Fire at Dusk: Part 36

Deputy Smith looked away from the beast in time to see a flash of silver in Mike's hand. She ducked behind the table and heard the bang of a gun firing followed by the sound of a bullet ricocheting against the wall behind her. She watched as Mike bounded toward the door. Her hand shook from the fear which coursed through her veins making it nearly impossible for her to zero in on her target. She pulled the trigger. The bullet zipped out of the chamber, leaving a faint trail of smoke behind. A hole materialized in Mike's calf. She watched his face, but it seemed as though he hadn't even noticed the hit. Mike scooped up the shotgun he took from Buck and aimed it toward her. She ducked down and took cover once more. The boom of the shotgun bellowed through the mill.

The clicking noise of the gun being reloaded gave her opportunity she needed to put some distance between herself and that shotgun. She had no ammo aside from the cartridges loaded into her weapon. She needed to conserve her ammo and move out of his range if she was going to make it out of this alive. She ran toward the back of the mill where Shirley Sue and Buck had disappeared, hunching over as she moved.

She heard a loud crash and looked up to see one of the large work benches flying through the air. Seconds later it crashed to the ground and two of the legs broke off, flying in two different directions. She looked toward where the table had originated and saw the beast rushing in their direction. She ducked at the sound of the shotgun firing once again. The cry of the aberration echoed through the walls of the building. The deputy looked behind herself in time to see the door slam shut. Mike had escaped.

The monster gave chase to Mike. Deputy Smith watched as the monster slammed, full speed, into the door. The force of the impact echoed through the mill and caused the door and the bricks surrounding it to fly forward, leaving only a large, dusty opening. The rickety building moaned in protest. Sections of the ceiling near her came clattering to the ground. She looked toward the back of the mill, then toward the new hole. Shirley Sue and Buck would be fine on their own. She needed to stop Mike before he escaped.