35

Kathy cried out with horror as the thing reached Dean and he stumbled, falling under its weight. Her sound distracted it and it swung to face her as Dean shuffled back on his butt, his eyes wide with shock.

Douglas aimed for its head but Dean slammed right into his legs and he toppled back. Ghost began to fire and it was like it knew their tactic as it dodged and wove towards them. Kathy was not armed. It was still inside sitting at the fucking kettle and her now cool cup of tea. Right? Stupid.

Kathy turned and stated to run instead. Ghost followed her making loud yelling noises hoping to lead it away with her so they could get a good shot.

"Fuck" Ghost roared.

She stopped and turned to see that it hadn't followed her and the sickening clarity slammed home that it was heading around the lake. For the kids. Somehow, someway… it knew where they were and as the men on the ground struggled to get up Ghost had the same conclusion as her, running after the creature with his gun still firing, then it was empty and he stopped running to reload.

Douglas was on his feet, and he sprinted past Ghost, getting closer to the Biter with his long strides that had won him marathons in his younger days of glory. Kathy scooped up Dean's gun and started to run after her husband, her face wet with tears as Dean finally got up off the ground and staggered after them as well.

Douglas fired.

Missed.

Kathy fired and it stumbled, but regained its footing and kept running. Pulled to the left. Fuck, took off an ear? Fuck. Come on Kathy. She took a deep breath and fired again, this time the thing that was once Derrick yelped, seemed to do a forward summersault and land in a heap.

Ghost passed her with determination as Douglas stood emptying his clip in the writhing creature, followed by Ghost who swore as he dropped his gun to stagger back, his hands to his head as he counted the losses of a doomed day.

Kathy stood a short distance away as they all took a moment to breath. It was a long run, almost around the lake and the Lake House was in view. Had they looked in that direction they would have seen Dwight thundering toward them with his own gun out.

Douglas turned to Kathy, reaching for her "Are you Ok love?"

Ghost turned to watch the two embrace then he sighed as he saw more graves to be dug in his future.

Stupid fucking Dean untying the man to check his stump. Stupid fucking moron that unleashed hell. Stupid twats.

"Why is Dwight running towards us like that?" Ghost asked calmly.

Dwight began to fire as he was the only one with a weapon still in play. By the time they had turned to look Dean was almost on them, running at a strange crabbed stagger with his arms flailing and the hand missing two fingers clear as day in the moonlight. Kathy cried out and Douglas pushed her behind him as he stood to meet the thing head on, both of them falling as he wrestled with it, yelling "RUN!"

Dwight kept coming, now unable to shoot for fear of hitting Douglas and he thundered up to Kathy who seized the gun from him and fired instead. Her aim true as the creature's head whipped back and it seemed to stare at her as the bead of blood on its forehead grew to a torrent. It fell to one side and died.

"Doug" she choked out, too scared to move as he lay with his arms still up and his left foot dragging in the dirt "Douglas?"

"Fuck" he coughed, then rolled to his side and threw up "Kathy love… go to the kids now."

"No" she sighed so heartbroken and worn down that there were no more tears.

She handed the gun to Dwight and turned, looking at the Lake House and the children hidden within. Her boy, her precious little one. No doubt asleep and unaware that he would wake to find his Daddy gone.

"Dwight" Douglas choked out through the blood pooling in his mouth from the torn throat "Now. While it is my choice. Dwight… look after her. Please. No matter what … look after Kat. She is … she is the one who will get you through. Please."

Dwight knelt and took Douglas' hand, looking down at him with open sorrow "I will take her as mine, your son is my son. My future … their future will be your legacy. I swear to you my friend … I will defend her and those babies until the world has blinked out of existence. It's OK. I will take the reins."

Douglas looked at him with gratitude then gently took the gun from his hand, placing it under his own chin and angling it like a medical man knew to do. "I love you Kat"

The sound of the shot made Kathy cry out, falling to her knees in the dirt as her husband protected her and their child the only way he could.

Douglas took one for the team.