“Listen to me carefully, Eimear. They’re coming in. I don’t know how many of them there are, but I can’t fight them off without help. Here’s what I need you to do.”
By the time he finished explaining to her, almost imperceptible creaks could be heard downstairs. They were looking for them. Fergus had locked both the bedrooms downstairs before they went to bed. Somehow, he’d anticipated this, but he had elected to stay rather than leaving today. Instead, he’d wanted to wait until tomorrow. She was sure he had her reasons, but she knew he wouldn’t explain to her why, so she hadn’t asked. Now that something was happening, she was terrified.
More clicking from downstairs; they were coming in like thieves in the night, trying to get the jump on them. The sound was likely lock-picking tools to quietly open the bedroom doors in search of them. She could hear one door open and then the sound of metal against metal as they apparently decided to slip through the bathroom into the other room. It was hard to hear over the thudding of her own heart against her chest, but it was there.
Within a matter of minutes, they’d been into the bedrooms and determined that no one was there. A series of creaks sounded on the stairs. They were coming up. Fergus nodded toward her, and she eased away from him, making her way toward the door. The moment the doorknob began to rattle, he shifted, filling the room with his enormous bear. She’d not realized just how big it was out in the open area of the yard, but in here, she could see just how tremendous he really was.
He nodded, and she did what he had told her, yanking open the door and rushing back toward the bed to clear the way for him. He charged out the door, catching the two men trying to enter it off guard. Their screams filled the house as he ripped at their flesh with his powerful claws and hauled one up in his jaws, crushing his neck and sending him flying sideways. He turned toward Eimear, who had frozen in her tracks. He let out a loud roar. It was enough to get her moving.
She rushed back to the door and slammed it shut, locking it, and pulling out the large plastic tub he’d placed beneath the bed for her after they’d discussed the fact that, at some point, she might need to hide.
She crawled inside and scooted it across the floor toward the top center of the bed, using the noise from the exterior as cover. To someone casually looking about the room, she should go unnoticed. She clasped the silenced cell phone she’d snatched off the dresser to her and tried to be as still and quiet as possible, listening to the horrible noises coming from outside.
A gunshot sounded, sending her heart into her throat. What was happening? It certainly wasn’t Fergus who fired the gun. She waited, holding her breath. Fear coursing through her as she waited, with no idea what to expect when it all ended. She was relieved to hear his growls.
Two men were talking as if they could talk a bear out of attacking them somehow. She couldn’t make out everything they were saying, but they seemed to be trying a “nice bear, good bear” approach of soothing him into letting them get away from him.
Instead, they were silenced by a loud roar and more horrible sounds of bones cracking and breaking, along with the sick thuds of their bodies being slammed against wood. Their screams filled the house, much like the others had before he’d attacked them. There was more of the disturbing sound of ripping flesh and crunching bones and then silence.
Eimear waited, wondering if she should come out, but he told her to stay until she heard his voice, heard him ask her to come out. The house was quiet now except for the sounds of the floor creaking as the heavy footsteps of his bear wandered around.
After a few minutes, there wasn’t even that. She could only assume he had gone outside to look around. It was tempting to come out, but she was trying to do as he told her, not wanting to cause more trouble. She cringed as more gunshots rang out and a scream was cut short.
It had come from the backyard and was quickly followed by more. At first, she was too distracted by the horrible sounds coming from the backyard to notice, but as it quieted, she realized she was no longer alone. Footsteps entered the room and walked about, opening the closet door.
She could almost feel the presence as they approached the bed and then turned to walk away again. Though she couldn’t see him, she could smell his aftershave, the Prada he insisted on wearing even after she’d told him she hated it. There was no mistaking that he was here. He had come for her.