Chapter 4 - The Hunter in the Dark
A massive figure stepped through the ruined doorway, silhouetted by the moonlight.
It was Vance, the Whitfield estate's ruthless head of security.
Vance raised a tactical shotgun and pumped the action with a menacing click.
"Nothing personal, Mr. Whitfield, but your brother pays very well," Vance stated coldly.
Daniel kicked a heavy wooden chair directly at Vance's legs.
The shotgun blasted a hole in the ceiling as Vance stumbled backward onto the porch.
Daniel grabbed Grace and pulled her through the cabin's rear kitchen window.
They fell into the deep snow outside just as Vance fired again, shattering the glass above their heads.
"Run for the tree line!" Daniel shouted, pulling Grace to her feet.
They sprinted through the blinding blizzard, the deep snow making every step pure agony.
Vance pursued them relentlessly, his heavy boots crushing the frozen branches behind them.
Daniel spotted an old, rusted snowmobile covered by a tarp near the woodshed.
He ripped the tarp off and prayed the engine had not completely frozen.
He desperately pulled the starter cord, his injured shoulder screaming in pain.
The engine sputtered and died.
Vance stepped out from the trees, raising his shotgun and aiming it directly at Grace's back.
Daniel pulled the cord one final time with every ounce of strength he possessed.
The snowmobile roared to life with a violent burst of exhaust.
"Get on!" Daniel yelled, grabbing Grace and Maya and pulling them onto the seat behind him.
He slammed the throttle forward, and the machine shot into the dark forest just as Vance pulled the trigger.
A spray of buckshot tore through the winter air.
The snowmobile raced down the mountain, leaving the assassin far behind in the darkness.
Daniel finally slowed down when they reached the outskirts of a small, sleeping town.
"We lost him," Daniel breathed a sigh of relief, turning around to check on them.
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Grace was slumped forward against his back, completely motionless.
Blood was pouring down the side of her borrowed black cardigan.
