A faint blue light came from the back garden, and shadowy figures stole around in the darkness. With trembling hands, Sarah slipped two shells into the back of the double barrel and snapped the gun closed. She knew better than to rush out with a gun that wasn’t ready to go. They’d only take it away and turn it on her.
She noticed her mobile on the kitchen counter. The phone went into her pocket. Again, just in case. She turned the deadbolt, unlocked the back door, and walked onto the steps. The cold winter air made her shiver. “I…” Sarah cleared her throat and spoke louder. “I know you’re out there. Clear off, you lot.” She heard her voice as though it was someone else’s.
The motion at the back of the garden stopped. “Come out where I can see you,” she shouted, “Before I start shooting.”
She held the stock of the gun in her left hand and with her right, reached into her pocket to get her mobile. Three figures slowly emerged. It was hard to make out their faces, but one might have been a girl. They looked young, but Sarah knew teenagers were the worst. She’d heard about an old man that was killed by a gang of them, just because he’d complained about their loud music. They’d kicked him to death on his own doorstep.
Sarah tapped the nine button on her mobile three times, hands shaking from the cold and adrenaline.
“Emergency Services. Which service do you require? Police, Fire, Ambulance?”
“I’ve got burglars,” Sarah said. “Three of ‘em.”
She heard a brief pause, then another voice came on the line. The smooth voice of a young woman. “Tayside Police. This is Alison. What’s your address?”
Sarah had to think. Why could she suddenly not think? “Eighty-two…”
Suddenly, a man rushed her from the side. She hadn’t realised there were more. She spun and pointed the shotgun at him, dropping her mobile. Fumbling to put her finger on the trigger, she looked at her hand for just a moment.
The man moved fast, like a neon blur in the night. Her vision went funny, and she had difficulty focusing her eyes. How many were there? She couldn’t tell anymore. Four? Even more? Blood rushed through her veins.
“What in the name of hell is going on out here?” Hamish shouted from the doorway, startling her. “Sarah?” He sounded shocked, then serious. “Sarah, come into the house. Just step back to me, love.”
A distant and monotonously calm voice came from the phone, which had nestled in the Barberry bush. “What is your location, madam?”
Sarah didn’t turn to look at her husband. It was cold and wet, and fear kept her frozen to the spot. She kept her eye on the man who stood mere feet from her now. She couldn’t look away. He had the strangest eyes. They shone in the dark.
She tensed and her hands started to shake. Yet, despite the strange commotion around her, the young man held her attention. She felt peculiar, as though moving in slow motion.
Sarah stepped back toward Hamish, but her husband didn’t speak nor move. She glanced around wildly, realising everything had stopped dead. Everything but her and this man. Her breaths sounded loud in the stillness. She could see the other faces in the garden clearly now, as well as a bright glow that had suddenly appeared.
“You,” she said, doing her best to steady the shotgun as she raised it to point at his chest. “You get on out of here and take your friends with you. Hurry now. I don’t want to shoot you.” Her voice raised to a hysterical pitch. “Eighty-two Fordyce Way,” she yelled at the Barberry bush. “See?” she said. “The police are on their way. Just go. I don’t want trouble. You’ve got time to get out.” She couldn’t shake the strange feeling. The other burglars had frozen in place, and Hamish stood unnaturally still in the doorway.
“Time?” he said with a sad laugh. His accent sounded so strange. Probably some immigrant. “That’s all I’ve got.”
With a pop, a blue flash blinded her, and the last thing she felt was her finger squeezing the trigger.
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Blood Faerie Page 21
