Adrian shuts the door behind me and then sets me down. We both freeze, staring at each other.
And then we burst into silent laughter, clamping our hands over our mouths to stifle the sound.
25
ADRIAN
We stand there completely naked, shaking with silent laughter, trying our best not to let Victor hear.
I stare at her as she clutches her shirt to her chest, her hair wild from our fun and her eyes bright with amusement. My heart races, not from fear, but from the rush of the moment, of having her back, of feeling normal again.
I hear some fast-paced movement from the living room, and I swear I hear Victor's voice, but it's cut off instantly.
A deafening BANG rocks the cabin, rattling the walls, shaking dust from the beams above us.
Elena's laughter dies. Her hand shoots out and grips my arm, squeezing tightly. "What the hell was that?"
I don't answer right away. I'm already listening.
Another sound follows. Sharp. Rapid. Pop. Pop. Pop.
I hear glass shatter in the living room, and then the windows in our room break apart in a violent spray of bullets.
My blood turns to ice.
"Gunfire."
Elena's face drains of color. Her lips part, but no sound comes out.
I grab her and we drop to the ground, bullets flying overhead.
"Stay down," I yell as I shove my legs into my boxer briefs, yanking them up as I lunge for the nightstand. My gun is inside the drawer there. I check the magazine by instinct and chamber a round.
More gunfire erupts outside. It sounds closer now, and it comes in short, controlled bursts.
Elena scrambles to pull on her clothes, her hands shaking so badly she can barely get her arms through the sleeves.
"Adrian!"
"It's ok. Bathroom. Now."
I grab her wrist and we run crouched through the bathroom door. I put her into the corner between the toilet and the tub. It feels like it'll be the most reinforced part of the room.
I crouch down to her eye level. Her pupils are wide with terror, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps.
"Stay here," I say, gripping her face. "Do not move. Do not make a sound. I'll come back for you."
"Adrian, no..."
I kiss her hard, then pull back. I get up, press the lock button on the door handle, look at her. "I'll be right back," I say, and shut it.
Her muffled scream cuts through the door. "Adi!”
But I force myself to move.
The bedroom window overlooks the back of the cabin. I crouch low and edge toward it, keeping my body just below any line of sight.
When I get to right below the window, I pop my head up. Outside, once undisturbed snow is now trampled. Fresh boot prints are everywhere.