The Beast of Brookville

Chapter 12

 Opal watched all of the blood drain from Forrest's face as he looked behind her over her shoulder.

"Mu - mu- muh - muh" he started muttering.

Opal squeezed her eyes shut as the muscles in her neck tensed along with all of the muscles in her face. She was paralyzed there, knowing there was a monster behind her, wishing she could just disappear, evaporate into thin air, escape.

"Hands up you little SHIT" a familiar voice demanded.

Before she realized what she was doing Opal spun around - "YOU?!"

"I said put your fucking hands up, bitch!" Ann stood before them, gun pointed, practically buzzing with excitement and hatred, face twisted into a sinister sneer.

Opal did as she was told, hands in the air as she settled into a seat next to Forrest.

"Mo-mom p-please, what are you doing?" Forrest sputtered. Opal didn't think the woman could break his heart anymore than she has, but she saw him going to pieces all over again.

"An-Ann please, whatever it is we can...we can work this out. My dad...my dad doesn't need to know about this ok" Opal couldn't believe what she was saying, this was so surreal.

"Shut the FUCK UP" Ann shoved the gun even closer in, she was furious but calm, enraged but also happy looking, the whites of her eyes flashing like a wild animal.

"You think I fucking care about you. I should've known you were going to be a pain in the ass the second you came home - everything was going PERFECTLY before you got here and you've done nothing but fuck it all up since you came home. Coming back here to this spot, riling up Forrest, nobody knew a goddamn thing before you came back and you have done nothing but undermine me and I am FUCKING SICK OF IT.

Ann screamed so loudly Opal was sure her vocal cords were bleeding - it was a disturbing level of rage along with sneering irritation like the death of that family was some annoying part of a game to her.

Hands still in the air Forrest clumsily came to a stand, moving into negotiating cop-mode "Mom, mom please, please put the gun down ok, everything will be ok, dad....dad can take care of it ok - he took care of the car accident and the bloody button in the truck - that was you, right? He can do it again ok, just put the gun down. PLEASE!"

Just as Forrest yelled, a heavy footed step snapped twigs behind Ann; her attention broke and Forrest launched himself towards her body, tackling her to the ground. Opal screamed as they wrestled and scrambled to her feet, barely making it up before she, too, launched herself at Ann.

BANG

The sound of a shot cracked through the air and all three of them seized at the surprise of the noise.

At the edge of the clearing, the Sheriff stood in his gigantic glory, bringing his pistol down from the air.

"Kids, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE. Ann don't you FUCKING MOVE" He screamed as he leveled the pistol directly at her.

Opal had never seen the Sheriff so agitated and furious, and that was the most terrifying thing of all of this.

"KIDS I SAID GO!" he repeated, not breaking eye contact with Ann.

Forrest yanked Opal by her shirt as they half ran, half dragged themselves out of there.

The stumbling, tripping, terrifying run out of there took everything they had. Pure adrenaline coursed through their veins as their pounding hearts and struggling breath pounded in their ears. They didn't know what was behind them but they ran as if the beast was nipping at their heels.

CRACK

Another gunshot broke through the air just as they crested the final hill coming onto the road, throwing themselves over the earth and onto the asphalt, nearly colliding with Forrest's truck.

"Opal! Forrest! Are you ok?!" John was running out of his car where he had parked across the road, behind the Sheriff's cruiser.

"KIDS?!" the panic on their faces made his blood run cold. "Kids, what the hell is going on?? Where's Sam?!"

BANG BANG

Two more shots came reverberating out of the woods, making all three of them drop to the ground.

"Kids come on! Get in the car!" John reached for both of their arms, going into parent survival mode - PROTECT THE KIDS.

He slammed the car door just as he had shoved them both in the back and flung open the front, barely closing the door before he was already flooring the gas pedal and backing out. Just as he slammed on the breaks and yanked the car into drive Opal screamed

"DAD WATCH OUT"

Ann.

There was Ann, calmly standing in front of them. Right in the center of the road, the Beast of Brookville was smiling, covered in dirt, scratches, and...blood. She looked relaxed as she held the pistol casually alongside her body as if it was her cellphone on a casual outing.

John froze, his fingers turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. It was Ann. Ann, the woman he had practically been living with, Ann. But it wasn't, this was a monster, a monster that had slept in his bed and eaten breakfast alongside his daughter. FUCK!

"DAD!" Opal screamed, breaking his trance.

He shook his head as he snapped out of it and realized Ann had slowly started to raise the pistol, her smile growing as it lifted.

"DAD!!!" Opal screamed again.

That was all he needed. John slammed his foot down on the gas and the car screeched to life just as Ann brought the pistol level to their heads. As the car plowed into the woman, the beast, the gun went off with a flash and a bang as it struck her body, narrowly missing the windshield and she was flung backward.