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"I’h-pitched, hysterical She was still standing, frozen, as though both legs had been rooted to the ground

That’s when Jack Donahue casonsofbitchesgetthehelloffrabbed Nat’s ar her across the laard the house, ignoring the sound of Nat’s whi under her breath Counting She was counting up to ten, then down again Heather dug her nails harder into Nat’s ar out of ti it She didn’t care about Nat’s ankle, or that Nat was shaking, choking back sobs

Pop Pop Pop

Heather jerked Nat down and into the shadows as Donahue thundered off the porch, gun up, firing The light on the porch hite, half-blinding, and hs were shaking She didn’t see Dodge She couldn’t see anyone--just shapes, blurring together in the darkness, and the s Donahue’s back, the curl of hair on his shoulders, his flab, the awful butt of his rifle

Where was Dodge?

Heather could hardly breathe She pressed up against the side of the house, rocking her weight back onto her heels, trying to think There was too e had made it into the house already What if he hadn’t? What if he’d screwed up?

"Stay here," Heather whispered "I’ in"

"Don’t" Nat turned to her, eyes wide, frantic "Don’t leave ripped her shoulders "In exactly one minute, if I’m not out yet, I want you to run back to the car Okay? In exactly one minute"

She didn’t even know if Nat heard her--and alhtened up Her body felt bloated and clus at once: that the shots had happened, and were no longer happening; that the front door had just opened and closed with a firone in

Ie was inside? She, Heather, was supposed to have been watching She was supposed to have whistled if Donahue approached

But the front door had opened and closed And she had not whistled

She was no longer thinking Instinctively, she pulled herself onto the porch and opened the front door and slipped inside, into the hall It stank of BO and old beer, and it was pitch-dark Donahue had turned on a light earlier--that she had noticed, a bad oed by the toothy bite of the fence--so why had he turned it off? Her heart surged into her throat and she reached out with both hands, grazed both walls lightly with her fingertips, centering herself in the hallway She sed

She took several steps forward and heard a rustling, the creak of a footstep She froze, expecting at any second for the lights to click on, for the barrel of a gun to shine directly at her heart Nothing happened

"Dodge?" she risked whispering into the dark

Footsteps crossed quickly toward her She fu the wall and hit a doorknob The door opened easily and she slipped out of the hall, closing the door as quietly as possible, holding her breath But the footsteps kept going She heard the front door creak open and closed

Was it Donahue? Dodge? Another player?

Here, e, curtainless , and Heather suddenly sucked in a breath The walls were covered with ht Guns Gunsfroun roounpowder, but sheit

The room was cluttered orkbenches and overstuffed chairs, bleeding stuffing onto the floor Underneath the as a large desk Heather felt as if the air in the room were suddenly too thin; she felt breathless and dizzy, re

Bonus: Find the desk in the gun room and take what’s hidden there

Heatherthe clutter of objects She began with the drawers on the sides--right, and then left Nothing

The shallow central draas loose, as though froun was curled there, like an enormous black beetle, shiny, hard-backed

The bonus

She reached in, hesitated--then seized it quickly, like itin her throat She hated guns

"What are you doing?"

Heather spun around She could just see Dodge silhouetted in the doorway, although it was too dark to make out his face

"Shhh," Heather whispered "Keep your voice down"

"What the hell are you doing?" Dodge took two steps across the room "You were supposed to keep watch"

"I was" Before Heather could explain further, Dodge cut her off

"Where’s Natalie?"