I scramble to my feet and follow him into the dark safety of the forest. The shooter? It can’t be, can it? I thought they were helping me earlier by making sure I was going the right way to find Skye. Maybe Josh was right, and I was just being a foolish idiot. I don’t know what to believe anymore.
Lochlan comes to a stop once we are deep into the safety of the forest, carefully releasing Skye before he bends down and puts his hands on his knees as Skye runs right into my arms, hugging me tightly. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you,” I murmur, caressing her hair softly.
“Is she okay?” Lochlan wheezes. His breathing is as rapid as my own.
Skye pulls away from me enough to turn toward him. She nods and then rushes into his waiting arms. He lifts her into a bear hug, making her giggle. “I’m okay. Thanks for protecting me.” Her voice cracks in between laughs as he spins her.
The sound of her crying breaks my own heart into a billion little pieces, but her laughter fills me to the brim with so much happiness I feel like I’ll explode from it. Is this what it feels like to love someone this fiercely? This entirely?
We need to get back to Windermere and end this. That’s the only way to keep her, and everyone else, safe.
A branch breaks behind me. Lochlan drops Skye and throws her behind him just as the Axeman steps out of the tree-line. His mask is torn, and though it still hides almost the entirety of his face, his left ear has been mangled.
The gunshot in the cabin. The blood on Lochlan’s face. The bullet must have hit the Axeman.
“Give. Her. To. Me!” he screams, raising the axe and running toward me.
Another gunshot blasts through the air, surprising us all when the bullet grazes the Axeman's shoulder. He goes down with a strangled groan.
“GET TO WINDERMERE!” Lochlan yells, grabbing Skye’s hand and taking off into the forest. “This way!”
I don’t have the energy to ask him how he’s sure, all I can do is pray that he’s right and follow after him and Skye.
We run, and run, and run. Only stopping long enough to drink water and rest for moments before jogging toward the castle again. As soon as we break through the tree-line, we see the towering gates of Windermere awaiting us.
The sun has nearly set entirely in the sky, leaving us with muted darkness, only broken by the reddish hue leftover by the stubborn slice of sun that refuses to fall wholly.
Skye is silent as she clutches my hand, her tremors of fear hitting me like an electric shock. We hide in the trees while Lochlan sneaks around the wall to check to see if there are any more nasty surprises awaiting us through the massive wrought iron gates.
There are so many things I want to tell my daughter, but I keep those thoughts to myself. They’ll only confuse her, and she doesn’t need any more stress on this nightmare of a day.
When I find Pierce, I’m going to slit his throat for putting her through this.
There’s a soft whistle—Lochlan’s signal that the coast is clear. Skye and I hurry around the gate and duck into the garden where Lochlan is waiting for us.
“Where is everyone?” I ask as we head further into Pierce’s massive garden. It’s gorgeous. The flowers are all in bloom, and the small pond is filled with lily pads with frogs perched on top of them. It would remindme of a Disney movie if it weren’t for the fact that we’re being chased by a man with an axe who’s trying to steal my kid.
Skye tugs on my hand. “This way! There’s a cabin back here we can hide in!”
I glance over at Lochlan. “She’s got to know this place better than we do,” he says with a shrug. “We can hide in there until we figure out how to sneak into the castle. It’s better than sitting out here like ducks waiting to get our heads axed off.”
I can’t help the chuckle that leaves my body. He’s got a point. We follow Skye a little further until we see a small fixture hidden behind the overgrown hedges and trees. I don’t think I’d call it a cabin, per se. It’s more of a shack, but beggars can’t be choosers, and we need to hide from the Axeman.
Lochlan goes in first to check if it’s clear when a branch breaks behind me. I turn to see the man in the ghillie suit and throw Skye toward the open door. “Go get Lochlan!”
“I swear I come in peace,” the Ghillieman says in a strange robotic voice before tossing the rifle to the ground. They take a step back and raise their hands into the air.
I rush forward and grab the gun.
“Check to make sure it’s loaded,” Lochan instructs, coming up from behind me.
The gun is completely foreign in my hands. I’ve never held one before, let alone used one. “I don’t know how,” I admit, looking down at the rifle like it’s some type of dangerous animal waiting to strike.
“Grab the handle on the bolt there,” Lochlan says, stepping to my side and pointing to the metal thing on the side of the gun. Skye is hovering behind us in the doorway. “Lift it, then slide it back.” An empty shell casing pops out of the rifle, hitting the ground near our feet. “Now slide the bolt back into place and put the handle back down to load it.”
I do as he says, then lift the rifle as I’ve seen in the movies. It’s heavier than I expected. I have to readjust a few times before I point it at Ghillieman. “Why are you following us?”
Ghillieman sighs. “Can I take my mask off before I explain?” The robotic voice reminds me of the voice Pierce used in the mock escape room. That feels like light-years ago, even though I think it was just yesterday. Time seems to have no power here. I reluctantly nod my head in approval at their request. I want to know who we’re dealing with.
