Chapter 4 - The Breach
I sprinted back into the living room. The girls were awake, huddled together, their eyes wide with sheer terror.
"He's here," Ella whimpered.
"Stay behind the sofa," I ordered, grabbing the heavy iron fire poker from the hearth.
Another violent kick hit the front door. The wood splintered around the deadbolt. The storm outside raged furiously, lightning flashing to reveal the monstrous silhouette of Silas through the frosted glass panes of the door.
"I know they're in there, city boy!" a gravelly, menacing voice boomed over the thunder. "Open the door and hand over my property, and maybe I'll let you live!"
"They aren't property!" I roared back, gripping the iron poker until my knuckles turned white. "The police are already on their way!" It was a bluff, but I needed to buy time.
A dark, cruel laugh echoed from the porch. "Ain't nobody coming up this mountain in this weather! The bridge at Miller's Creek is flooded. It's just you, me, and the girls."
SMASH!
Instead of kicking the door again, Silas smashed a heavy stone through the living room window. Glass exploded inward, raining across the wooden floor. Wind and rain poured into the cabin, instantly chilling the room. A massive, muddy boot stepped through the broken frame.
I didn't hesitate. I swung the iron poker with everything I had, striking Silas squarely in the knee as he climbed through. He bellowed in pain, tumbling backward onto the porch.
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"We have to go! Now!" I yelled, dropping the poker and grabbing the girls' hands.
There was only one way out. The back door led directly into the dense forest, right at the start of Olivia’s hidden trail. I grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen counter, threw open the back door, and plunged us into the freezing, torrential rain.
