Hunter and Hunted

Ten Years Ago:

Like everything else on the farm, the pole building was old. As she ran in, flipped on the light and closed the side door behind her, she knew that the thin wood wouldn’t keep the monster out.

But all she needed was enough time to open the gun safe and load the rifle. The safe was at the back of the big garage-like structure. She hurried around Benji’s boat—his pride and joy, a bayliner, sitting on top of a trailer with its nose pointed toward the rollup door—across the floor to the safe and began working the combination. On her first try she failed because her hands were shaking so bad.

Slow down, Bug-a-Lug. Breathe.

Dad had hated locking up his rifles but Benji and Ruth had insisted. And they wouldn’t let him keep them in the house. Maybe that would end up being a good thing. If she could just get to them…

A cracking, splintering sound came from the other end of the building. The monster was smashing its way through.

You can do this.