The man screamed something completely incomprehensible, then without thought or mercy, fired his gun. I couldn't help myself from closing my eyes. I waited for Jared's death cry; I waited to hear the sound of his body falling onto the ground. I waited for the man to fire his gun at me. I waited for the man and woman to charge at me and Aaron and kill us both.

For a moment, all I could hear was absolute silence.

...None of my dreads came to pass. The exact opposite happened.

I heard Jared's voice scream: "Ah! You son of a bitch!"

Then, my eyes opened as I heard the sound of blunt metal hitting flesh. The man fell over, firing his gun wildly into the air as he hit the ground. Like the first shot, it had completely missed.

It took me a moment to start moving myself; Jared's counterattack had been so sudden. I thought we would be able to talk our way out of this, but after seeing the woman's eyes lock onto mine, I came to the conclusion that both of these people were completely and utterly beyond any and all reason. Although it pained me to do so, if we didn't fight back they would show us no mercy.

The woman suddenly pounced on me like a wild animal. Just in time, I swung the crowbar up in front of me. She grabbed for it and shoved me down onto the ground with surprising force. Spit and blood dripped from her face onto mine as she grappled for the crowbar, but I held on with all my strength. I was momentarily too shocked to think straight. How the hell was she so strong? Not only was she incredibly old, but she was also covered in wounds that would cause anybody else to be rolling around on the ground in pain. It couldn't have just been adrenaline and mania; there had to be something else influencing her behavior.

Another gunshot rang out in the air, and a scream of pain soon followed. From my point of view on the ground, I couldn't see what was going on between Jared and the old man. The woman let out a primal growl right up against my face as she struggled to rip the crowbar from my hands, sending more blood and spit dripping down onto my face. I didn't have time to think about Jared right now; I had to worry about what was happening to me right now. And Aaron was right behind me! I couldn't let her get by me! I had to protect my son!

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I shoved upwards with everything I had, succeeding in pushing the woman up a bit, but her grip on the crowbar remained just as strong as it had been before.

"Dad!" I heard Aaron yell out to me.

Crunch! The sickening sound of flesh being ruptured filled the air for a moment, and the woman howled out in pain. Her grip lessened on the crowbar. From my position I could see Aaron holding a bloodstained rock above the woman's head. He hit her! He didn't bring the rock back down; he must have been in shock over what he had just done. Thanks for being brave Aaron, I won't let this chance go to waste!

With all of the strength I could muster, I shoved violently against the crowbar, succeeding in sending the woman flying onto her back a few feet in front of me. In barely an instant, she was back on her feet, posing to strike again. I stole a glance towards Jared and the old man behind me, only catching a brief glimpse. Jared had succeeded in prying the gun from the old man's hands, but it must not have had any more bullets in it because he was holding it like a club. His shovel was lying on the ground with its handle broken in half. The old man had a gunshot wound on his shoulder, but his movements hadn't slowed at all. He tried to grab at Jared, but he slapped him back with the gun. He stood facing Jared, prepared to pounce.

My eyes locked back onto the old woman. She was staring at me with such an intense hatred I didn't think was possible. Any moment, I knew she would pounce again. What was wrong with them? The question flashed into my mind, but I didn't let the thought linger. I had to focus on defending myself, and Aaron. I glanced towards him; tears were streaming down his face. I wanted to comfort him, but that would have to wait. I could at least get him to get out of here.

I faced the old woman again. I could see her muscles tensing, like she was getting ready to charge.

"Aaron, you have to go back upstairs," I told him. I didn't like the thought of him being alone, but the chance of danger was much better than him being in danger.

Aaron didn't budge; I continued to speak, "Don't worry about your dad. I can deal with it."

"Will you really be alright?" he muttered.

"I will. Now, go!" I raised my voice.

He nodded, and then ran back to the ladder. I heard the sound of his feet connecting with the metal bars of the ladder, and sighed with relief. Not one moment after the sigh had left my mouth, the man charged at Jared and the woman charged towards me.