It was late, well after 2 am, when the creak of a door opening jostled Ryan from a deep sleep. The old house, with it's bare, wood floors, provided good echoes up and down the staircase. For a moment, he lay still, listening and distinctly heard someone moving around on the first floor.
They were here. Swiftly, he rose, shaking Val with one hand as he pulled a pistol from the drawer of the bedside table.
"Wha?" Val grunted, rolling over as if to escape his touch. She hated to wake up in the middle of the night.
"They're here," he murmured, which cause her to bolt upright.
The pair of them hurried down the stairs. On the second floor, Erica appeared, her own weapon in hand. Silently, she nodded down the stairs, ready to face the enemy head on.
"Go wake Landry," Ryan said, pushing Val in the direction of the priest's room. She hurried off as he and Erica silently descended the stairs.
Eyes scanning the small foyer and living room, they cleared those area's. At a hand signal from Erica, Ryan swung around the door frame into the living room, weapon aimed at the kitchen area. Someone was in there, back to them and moving around.
"Freeze!" Erica shouted from behind Ryan.
The intruder jumped and spun around to face them. For a moment, Ryan found himself looking into the startled, young face of a pretty woman. Then she screamed and ducked down behind the kitchen counter.
"Don't try…."
"Get the hell out of my house!"
A heavy frying pan came hurling up and over the counter, missing Ryan's head by mere inches. Exchanging a glance with Erica, Ryan said, "Your house?"
"Molly!" There was a commotion as Jack hurried down the stairs. "It's fine, Molls!"
"Uncle Jack?"
The lights popped on as Landry and Val tumbled into the room, though Ryan was pleased to note the priest had a gun in his hand. Across the room, a pair of wide, blue eyes peered over the counter, then the woman. Jack's niece Molly, stood.
The family resemblance was clear. Tall, broad shoulders, sandy blond hair, blue eyes, square jaw … defiantly a Landry. She wore jeans and a bold print, colorful top and was staring at them in shock.
"Um, do I even want to know what this all is?" she asked, waving a finger at the four of them.
Ryan blinked and realized things might look a little odd. There was Landry, armed, clad in blue flannel pajama pants, stark white bandage visible on his bare side. Evans had moved beside him, still clutching her side arm, wearing tiny shorts and a t-shirt. Val was hovering nearby in a soft cotton nightie. Finally, Ryan knew he looked imposing, gun in hand and wearing his own sleep pants.
They had all been obviously asleep and from the look on Molly's face, she was trying to work out what was going on, but didn't like any scenario she was imagining.
"Everyone, this is Molly," Landry was saying as he gingerly approached his niece. "Molly, meet Erica, Ryan and Valerie."
They all made sounds of greeting and the girl offered a weak, "Hi."
"I know this looks a little odd," he continued and Ryan wanted to know exactly what he was going to say to the girl, but she suddenly yelped.
"What happened to you?"
He eyes were on the bandages on Jack's side and Erica said, "Maybe we should all sit down."
Jack nodded in agreement. "It's a long story, Molls."
"Yeah," she drawled, "I kinda guessed that."
Well, Ryan thought, maybe they'd get a new recruit to their cause.
TBC……
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