The First

Chapter 58

Ross tiptoed down the hall to the top of the stairs and crept to the landing. Light from a kinked blind glinted off the silver hilt of his Glock.

He squinted.

Just the reflection of a street light bouncing off the SUV. For a moment, the light had given him a false sense of hope but there wasn't a Calvary at the door.

Glass grated tiles in the kitchen.

From the bottom of the steps, he had a good vantage point of the entire front room. His heart dropped like a lead weight into a pond. Ellie wasn't on the couch where they had left her. If anything happened to those girls he'd never forgive himself.

With his gun held to his chest, he peeked around the corner of the banister into the kitchen.

Ellie danced around with a slight limp . . . earbuds in. She'd changed from her bloody jeans into a poorly buttoned up shirt without a bra. He'd have to scold her for being careless. A spoon dangled from her mouth as she cleaned up a broken jar of jelly.

His shoulders relaxed. "Tension's an angry bitch!" his drill sergeant had barked. "If she pulls, you miss. If you miss, I'll shoot you myself!" Ross knew he couldn't afford to make those kinds of mistakes.

Without an immediate threat, Ross figured he'd sneak upstairs and back into bed. First, he needed to swipe the dart gun off the kitchen table. Ellie probably wouldn't care if he saw her in underwear. At least she wouldn't be as mortified as the good doctor had looked when he pulled her shirt off. He stepped into the kitchen.

The spoon fell from Ellie's mouth and clinked against the floor. It rattled like the bell before a horse race. Gray washed across her face.

"Fuck me." She turned and ran by Ross without even looking his way. Her phone fell. Earbuds swirled on the floor. Long strides took her past the couch, down the hall, and into the spare room. The door slammed.

It took him a second to register she wasn't running because he saw her in her skivvies. What had her spooked? His eyes slowly turned to the French doors.

An explosion of wood and shattered glass rattled the house. Two male Trills crashed through the doors. Their eyes reflected the light from outside, glowing a deep amber.

Ross raised his weapon with both hands wrapped around the hilt. The creatures raced past him, down the hall, and busted down the door of the room Ellie had hidden in.

Ellie's scream filled him with dread. Then all sounds from down the hall stopped. A Trill emerged. Ross dashed up the stairs and hid behind the trellis.

Get a grip. The gun's on the table.

A muffled scream came from below.

Shit. He looked around the corner.

The smaller creature dragged Ellie out of the room by her ankle. She'd fainted or had been knocked out. It tossed her on the couch and positioned himself over her, his back arched. In whatever state she was in, she'd curled into a fetal position. One of the Trills' hands clawed at her panties, the other dug into her right shoulder, pressing her deep into the cushion. Spittle dribbled from his mouth and sloshed over her face. She had zero chance of survival unless he did what he'd been trained to do.

From his position and angle, Ross could hit the creature in the right temple. If it clenched down, the pressure might crush Ellie. Even though a bullet wouldn't kill it, maybe a shot would give him time to retrieve the gun and darts from the kitchen? At least it might take their minds off of her.

Step-by-step he inched down the stairs, keeping his eye on the one poised to violate Ellie. One shot, one kill didn't matter. Whatever it took to take them down, that's what he had to do.

With the Trills in his line of sight, Ross backed into the kitchen and ducked behind the counter. The shadow of the second male followed him. Its toenails scratched the floor as it wandered around the room. This one towered over the other and had a good four inches on Ross. It passed his hiding place, turned around, and launched back into the living room.

A loud hiss, reciprocated by one of the loudest roars Ross had ever heard, came from the creatures. Both rolled into the kitchen on top of each other, biting and gouging. They bumped against the oak table. It slid into the wall and knocked the darts and gun to the ground, one on each side.

The Trills' vicious battle for the girl cracked and shattered around him. One picked up the other and threw him into the China Hutch. Fragments of antique plates and smashed glass dropped to the floor.

Ross took a deep breath. He lunged across the room on his hands and knees through blood and torn flesh. Once under the table, he snatched the dart gun and squirmed over to the clip. He waited for the perfect moment. When they fell to the ground in front of him, bloodthirsty for one another, he squeezed the trigger. The darts hit both targets. But the tiny needles in their throats didn't deter them. They continued their vicious battle.

Again . . . Ross waited. He didn't want to but he had no idea how long it took for the agent to work. As long as they weren't attacking Ellie he could afford to take his time.

The large one had four gashes under his left ribs which had started to heal. One shot with a hollow-tipped bullet might hit it in the heart; provided they had the same anatomy as a human. Instinct told him to wait a moment longer.

One of two back-flipped from the edge of the kitchen counter and landed on the other's shoulders, slamming him into the tile. The creature began to lift himself into a pushup position, his back bowed from the weight of the smaller Trill. Its skin opened and blood oozed from the wounds.

That's it.

Ross aimed at the bleeding ribs and shot. The bullet entered the flap of flesh below the large male's left pectoral muscle. Its eyes turned black and its body slumped to the floor.

The survivor made a glorious gesture of triumph and stomped on the large one's head. A flood of blood, bones, and brains scattered and skipped across the tiles. Ross scooted against the wall to avoid the stream.

After its celebration, it stalked back into the living room toward its prey lying on the sofa. Ellie still hadn't moved. Was she dead? Or just in shock? There wasn't any time to check. With a quick flick of the wrist, Ross tossed his gun from his right hand to his left and blasted the Trill in the back several times. It fell to its knees, then face first onto the carpet.

Ross scanned for any movement. He needed to make sure the bullets had killed the creature. He then crawled out from under the table and jumped over the pooling blood. He scooped Ellie into his arms and carried her upstairs two steps at a time.

Teagan and Alexa stood still. Their eyes begged the question.

"She's alive." He laid Ellie on the bed.

Teagan rushed to her friend's side."Ellie?"

"Did you kill it?" Alexa's stern eyes commanded an answer.

Ross dropped the clip from his gun and slapped a full one in from his shoulder holster.

"Yeah. They're dead."

"Then I've got work to do." She left the room.

Ross followed. He'd made a lot of noise. Any Trill in the area had probably headed straight for them. This time-he'd be ready.

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