when I come back.”

“Are you bleeding?” She whispers, looking down at my bloodied hands and leg.

“I’m fine.”

She swallows shakily, “Torin…”

“Do it now, Maya,” I tell her and after a few long seconds of her wide doe eyes staring at me and the blood that stains my skin and clothes, she nods once and closes the door, locking it behind her.

I wait a few minutes, watching the lights switch off and hearing the telltale thuds of doors opening and closing. When the house goes completely silent and dark, I go back to where Rett waits, having already dragged the three bodies until they’re in a pile at his feet and he’s wiping his hands on one of the guy’s jackets. “I hate getting blood under my nails,” He grouses, “Such a pain to get out.”

“We’ll need to take them up the peak, bury them off the trail.”

“No shit,” he says, “You know who they are?”

“No,” I throw him the keys to my truck, “Go get it, it’ll be quicker to move them.”

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