Valley 45

Her determination paid off when a tug and a twist on the double - barrel of the shotgun by Jack pulled Kerwin’s upper body forward. Melissa immediately snaked out a hand to grab the off - balance Kerwin by the belt; with one almighty heave, she pulled him down on top of her and Jack. It was far from ideal for them all to be on a heap on the ground, but at least there was no way for Kerwin to use the shotgun as a weapon. Jack felt the air explode from his lungs as Kerwin landed heavily on top of him, at the same time his injuries, which he had been ignoring as best he could during the struggle, sent a wave of pain rippling through his body, making him want to scream. The pain was so sudden and intense that he released his grip on the shotgun without being aware he had done so. Fortunately, the teen was too close to be able to take advantage of having complete control over the weapon, and Jack recovered quickly enough to realise that his best bet was to keep Kerwin close and negate the shotgun as a weapon. Ignoring the gun, which Kerwin was stubbornly holding onto, he attempted to roll the teen over onto his back, with him on top, so that he could gain an advantage. The awkward and unskilful wrestling match continued for a minute and a half or so before Jack and Melissa, though weaker individually, were able to gain the upper hand. When Melissa secured Kerwin in a headlock. Jack wriggled out from under the teen, fending off the hand that sought to grab hold of him and keep him from getting away as he did so. An elbow to Kerwin’s ribs knocked some of the fight out of him, allowing Jack to roll away and get to his feet. He felt bruised and battered, and his brain seemed to be receiving signals from just about every pain receptor in his body, but he pushed all of that aside as he grabbed the shotgun Kerwin was still stubbornly holding onto. He wrenched at the gun, with more success than he had before, pulling it from Kerwin’s grasp, and then he reversed it. After watching for a moment for the right opportunity, he struck with the weapon, using it as a club rather that as a gun. He slammed the butt into Kerwin’s forehead with as much force as he could muster - he hoped he hadn’t hit him too hard, the last thing he wanted to do was kill him, but better that than letting him get away to kill again, he thought - and watched as the teen’s eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp on top of Melissa. Switching the shotgun to his left hand. Jack reached down to grab hold of Kerwin so he could drag him off Melissa. That took what seemed to be the last of his energy, and prompted a fresh wave of pain, which he let out in a loud groan that threatened to become a full - blown cry. ‘Thanks,’ Melissa said gratefully, accepting the hand that Jack held out to her; she could have got to her feet on her own, now that she was no longer at the bottom of a pile of bodies, but was glad of the help. Drained, both physically and mentally, she slumped against the patrol car, sure that if it wasn’t there she would not be able to stay on her feet. She simply could not believe everything that had happened over the past day, let alone the past week, and looking from herself to Jack, who was swaying on his feet, she wasn’t sure which of them had suffered the most - they were both in bad shape and in need of a long rest, not to mention medical treatment. ‘How long d’you think he’ll be out?’ She asked after several long moments, during which time she kept a careful eye on the unmoving form of Kerwin at her feet, as though she expected his eyes to open at any moment and for him to resume the fight. Jack looked down on the teen. ‘No idea,’ he admitted, relieved that the slow rising and falling of Kerwin’s chest made it clear that he hadn’t killed him. ‘He could be out for hours, or he could wake up at any moment. If I were you, I’d get some cuffs on him before he does wake up, and I’d call to see where that backup is, just to be on the safe side. You should get some ambulances on their way as well; you’re gonna need all the medical help you can get.’ ‘Where are you going?’ Melissa asked when Jack left her and the unconscious Kerwin and started up the road past the two crashed vehicles. ‘I’m gonna go see if any of your colleagues are still alive, and if there’s anything I can do to help them if they are,’ Jack told her. He had waited until Kerwin’s hands were cuffed and he was sure the teen was not going to be getting away if he woke, and now that - that had been done, he felt it was safe to leave Melissa with the teen. ‘ If anything happens here, yell, and I’ll come running.’ ‘Maybe not running,’ he thought, given that this morning had shown he was not up to running at the moment. Melissa nodded. She would have preferred to be the one who went and checked on her colleagues, but knew she couldn’t ask Jack to stay there and keep an eye on the prisoner. That would not have been right since she was the police officer and he that civilian. Torn by conflicted feelings - she was unhappy with everything that had happened that morning. Though pleased that the murders that had rocked “Doring Draad” were at an end and the killer was in custody - Melissa kept one eye on Kerwin, while with the other she followed Jack as he made his way up the road. It was only when he disappeared behind the Land Rover that she remembered she was supposed to be checking on the backup and making sure that there were ambulances en - route. Leaning into the patrol car she grabbed the spare radio from the glove - box and made the call to the station. With that done she sat on the edge of the driver’s seat to wait for help to arrive….. “Typical Teenagers” Happy, sad, sleepy, mean, Feelings often change, A common act of a typical teen, I find it rather strange. Talking to a friend, Or sending them a text, They talk for hours on end, What’ll they think of next. They’ll leave their room a mess And give cleaning it a miss, But yes, I must confess. To also doing this. They think their folks are ancient, And utterly unfair, The result is to ignore them, Before they start to swear. Their music cracks the ceiling. And makes their parents fume, Emotions always reeling, And more time in their room. Being a teen may seems pretty bad, But from experience I can tell, It’s much worse for the Mum and Dad, We say goodbye to Lynne, Lily and Daisy… For them it was a living Hell… The End…

DID YOUR'LL ENJOY THIS TYPE OF THRILLER??? FEEDBACK NEEDED..