Chapter 5-Confrontation

"Wow, Wendy really did well for herself." Muffin commented, looking at the large estate on the hillside as the car approached.

"Yes, her second husband is quite talented as a rugby player, well, at least he was some years ago." Bandit stated.

"And we're sure that Michael will be here?" Stripe asked, "I mean, how would he even know where she lives? We're not even in Brisbane anymore."

"He just does, he's some sort of supernatural killing machine." Jack retorted, thinking bitterly about how Michael had found Bluey and Bingo. "Dr. Loomis, you know the most about him, how can we kill him when we find him?"

"Michael isn't like us. Pain, well, it's something he does not feel. He is driven to kill and has no other sense aside from that of a predator seeking out prey. To kill him we will need to be certain that it is something even he cannot survive-mere weapons are useless against him."

"So, what do you suggest?" Stripe asked. "You shot the bastard six times and he was fine, so what do we do?"

Loomis looked out the window at the jagged cliff side on the edge of the estate. The home was a proper manor, a large brick thing well over two hundred years old, and bore a commanding view over a cliff that skirted alongside the river. The water below rushed quickly over sharp rocks and swift currents. "The cliff. If we can drive him off even he shouldn't survive the fall and rapids."

"And you already called Wendy and warned her, right?" Jack asked, glancing at the illuminated manor, practically beckoning the killer to come in for an easy next victim.

"Yes, she's in a safe room with Judo. Her husband's at some charity event in Darwin, so he won't be home for a day or two." Bandit replied.

Suddenly Sam's ears perked up and he placed his hand on Muffin's arm. "Stop the car. He's near."

Muffin smiled, "You always did have a gift with sensing evil, Sam." She pulled the car over and put it in park.

Loomis quickly left the car and rushed forward, he left the drive and headed into the gardens at the foothill of the home. The others stared a moment before unbuckling and following. Despite being in his sixties Loomis was still a good quarter mile in the distance as the others left the car.

"Sam! Come on, rule number one, stay together!" Bandit called out, rubbing a hand across his forehead as he stepped out of the car and onto the grass.

"It's like he's never seen a horror movie." Stripe said, holding an axe as he stood behind his brother.

"Come on, I wanna watch the bastard bleed." Jack growled as he held a machete.

"Well, then, get a move on!" Muffin instructed, shouldering her weapon before leading the charge toward Loomis' path.

The two younger vigilantes ran forward to attempt to catch up to Loomis, leaving the Heeler brothers momentarily behind at the car, only to discover the doctor had doubled back. "Something's not right; I swear he was just here. I even saw him…" Loomis muttered as he gestured to the hedges all around.

"Well, it's just a garden, there's a finite number of places he could be hiding." Jack commented. "Even if it is a bit 'The Shining' with the whole creepy hedge maze thing…"

Before anyone could comment further the three heard a scream.

"Uncle Bandit!" Muffin shouted, recognizing the shout as she ran back to the car to see Bandit clutching the back of his leg and Stripe swinging his axe into Michael's shoulder. Bandit's leg was cut deep across the back of his calf, Muffin could see muscle and what she thought might even be bone visible in the slash. Michael barely flinched as he grabbed the axe handle and pulled it free, blood and viscera dripping off the blade as he cast it aside. His cold stare conveyed no emotion as he turned to face the two who had just returned, allowing Stripe to quickly drag Bandit out of the immediate radius of the killer and toward the boot of the car.

"Hey cunt! Get away from them!" Jack shouted. The terrier held his machete in trembling paws as he grit his teeth. "You killed my girlfriend." He shuttered, "You killed my daughter…" He clutched the knife more tightly, his breaths ragged. "I am going to fucking end you…" He charged, swinging the machete and getting a clean swipe at the shape's neck. It impacted with a sickening squelch as it cut a clean channel into the fur and flesh. Blood sprayed out of the gash. Jack panted as he held the blade, expecting the hit to be fatal. Unfortunately it wasn't.

Michael lurched forward and drove his knife into Jack's shoulder. The Jack Russell terrier screamed as it connected with his shoulder socket, the edge pushing the bone out of joint as it was yanked out. A second swift stab was to the chest, quickly bringing him to his knees before he collapsed. His breaths were ragged as he coughed. It was clear the stab had punctured a lung. Michael stepped forward, ready to sink the blade into the young man's neck and finish off the annoyance.

"Alright, that's enough!" Muffin shouted, causing the monster to pause a moment. "I have been dealing with the shit you caused me and my family for twenty FUCKING years! Now it ends! Tonight!" She cocked the rifle she'd had on her shoulder. "I know this won't kill you, but I bet it won't be all rainbows and fucking unicorns!" She unloaded a round into his torso, causing him to flinch slightly and take a few steps back.

Stripe reappeared, having made sure his brother would survive as well as having grabbed something from the boot, "Hey Muffy, mind if I join?" He was wielding a pesticide sprayer. Well, it had once been a pesticide sprayer, until the youngest Heeler brother had made a few modifications. He pulled the trigger and fire sprayed out as the chemicals ignited. Michael took a step back. "Oh, you don't like that, do you, ya bastard?!" Stripe shouted.

The father and daughter managed to drive the killer away from the car and injured. It was clear he wasn't afraid of the fire or many rounds unloaded into his chest, but it did well enough to deter him from approaching. It was a short distance to the cliff, and within a minute they were near the edge. The water rushing below was the only sound as the two Heelers stood in tense anticipation of the monster's next move. They knew he wouldn't go down without a fight.

A voice echoed from behind them, "Stand down."

Muffin and Stripe glanced to their left. It was Loomis; he had a crazed look in his eyes as he stared down Michael. The sheepdog appeared from behind a hedge and walked toward the group.

"Like hell I will…" Muffin scowled.

"Muffin, stand down." Loomis repeated, nearing.

"Sam, I've been training for this day almost my entire life, there's no fucking way-"

Before she could finish her thought the sheepdog had leapt onto Michael's back and began wrestling with the shape. The two struggled, blonde fur intertwined with grey and white. It was a mess for a moment, the clatter of a blade being cast aside as the two turned to their fists and claws to achieve their goals. Michael punched and grabbed at the sheepdog's throat, trying to suffocate him. Loomis broke free and managed a few substantial hits to the beast's neck, aggravating Jack's earlier cut.

"I can't get a clear shot!" Muffin shouted. "Sam, come on, get off him! I'll shoot him over the edge."

"I'm sorry Muffin! You were the best protégé I could have asked for!" Sam called out as he ground his teeth and made a final desperate move, rolling over the edge of the cliff with Michael clutched to his chest.

The next few seconds seemed to move in slow motion as Muffin screamed, Loomis and Michael both fell from the cliff. She heard a thud, then a splash, then silence. She ran to the edge and saw nothing below but rocks, now stained red.

"No… No… Sam!" Muffin called out, falling to her knees as she looked at the rushing water below.

***One Hour Later***

Wendy had been called and given the all clear, the threat to her well-being now deceased from his fall. The police said they would dredge the river in the morning to find the bodies, but that they agreed with Loomis' assertion that it would be impossible to survive the fall. Bandit and Jack were loaded aboard stretchers and taken by ambulance to the same hospital where Bingo and Socks were. It would require intense physical therapy, but they'd both live.

Stripe held onto his daughter's shoulder as they looked over the river. "He isn't really gone, is he?"

"No." Muffin replied. "He'll be back. I just don't know when."

"Well then, I guess we have to make sure we're ready." Stripe replied.

"Yeah, we will."

Stripe kissed his daughter's head. His phone buzzed. "It's your Aunt Chilli; it's probably news about Bingo or Socks."

"Go ahead." Muffin nodded, "I'm gonna go for a walk. I'll meet you back at the car in a bit."

"I love you Muffy."

"I love you too, Dad." After a moment Muffin headed for the edge of the cliff, looking down at the rapids. She took a handful of dirt and tossed it down, noting how it was pulled away from the rocks and into the deep water. "I'm coming for you…"

***The End***

And that brings us to the end of part 2! We escalated a bit here in terms of violence and gore, so I'm sorry if you're a bit squeamish. For those who aren't, I hope you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun trying to come up with some more inventive deaths for this one, so I hope it all was okay. If you did enjoy this, please review to let me know. If there were things you think you'd like to change, also feel free to leave a constructive review. In any case, thanks again to the patron for this work JacobSmith2 for his contributions and suggestions! There will be a part 3 in the future, so stay tuned!