Chapter 20

The Chase

There was a quiet moment after I shot the animal, and that short silence probably saved my life. During this time, I heard the sound of many feet moving quickly. I turned my head and saw a group of the white pig-faced animals running toward me from the side of the hole. I quickly pointed my gun at the one in front and fired. It fell down with a loud cry. Then I turned and started to run as fast as I could.

I was far from the house. As I ran, I saw my sister Mary walking toward me. It was getting dark, so I could not see her face clearly. “Why are you firing your gun?” she called out, sounding worried. “Run!” I yelled at her. “Run for your life!” Mary immediately turned around and ran back toward the house. I followed behind her, running as hard as I could.

I looked back. The animals were following us. Sometimes they ran on two legs like people, and sometimes they dropped down and ran on four legs like animals. They were moving very fast. My sister ran quickly because she was afraid of the sound of my voice. We kept running, with Mary a few steps ahead of me. I could hear the animals getting closer. I was getting very tired from running so hard.

Finally, I could see the back door of our house. It was standing open. Suddenly, something touched my shoulder area from behind. I turned my head quickly and saw one of the animal faces very close to mine. I moved to the side and hit its head hard with my gun. The animal fell to the ground.

I ran the last few steps to the door. I got inside, and quickly closed and locked the door. Mary was sitting in a chair, breathing hard. Her face was very pale. I needed to check if all the other doors were closed.

The last door I checked was the one from my study to the garden. I saw it was closed, but then I heard a noise outside. I stood very still. Yes, I could hear low sounds. Something was moving against the door. The animals were touching the door, trying to find a way to get inside.