"What are you doing?" Ella's repeated shining the flashlight at the vehicle.
Michael placed the rifle on the ground and stood to his feet, "Couldn't sleep." he stated, squinting as the light shined straight into his eyes.
"Michael?" Stuart started. He was clothed, but wet. "What are you doing out here?" His words were slow as if he was trying to figure out the answer before he finished asking.
"Just couldn't sleep and went for a walk," Michael responded. "I'm a bit tired now, so I think I'll go back to bed." He let out a fake yawn.
"What's that?" Elle said, moving the flashlight off of Michael, "I think you dropped something."
Michael followed her flashlight to see the the buttstock of the rifle sticking out from the rear of the van. Michael tried to step in front of the beam, but it was too late. She knelt past him and reached towards the rifle, "This looks like my dad's Winchest—" Just as her fingertips grazed the gun, Michael jumped towards the weapon and knocking Elle to the ground. She let out a gasp, but quickly jumped to her feet. Michael picked up the rifle and held it at his hip.
"Why is that out here? What are you doing?" She looked from Michael back to Stuart. "Who are you?" She asked both of them. Her voice was quivering. She took another look at the rifle, "Dad!" She screamed, "Da—!"
Stuart wrapped his hand over her mouth as she flailed her arms, trying to scratch him. "What are you doing?" Stuart spoke in broken puffs, trying to keep his hand over Elle's mouth as she threw elbows and kicks trying to free herself.
"Stop that!" Michael said in a hushed whisper. He aimed the rifle at Elle and looked down the scope even though she was just a few feet away. She continued to buck and kick, "I'll kill you, and then your family." Michael pointed towards the house, "Do you understand? I'll kill all of them." His words shocked himself. Elle nodded and quit swinging. Her body was stiff.
"I'm going to unlock the car, and you're going to get inside. Stuart, you'll sit next to her. Do you understand?"
A light flicked on in the cabin. Elle's eyes were wide as she looked towards the light, trying to figure out whether she should scream or make a run for it.
"I'll kill whoever that is!" Michael stepped forward and pressed the barrel to her chest. "Don't you dare move." He pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked the rear door. Elle hesitantly climbed inside, followed by Stuart.
Michael found it difficult climbing into the driver's seat while maintaining control of the weapon he had no idea how to handle. He started the car with the door open, gripping the rifle with his left hand out the open door. He rolled down the window and closed the door, so he could hold onto the rifle with the barrel pointed up and out of the open window.
Elle began to scream bloody murder, "Help! Mom! Dad!! Thor!" Her voice was piercing. She pushed open her door as Michael peeled up the driveway. Stuart grabbed her from the waist and yanked her back inside. Michael hit the gas, causing the door to swing shut. As the car reached the edge of the dirt, more lights flickered on in the cabin. A man came racing out of the house and charged at the vehicle. Michael couldn’t tell if it was Thor or Hunger. He took a quick left on the one-lane highway and sped up leaving the man behind.
Elle began to sob, "Why are you doing this to me?" She wailed. "Why are you doing this to me?"
Michael continued to accelerate 40..49..60..68 mph…
"Are you going to jump?" Stuart yelled as the car flew down the asphalt. Elle shook her head as tears streamed down her cheek. He let go of her, and she immediately slumped her head onto the back of the seat. Her shoulders bobbed with every loud sob.
"Michael, what are you doing?" Stuart demanded, still yelling. "This was the dumbest thing you could've done."
"Claude's coming to kill me!" Michael shouted back as adrenaline electrified the car. "This was my only option! You weren't supposed to be here." He looked in the rearview mirror. "Neither of you were supposed to be here."
"I had a plan!" Stuart shouted.
"You're job is to see me die." Michael's voice was low and sharp, barely audible through the hissing air flying through the open window.
"This isn't about you!" Stuart pulled the panic button from his pocket, "This is about Gary!" He held up the button, "They're trying to draw him out with you as bait. I’m supposed to activate this when Gary appears." He waved the switch through the air as Michael's face contorted, trying to process the new information. "Why do you think they allowed you to bring the phone! Yeah, don't think I don't know about that." He pulled the phone from his pocket. "I called Gary, he's coming to Moose Pass. All we have to do is catch him and this all ends."
"You said there was no way this ends without one of us dead," Michael retorted.
"You were supposed to call him yourself. You were supposed to be scared so it was believable. That would've been ideal."
The next few minutes were quite as Michael thought through the new information that had just been dropped on him. Stuart could've just let him in on this. Unless he was lying. Michael wasn't sure what was real anymore. What as he doing? Stealing a car, threatening an innocent woman with a gun, it was the opposite of everything he was as a man. This was not like him.
He slowed the car and pulled to the side of the street, parking with two tires on the road and two on the dirt.
"Elle, you can get out." Michael offered. "We're about six miles away from the cabin. Just follow the street, and you'll be back in a few hours."
Elle sat still in the seat looking over her shoulder down the dark road.
"This isn't a negotiation, get out of the car." Michael said sternly.
Stuart stepped out of the car with Elle. She looked at him with absolute disgust as he fumbled through words that mixed between an apology and an explanation. Neither of which came out sincere. When she shook her head and turned, Stuart climbed into the passenger seat. He watched Elle in the side mirror as the car left her standing on the side of the road.
"We need to pick her up," Stuart said suddenly. "She's not safe out there."
Michael kept driving. "If you want to get out, I’ll let you out."
"We can't be separated, you know that. We’ll be put on—"
"What? The list? No you will, I already have someone coming for me. I'm trying to survive the next thirty-six hours. If you want to hike back with her, get out. I'm going to Moose Pass.”
Stuart looked in the rearview mirror again. He was frustrated but had no choice. He stayed silent.
"For the next thirty-six hours, this is my operation. Do you have my tracker?"
Stuart nodded and pulled it from his pocket.
"You work for The Company. You’re with them. They gave me a task. From now on, I’m calling the shots."