The full moon illuminated the area and the barn light was casting eerie shadows across the ground. A shiver ran down her spine and she leaned in closer to the window. Once she assured herself it was nothing more than an animal she’d rest easier.

She didn’t see anything further, so decided she’d just made a mountain out of a mole hill. It had to have been a shadow. The wind was whipping through the area. It was most likely a branch blowing. She was about to turn when another movement caught her eye. Something was giving her the creeps enough that she couldn’t turn her eyes away from the spot.

She pressed closer to the cold glass, goosebumps appearing on her skin. Something was out there. An animal – it had to be an animal. She was ready to go to the back door so she could get a better look, when a cloud moved and she got a clearer vision of the backyard.

It was a person.

Someone was standing near the barn – looking right through the window at her. Bree made eye contact and felt a shudder ripple through her. She was so shocked; she stood motionless for several moments – until he took a menacing step in her direction.

She opened her mouth and screamed.

Chapter Eleven

Chad was putting the towel around his waist when he heard Bree’s cry. He immediately jumped into action, instinct taking over.

He grabbed his gun without stopping as he ran from the room and raced around the corner, leading him into the kitchen where he found Bree staring out the window, her body shaking.

“A man – there’s a man out there, and he’s staring at me,” she cried.

“Get down, now!” Chad commanded. The authority in his voice overrode the fear coursing through her and she dropped to the kitchen floor.

Chad hit the light switch over the stove, dropping the kitchen into darkness, making it easier for him to see outside.

“What’s going on?” Bree whispered as she spotted the large gun Chad was carrying.

“I don’t know,” he responded, but he could see she didn’t believe him. She stayed silent, though as he slowly popped up and glanced out the window.

“It may be nothing, but I swear he was looking right at me,” she whispered, her voice thick with fear.

“Bree, I need you to crawl into the hallway. There are too many windows here and if this is a robber and he shoots, I don’t want you getting hit by the glass,” Chad once again commanded. He watched as Bree did as he asked.

Then, he went to the counter and picked up his phone.

“Get over here, now,” he said into the device before quickly hanging up. She didn’t know who he’d called, but obviously they didn’t need more explanation than that.

Bree watched wide-eyed as Chad slowly popped up and looked out the window. He kept his body to the side, with only a portion of his head in the window while he searched the yard.

“Where did you see him?”

“Over by the barn.”

“You’re sure it was a man?”

“Yes, I locked eyes with him. It was definitely a man,” she said with confidence.

“He may have moved closer to the house, or your scream might have scared him away. I’m still not taking any chances. Go into the bathroom and lock the door. I don’t care what you hear; do not open that door. Underneath the vanity, feel around, there’s a secret door, and inside you’ll find a gun. Take it out. If anyone comes through that door, shoot first, ask questions later. I won’t come in without knocking and letting you know it’s me,” he told her.

“I don’t understand. Secret gun compartments? Crazy stalkers? What is going on?”

“We don’t have time right now, please, just do what I asked,” he commanded. Bree scooted away to the end of the hall and waited on the other side. She wasn’t quite ready to head to the bathroom.

She poked her head around and watched as Chad flipped on the back porch light and looked through the window. She saw him staring out it, looking in every direction. He moved to the back door and looked through that as well. It didn’t seem real, with him standing there in nothing but a towel, holding a deadly looking black gun in his hand, with all the lights off inside.

Then the first shot rang out, seeming to echo through the house. The kitchen window shattered and Bree felt her face drain of any color that might have been left. She decided it was time to listen, and scrambled to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door.

There was a night light casting shadows in the large room. Though there were no windows in it, she still crawled to the vanity, where she felt around for the secret compartment Chad spoke about.

It took her several minutes, but finally she found the latch and opened the small door, reached her hand inside and came out with the gun he spoke of. Her fingers shook as she took the weapon in her hand, then crawled over to the back wall and sat there huddled.

Please don’t have to use this, please don’t have to use this, she repeated over and over in her head. What if she fired it and hit Chad? What if she hit her own leg? She wasn’t used to weapons and didn’t know the first thing about how to fire a gun. She just hoped she wouldn’t have to have her first lesson on a real live person.

***

Chad waited to hear the click from the bathroom door before he moved forward again. He didn’t know where the guy was – didn’t even know if he was alone, or he had help. All he knew was that he wasn’t going to let them near Bree again, not while he was still alive.

He glanced back out and caught a flash of light glinting off metal. It was an instant red flag and he quickly dropped to the ground as the gunshot rang out and slammed through the kitchen window.

He covered his head as the window shattered to his left, littering the kitchen floor with shards of glass. He kept his ears tuned toward the back of the house, making sure the door didn’t open. Bree needed to stay out of there. He could hold them off, but he needed to know she was safe.

He crawled back from the door, wishing he would’ve put on some pants after his shower. He felt too vulnerable in nothing but a small swatch of cotton.

The next shot rang out and hit the stone columns on his porch. He knew he just had to wait them out. He wanted to rush into the yard, take down the bastards daring to shoot at his home, but he couldn’t leave Bree. That was probably what they were hoping for.

Chad moved to the hallway as more bullets besieged the house. He listened for several moments, noticing a pattern to the shots. They were ringing out exactly two minutes apart. He waited, counting, and sure enough, the next shot came right on time.

As soon as the shot went off, he moved back toward the window and peaked into his yard. He saw the glint of metal from the trees near his barn. There was a slight movement, then exactly two minutes later, another shot rang out. Holy Hell! It wasn’t a person firing. They had some sort of device set up. He needed to get to Bree.

He heard glass shattering in one of the back bedrooms and he immediately ran for that area. The gun was nothing but a diversion to keep him busy. The stalker was coming after her.

Chad’s body tensed as he made his way down the hall, looking through each open doorway, before quickly passing by them. He reached the room he’d heard the glass breaking and looked inside. A man wearing a full black mask was looking right at him through the open window. Chad lifted his gun and fired a shot but the man ducked out of the way at the last minute.

He never popped back up and Chad was torn between chasing after him and ending the hunt for Bree, or staying in the house to keep her safe. If the guy had a partner and Chad left the house he’d never forgive himself.

“Chad, it’s me,” Mark called out as he rushed in through the front door, not even considering his own safety.

“Back here,” Chad called, and he heard Mark’s footsteps echoing down the hallway as he ran through the dark house.

“Where is he?” Mark demanded, his own weapon drawn.

“I just fired at him through the window. Bree’s in the bathroom, watch her, I’m going after this guy,” Chad said as he stepped forward to jump through the window. Mark grabbed his arm.

“The guys are on their way, along with the sheriff. Get some pants on and guard Bree. I’ll go after him,” Mark said before rushing toward the window.

Chad wanted to argue, but Mark was right. He needed to get some clothes on. He was too vulnerable in nothing but a towel.

“Fine,” he grimaced as Mark jumped out the window.

Chad quickly moved into action and rushed to his room, where he threw on his pants, a pair of shoes and gun holster in less than twenty seconds. He didn’t bother with a shirt, there was no time. He quickly rushed back to the window Mark had jumped out, and didn’t see anything. He wanted to chase after him, but he wouldn’t leave Bree.

“Chad,” Trenton called. Chad changed directions and ran toward the front door.

“Right here,” he answered so they’d know it was him. “Bree’s in the bathroom. Knock and tell her who you are before opening the door. I told her to shoot first if anyone tried to enter,” Chad warned as he rushed past Trenton and out the front door.

He stayed low to the ground as a shot rang out near his barn. He needed to get out there. He skirted the barn and came up behind the trees, looking in every direction, making sure he wasn’t headed into an ambush.

Just as another shot rang out, he rounded the back of the barn and spotted the contraption firing at his house. Chad was filled with rage as he approached the rotating gun. He quickly disarmed it, trying to be careful not to touch too many areas, just in case they were able to pull prints from the weapon. He had a feeling the stalker was smart enough not to leave prints, though.

“Chad, get over here,” Mark hollered.

Chad turned toward the sound of Mark’s voice and jogged to the front of the house.

“What have you found?” Chad asked.

“I’m going to kill someone,” Mark replied. Chad was surprised by his words. Mark was normally the mellowest guy he knew, though Chad knew his best friend could certainly be counted on. He was afraid to know what it was that had gotten him so riled up.

“They left this.”

Chad turned to see a bloody doll on his front steps with a sign attached to it.

We got her once, we’ll get her again.

“Who are these people,” Chad shouted. He quickly calmed himself down. He had to stay strong, he couldn’t afford to lose his composure.

***

Bree sat shivering in the bathroom. She heard the men shouting in the hallway. Trenton was there, along with Mark. She didn’t know who else. She couldn’t make herself move, though. She still clutched the gun in her hand, pointing it toward the door. Fear of any small movement would make her fire the dang thing, but she couldn’t force her arms to lower the weapon.

She listened as footsteps ran up and down the hall, doors slammed, and voices shouted. What was going on? Who would want to harm them? Chad hadn’t seemed surprised, confusing her even more. Why wouldn’t he tell her if something was going on? Would he really be so stupid as to think she couldn’t handle the information?

Considering she didn’t really know what she could handle or not handle, maybe he was right not to tell her. The thoughts just kept running over themselves through her mind, leaving her in a constant state of terror as she waited for Chad to come back.