Andrew Neiderman - Deficiency

"Out of the way," he ordered and kicked the door with the style and effectiveness of a karate expert. It splintered around the lock and swung open, revealing a dark, dank room that Terri thought must have once served as a lobby or living room area for the seasonal guests. With twilight falling quickly now, there was not very much illumination.

A body left in this place will probably not be discovered for some time, she thought. Darlene, trembling helplessly now, was also whimpering and gasping for breath. She could simply faint any moment, Terri thought.

"Well, isn't this cozy," Garret said. "Must have been a very nice place once. Move," he told Darlene who stopped and now looked incapable of taking another step. She didn't, so he poked her in the ribs with the barrel of the pistol. It had the effect of a gunshot. She took two steps forward with him still holding the pistol barrel against her, but then her eyes went back and she folded so quickly at his feet, it was as if all of her bones had turned to jelly. Garret was moving forward aggressively at that moment. Caught by surprise, he tripped over her and struggled to maintain his balance. Terri spun and with desperation and a gathering of all her physical strength, pushed him while he was still off-balance, and he fell forward, losing the grip on his pistol. It flew a few feet ahead of him as he went to break his fall with his palms out. Terri considered her options in an instant. She was obviously no match for the man in any physical struggle. Her only hope was to get away, but that meant leaving Darlene behind. The now-unconscious woman was sprawled awkwardly on her right side. Terri turned and shot forward, through the dark corridor, choosing not to go up the stairs, but instead continue toward the back, through what was once the kitchen. The dwindling daylight spilling through the broken windows gave her just enough illumination so as not to bump into things. She heard Garret scrambling behind her, cursing and calling after her, warning her that she was making a big mistake. The rear door of the old house was locked, but it was a rusted tumbler. She pulled it open and jerked at the door, which resisted at first. She didn't know from what source she drew the surge of strength, but it was sufficient for her to get the old, heavy door opened enough so she could squeeze through. She pulled it shut behind her, hoping to cause Garret any delay she could.

Once outside, she stood on the back porch and considered the woods. There was a distance of at least five hundred yards to cross before she entered the forest. It was darker, but she knew she would never make it before he would be out and taking aim. Knowing she had to do something fast, she hurried down the four steps and then turned, now in a desperate panic herself.

Under the porch she saw a basement window that was completely blown out. She knelt and reached the window just as Garret opened the back door of the old building. As quietly as she could, she slipped through the window, falling and crawling her way down the old fieldstone foundation until she hit the cement floor. She swallowed her grunts and cries of pain and moved like some sort of rodent deeper into the darkness. There, she pressed herself against the wall and waited, watching the window and listening.

Garret came down the stairs slowly and stood there. He had to consider that she had run around the building, and his first thought was she was heading back to the car. She had left the keys in the ignition. Alarmed by that thought, he hurried to the corner and looked back toward the vehicle. Seeing she wasn't there, he relaxed, took a deep breath and then slowly made his way to the car to take the keys out of the ignition to prevent her from using the vehicle should she somehow get past him. That done he turned and headed back to the rear porch. He considered the woods but as he looked around, he saw the open window and smiled to himself.

Below, Terri realized she was still quite vulnerable. There was barely any light pouring through the open window, but she was growing accustomed to the thick shadows and was able to see some old piping. Grasping a length of pipe she could handle, she crawled closer to the window and waited.

Garret was now convinced she was down there. He approached the window slowly, a cold, confident smile on his face.

"Doctor," he called through it, "you're not behaving like an intelligent, educated person. Come on out and we'll talk and figure out a way to make everyone happy. I'm not interested in seeing anyone else hurt. You know that," he said. She held her breath and pressed her back against the fieldstone wall. The jagged edges of some of those stones were painful, but she ignored that and remained as still and as poised with the pipe as she could be.

"Okay, Doctor, I'm coming in and when I see you, I'm not going to be very pleasant," he warned, waited another few seconds, and leaned into the window.

"You're a damn fool," he shouted, his rage rising. He couldn't see her, and he was unhappy about having to go in, but that was what he had to do. He turned and lowered his legs slowly into the old basement. When he was almost completely in, he held onto the windowsill to gradually find his footing below. He turned his head to look down and that was when Terri swung the pipe and caught him squarely in the forehead. The blow snapped his head back sharply. He lost his grip on the sill and fell to the basement floor. His cellular phone dropped out of his pocket and bounced once, but he held the gun in his hand.

He groaned and she struck the gun hand, sending the weapon into the darkness where it bounced against the side wall. Garret moaned, fighting for consciousness. Terri threw the pipe down, scooped up his cellular phone, and leaped for the window, pulling herself up with all the strength she could muster. Below, Garret groaned again. Pure terror lifted Terri out the window. She fell to the ground under the porch, caught her breath, and scampered around and up the back steps.

Once inside the old tourist house, she ran through the kitchen, down the corridor to the lobby, where Darlene was sitting up, dazed.

"Quick!" Terri screamed at her. She reached down for her arm and helped Darlene to her feet.

"Whaaa..."

"Just run with me. Run!" she shouted and pulled her along, through the front door, down the stairs, and toward the car. She lunged for the door on the driver's side and then stopped dead with disappointment when she saw the keys were not in the ignition.

Behind them, she could hear Garret bellow, his voice echoing in the old house.

"C'mon," she urged Darlene and pulled her toward the now dimly lit woods. Some early starlight and a quarter moon was enough to light up the way. They ran past the first set of birch and maple. Without leaves, the forest wasn't all that protective, but with darkness thickening, Terri was hopeful. She tugged and urged Darlene along until they were deeper and deeper into the woods, finding even more protection provided by a group of pine trees.

"I can't run anymore!" Darlene cried.

"You've got to keep moving. If we stop, he'll catch up. Move," she ordered. Darlene gasped and followed. They went through the area of pine trees and then down an embankment where there was a stream of water bubbling over rocks. She saw a heavy overgrown area across the way and directed Darlene to it. Once there, she paused and indicated they should crouch so she could listen. Their heavy breathing almost made it impossible to hear anything. Then, there was the sound of branches cracking. After a long moment, that sound stopped and then they heard the most primeval, horrendous scream of frustration.

Darlene gasped and whimpered.

"Oh Jesus," she said.

Terri didn't move a muscle.

"Quiet," she told her.

They waited. The sounds grew more distant until finally, they heard the distinct roar of a car engine.