Page 140 of Forever Dead
Something creaked upstairs.
His head lifted.
The sound had weight behind it.
One board.
Then another.
Connor stepped away from Nora.
“Sheriff’s department!”
Silence.
He moved into the hallway and positioned himself where he could see most of the staircase.
“Whoever’s up there, show me your hands and come down slowly.”
Nothing.
The upstairs landing remained dark.
Connor listened.
A soft impact came from somewhere above him.
Then hurried movement.
He backed toward the wall; weapon trained on the stairs.
A large shape crossed the landing.
“Stop!”
The figure disappeared.
Connor moved toward the bottom step.
“Sheriff’s department! Show me your hands!”
A door slammed upstairs.
Connor took the first steps quickly, keeping close to the wall. At the top, a narrow corridor ran toward the rear bedrooms.
Movement burst from the last doorway.
The figure was broad through the shoulders, dressed in dark clothes with a hood drawn low. Connor couldn't make out his features.
A knife flashed in the man's hand.
“Drop it!”
The attacker lunged.
Connor twisted sideways in the narrow corridor and fired. Plaster burst from the wall behind the man's shoulder as he ducked beneath the shot.
The knife swept past Connor's jacket. He recoiled, striking his elbow against the doorframe, and fired again.
