Declan
I was the biggest idiot known to mankind. Here I was knowing fully well that there was a killer or killers on the loose that targeted areas that were quieter, on the outskirts of town and deep in ranches or cabins.
Malachi's property fit the bill. Quiet enough that even from his house he wouldn't hear my screams even if I tried. I had left my service pistol in the safe in my closet, even if anything were to happen I didn't have anything to defend myself with besides my bare hands.
The hairs at the back of my neck raised as I heard another twig snap as well as the thuds getting closer and closer. A cold sweat formed on my skin and my heart rate increased. This was different to a New York cartel where I could call for backup.
The closer the thuds came, I had to pull in all the courage I had to turn around to face whatever was making the sounds. At first all I saw was the forest line and the shrubs on the floor. Nothing formed a definite shape until I focused and standing a few feet away was a silhouette.
By the posture and height it was a man dressed in a rain coat. I couldn't make out his face because of the hood he wore that covered his face creating a shadow over his face. I gulped as I scanned their profile.
In his left hand was a long object… I couldn't make out the definite shape but when it caught the light of the moon it glimmered. Metal. Must have been a blade of some sort.
"Who are you?" I pushed my shoulders back, not succumbing to fear. "What do you want?" I always used to scream at the main character in a horror film who would be stupid enough to scream 'who are you? Who's there? Hello?' as if the murderer would introduce themselves. However here I was doing the exact same thing.
He didn't answer but took a step closer as I took a step back. If I could call Malachi and tell him to call the station for backup we could close off this area of the forest trapping him. This would bring an end to all of this, I was confident.
As I was still trying to come up with an escape plan another snap came from behind me. There must have been two. That was indicated as he tilted his head to the right almost looking behind me. I could fight off one but two. There was a fat chance I could get out of this uninjured. The secret would die with me and I would just add onto the statistics.
Before I gave myself a chance to doubt, I shot out back into the forest, my legs racing to get back to the house to call the station. I tried to pull out my phone but once again there was no reception in the forest. I had no choice.
My lungs were burning for air as I jumped over logs desperate to see the lights of the house even from a distance. I could hear the thuds behind me. The snapping of the twigs. The heavy breathing. I was a witness. The one thing the suspect did not want.
It felt like forever. The run felt much longer than when I was running to the direction of the stream. My body was begging for a break but I kept on pushing myself harder to get to the house. The drive was a distance away from the station but I knew a few patrol cops lived in the area. They could arrive faster than the rest in town.
That was if I could just keep both Mal and I alive until they got here.
When I saw the lights of the house in the distance a wave of relief washed over me as I screamed for Malachi. The upstairs rooms were still dark but the closer and closer I got, I saw a light switch on from within his room. My running shoes created noise that was hard to ignore as I ran across the gravel driveway to the house.
Before I reached the front door Mal opened it looking flustered as he took in my appearance. "What happened?" He tried to grab a hold of me but I was too fast. I kicked off my muddy sneakers and made a run for the stairs. "Declan what's going on?"
"Lock the door!" I commanded as I ran for my room, went to the safe, quickly put in the pin and got my gun out.
"Declan," Mal called for my attention when he came into my room. Taking in my flustered look. "What's going on? You need to calm down."
"It's him," I rushed out as I put in the magazine and looked out the window trying to see if there was any movement from the forest. "The murderer. He was in the forest. I think I've got him. I need you to call the station whilst I go back out. I think there might be two of them. I can't tell the race but he was wearing a rain coat. Blade in his hand. Could be about 6ft but I can't tell his pounds because of the coat."
"Okay, okay," Mal didn't seem to completely take in what I was saying as he was far too calm. "Where did you see him?"
"At the stream," I quickly clarified as I rushed back out the room and ran down the stairs. Malachi hot on my heels.
"Declan wait," he tried to reach for me but I was already shoving on my sneakers. "What do you think you're doing? It's probably not what you think it is. Just calm down and tell me what you saw in detail."
"I'll tell you later. You need to lock up the house and call the station. This isn't a joke!"
Before he had a chance to answer me we both heard heavy footsteps come up the porch stairs. My blood turned ice cold as the steps got closed and closer. The weight of the man caused the wood underneath him to creak.
Then finally, almost deafening, a knock resonated from the door.