I hope you've enjoyed this story so far. I am hoping to post the epilogue over the weekend depending on how busy things get on the farm. Enjoy the sunshine, y'alls!

He'd scooted over to the driver's seat a while ago, eyes trained on the entrance of the house, where both Mike and Scott had vanished a few minutes ago.

It didn't take much imagination to figure that there was a distinct possibility for things to go terribly wrong. As such, Steve had unholstered his .38 as a cautionary measure, hoping for a safe outcome of their arrest but expecting a shootout regardless.

A typical cop, starting to see the worst outcome in every case, he heard Mike's scolding voice in the back of his mind, shaking it off for the time being because his gut told him that things would undoubtedly go south.

And his gut never lied.

Leaning forward against the steering wheel in anxious tension, his eyes were focused on the front of the two-story mansion that held so many vile secrets hidden beneath its immaculate façade.

Deep inside, Steve wondered just how much the Roberts' neighbors up and down the street knew about the true story going on beyond what the strange family led them to see.

He'd been busy studying the foliage surrounding the house for quite some time, trying to identify a couple for the odd-looking shrubs with the large dark green leaves, when a noise coming from inside ripped him out of his thoughts.

Two shots, fired in rapid succession.

Then a third one- that one possibly being a defensive shot.

Reaching for his revolver with his palm growing sweaty, Steve slowly shifted closer to the door, then propped it open. Using his left hand, he pulled himself up by the door frame, then carefully planted his good leg on the sloped driveway leading up to the garage.

With the driver's side door as a partial shield, Steve rested his injured leg against the trim panel of the Galaxy, painfully aware that he was in no condition to rush inside the house to offer backup. Down the street, Scott's patrol officer dashed out of his car and then slowed down as he approached, weapon drawn, his eyes cued on Steve, waiting for additional orders.

Inside, the young Inspector could hear the slamming of doors, muffled shouts mixed with rushed footsteps.

Tensing up, he placed his outstretched arms on top of the door, the .38 aimed at the general direction of the house until he'd get a better idea of what was going on inside. Scott's officer had sought cover behind a brick wall next to the driveway, several of the evergreen bushes partially hiding him in their shade.

Steve glanced over at the young man briefly, seeing the terror in his eyes, the lack of experience in active shooter situations that overwhelmed his senses. In an effort to calm him down, the young Inspector slowly cocked his head, hoping the subtle gesture of reassurance would suffice this time around.

Inside the garage, he could hear things tumbling, then rolling across the floor. Steve tightened the grasp on his revolver, one finger slightly curled around the trigger, his left palm steadying his right wrist for a precise aim.

With his heart pounding in his chest, he leaned heavier against the door, using it as a tripod to get more weight off his injured leg. Eyes focused on the house and its adjacent garage; he swallowed the fear about his partner's whereabouts that was quickly threatening to close off his throat.

One shot was enough to kill a person, but two shots? Had Roberts shot at both, Mike and Scott before they returned fire? But why no other shots yet? Or was it the two officers who'd cornered their murder suspect shooting first? And then he shot back at them? Possibly injuring them?

Steve felt an involuntary shudder run through his body when he detected movement out of the corner of his eye. On the other side of the street, a teenage girl had noticed the commotion and approached in dangerous oblivion.

Wearing a bright pink coat and black shorts while unwittingly ignoring the patrol officer's frantically weaving hand to stay back, she couldn't make herself a more attractive target for a potential hostage situation if she tried.

With his eyes widened in fear, Steve gestured for Scott's officer to give up his support position in order to escort the girl into a safe zone outside their dangerous perimeter, willing to risk engaging into a shootout without backup to keep an innocent civilian safe.

One quick nod was his only response, as the man ducked the assortment of bushes overhead, before sprinting across the street and half drag, half pull the girl out of sight.

Not a second later, things took a drastic turn for the worst.