Jacob, having no patience or mercy left to give to this ilk, aimed and fired. He struck the closest sentry square in the chest. The wound puffed a spray of red into the air before oozing bright red. The man fell forward and crashed onto the desk the first sentry sat behind. The remaining sentries froze into place. The loud bang and the quick kill had stunned them. Jacob took advantage of the opportunity. He hurried past the sentries to a door at the back of the room. He didn’t stop to open the door. Instead, he rammed it with his shoulder and forced it open.
Still panting for breath, Jacob entered the space beyond. His wild eyes searched feverishly for Emily, but it was only a corridor leading to a series of separate rooms. A guard at the far end of the hallway raised his hands submissively into the air when he saw Jacob.
"Where is she!” Jacob growled.
The man pointed to one of the doorways in the hallway.
Jacob stepped toward the room the man had gestured. He tested the handle. It was locked.
“Emily!” Jacob shouted through the door.
“Jacob!” Emily cried back.
Jacob stepped back and fired a round into the door handle. It broke into several pieces. The door flew open after Jacob planted a swift kick against its frame. Inside, Jacob’s eyes fell upon the worst sight he could have ever imagined. His heart instantly broke. Emily’s hands were chained to the top of a table. She was beaten and bloodied across her face and backside.At the other end of the room was a sentry. It was the one who had taken her on horseback. Jacob assumed the worst.
“Have they done anything to the baby?” he asked, his voice cold and without emotion.
“No,” Emily croaked, “just me. The baby’s fine.”
To Jacob’s surprise, Emily smiled serenely at him, as if to say: it’s okay, you don’t have to worry…
“Remove her bindings,” Jacob ordered while pointing his rifle at the sentry.
The man complied, but there was flamboyance to his movements. It was as if he found something humorous in the matter.
Once Emily was free, Jacob pulled her to his side.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
Emily nodded her head in acknowledgement.
“You…” Jacob said next while removing the handgun from the back of his pants.
He gave Emily the pistol. She took hold of it, but she didn’t bother to aim it at anyone. Instead, her eyes followed Jacob’s hateful gaze to the lone sentry in the room… the one with the wry smile.
“You want me to kill you, don’t you?” Jacob said with a dark smirk of his own.
Jacob’s grasp upon the rifle tightened. His finger slithered tighter around the trigger. This kill would not be made in defense or to protect… it would be murder.
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