Page 90 of Dustwalker

She willed herself to relax, imagining Ronin’s body pressed against hers.

Just as she was drifting off, a loud thump startled her awake.

Lara lay there, staring up at the ceiling and clutching the blanket in her hands as she strained to listen for more. Hot prickles coursed over her skin.

It’s probably your imagination…or it was a dream. Like those dreams of falling to your death where you wake up before you hit the ground. Everything is fine. You’re just anxious, you feel trapped, and?—

An even louder bang downstairs had her scrambling from beneath the covers. She snatched up the rifle, slipped out of bed, and crept to the wall beside the open door, chest heaving and heart pounding.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Another thump, followed by a scrape, like something heavy was being dragged across the floor.

Swallowing hard, she adjusted her grip on the gun to hold it howRonin had shown her. She wasn’t going to wait for whatever the hell that was downstairs to catch her. Lara would fight. If she was going to die tonight, it wouldn’t be cowering in the dark.

She slipped through the doorway and into the dark hallway, walking silently across the soft carpet. Pressing herself to the wall beside the stairs, she took a deep, stabilizing breath.

There was more noise below. A heavy step, and then that dragging sound. It repeated a few times, ending when the chair at the worktable creaked.

Whatever that thing was, it was sitting in Ronin’s chair.

Lara peered around the corner at the stairway. Afraid of drawing attention at night while Ronin was gone, she’d kept the lights off and the curtains closed, leaving it terribly dark downstairs. Her heartbeat was the only sound to break the ensuing silence.

What am I doing?

She’d spent her whole life struggling to survive, but this was different. This wasn’t at all the kind of fighting she was used to. Before coming here, she’d never even held a gun. Lara and Tabitha could never have afforded such a weapon.

No, the smartest thing to do, the best chance to make it through this alive, was to run and hide.

But going out a second-floor window risked breaking a leg, which was as good as death, and getting into the attic now would be too noisy. There were other places to hide in the house, but if that thing started looking for her…

Why the hell is it just sitting down here?

Lara’s brow creased. What if it wasn’t here for her? What if it was waiting for Ronin, waiting to…hurt him?

Fuck that.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she leaned her head back against the wall and drew in several quiet breaths despite every instinct telling her to run and hide.

I can do this. Ronin said this thing packs a punch, even against bots.

If she could at least hit the thing, she could slow it down enough to give herself a chance. To create an opening, to run out the front door and find somewhere else to hide along the route Ronin would walk.

But to hit the intruder, she’d have toseeit. And once she flipped on the lights, she’d only have an instant to aim and fire.

You know exactly where the chair is, Lara. Exactly where to point the gun.

As long as the chair hadn’t been moved.

Every step down the stairs was terrifying. Her lungs burned as she struggled to keep her breaths silent, and though the carpet padded her footfalls, she settled her weight with great care, knowing the softest creak would give her away.

When she neared the bottom, she focused on the shadows enveloping the chair and worktable, glancing aside only briefly to spot the barely visible light switch on the nearby wall.

I can do this. I can do this. I can?—

Lara flicked the light on and leapt onto the floor. Swinging the rifle up, she planted the butt against her shoulder, pointed the barrel toward the figure in the chair, and squeezed the trigger.

The sound was booming thunder, deafening in the enclosed space, and the gun’s unexpected kick nearly threw her off balance. But she didn’t waste any time in turning and running for the door.