The Last One Home

Part 19

Max wasn't sure what he expected, but it certainly wasn't this. The man was huge. The narrow staircase seemed to swell away from him. This wasn't who he had been working for. That man was smaller. He had sent someone else.

The killer stared inquisitively from behind the blank grinning mask. His thick chest heaved as he breathed. Clutched in his right hand was a long handled knife.

Lana cried out in surprise. Max grabbed a handful of his mothers shirt and pulled her back behind him.

The man stood between them and the only escape out of this house. It was if a large tomcat had cornered three mice in an alleyway.

Pulling the gun from his waistband, Max took aim at the man at the bottom of the stairs and pulled the trigger.

The shots were deafening in the confined space. Fueled by fear and adrenalin, Max pulled the trigger until the clip emptied, and his gun produced nothing more than a limp click. The first several shots had gone wild, but as he zeroed in on his target he knew at least a couple had hit there mark.

The man had collapsed into a sitting position just to the left of the stairs. Judging by the torn clothing he had been hit at least once in the chest and once in the right shoulder. The knife lay harmlessly at his side.

Max hadn't meant to empty his gun. All he knew is that he didn't want the man to ever get up again.

Motioning for his mother and sister to follow him, he began to descend the stairs.

"Come on."

The two women stood statuesque, staring at him in shock.

"Is he dead?" His mother whispered.

"God, I hope so."

Taking Lana's hand, his mother began to descend the stairs. Max kept his gun trained on the man even though he knew it was empty.

Was he breathing? He couldn't tell. The body was so bulky it was difficult to see any movement.

Max paused as he approached the bottom of the staircase. Sidestepping the man, he kept as much distance as possible as he passed him.

The man didn't move.

His mother was next. Taking a deep breath she practically jumped off of the third step to avoid getting too close to the body.

Lana stood frozen and alone on the stairs.

"Lana, move now!" Max spit angrily.

His sister stared with a pleading look on her face. Her body quaked in fear.

Max tried to calm his temper They were so close to getting out of this house. He just needed his sister to take four more steps.

"Come on baby--you can do it. Just a few more steps. We won't let anything happen to you." Max could hear the anguish in his mother's voice.

Lana crept down one more step. She was just two steps from the bottom now. Once again she froze.

Max shifted his gaze from his sister back to the body sitting just feet away. Blood oozed from the shoulder wound, a dark trail wound down his arm and pattered to the floor from his fingertips. Still there was no movement.

"Okay, I'm coming to get you." He whispered to his sister. Max approached the staircase again. As he neared the body, he grabbed the knife and tucked it into his belt. It was only then that he noticed why the upper body of the man seemed so bulky. He could clearly see the outline of the vest under his shirt. A vest made of precious bullet-stopping kevlar.

Lurching up onto the first step, he grabbed his sisters outstretched hand and yanked her to him. She landed heavily into his arms. Her feet never touched the ground as Max turned and carried her towards their mother.

Mrs. Landon suddenly let out a blood curdling shriek. The whites of her eyes standing out like a frightened animal. Max let go of his sister and turned around just in time to see the masked man push himself to his feet.