“We have to go in, now!” I roar, lunging out of the truck and going around to the back seat to get my rifle.

“Slater, calm down,” Malakai orders, his voice hard, but worried.

“Calm down?” I bark. “He has his fuckin’ hands on her. He’s goin’ to take the final piece of her, and I will not fuckin’ let that happen. I will not let him hurt her like that.”

“Fuckin’ know that, brother, but if you screw this up, and he knows we’re around...she’s dead.”

“What do you want me to do?” I pant, gripping the rifle. “Sit back and watch her get raped?”

The word makes my throat get tighter. We’ve been watching her, through a window that has no curtains. We’re far enough away he won’t know we’re here, but close enough that we can see with a set of binoculars. For a while, they were just talking, and everything seemed to be going well. And then everything turned. He was on her, touching her, hitting her, choking her.

That’s when I moved.

And now Malakai wants to tell me that I can’t do anything about it.

Like fuck.

I let her get away from me once, and live ten years of pain.

I will not fuckin’ do it again.

“You fuckin’ know I won’t let her be raped, Slater. But you gotta know we have to be smart.”

“One fuckin’ shot, and he’s dead,” I growl.

“Two fuckin’ shots,” Malakai barks. “Because there is a window, and you’re not that good. The chances of you hitting him through it, in one shot, are so fuckin’ slim. Which means it’s two shots. Two. Shots. If he moves and you miss, she’s dead. Do you understand me? We go down there, bust in, that’s the best option.”

“For who?” I bellow. “By the time we get down there, he has done enough damage to completely ruin her. I can see the fear in her eyes, I can see it as clearly as I can see you. She’s fuckin’ terrified. And he’s goin’ to have his hands in places his hands shouldn’t be, in a matter of minutes. We don’t have fuckin’ time to get close and bust in. I can do this. Because I am fuckin’ good enough. Two shots. Fine. I’ll have him on the ground in minutes.”

“Slater...” Malakai warns. “You are risking her life.”

“You do not get to control this one, Malakai. I trusted you this far. I let you have your way. But if you think I’m goin’ to sit back and watch my girl get hurt, you’re fuckin’ sadly mistaken.”

“Ten minutes,” he growls. “And we can get her out safely.”

“One fuckin’ minute, and his brains are scattered all over that cabin.”

“Slater...”

“I think Slater has the right idea,” Koda says, stepping out of the truck. “Let him go, Malakai. He can make the shot.”

Malakai turns to say something to Koda, and I move, quick as lightning. I disappear off into the darkness, nothing but my rifle in hand. I don’t fuckin’ need anything else. I’m a good shot with a gun, and this fucker is the best of its kind. Long range. He won’t see it coming. It’ll go straight through that window, and by the time he realizes what’s happening, I’ll have fired the other shot, straight into his head.

I will not let him hurt her.

“Fuck. Where the fuck did he go?” Malakai roars into the darkness. “Slater!”

I use my flashlight to find a spot high enough up that I can look down. I get down on my stomach, and set the rifle up, using the scope to zone in. I have the best night vision on the market. I can see him clear as day. What I see makes my stomach turn. It is a sight I never want to experience again in my life. His body on hers, hand on her throat. She’s thrashing, still trying to get him off. He’s laughing. The sick fuck is laughing.

I wanted this to go so many other ways.

I wanted to take him, and torture him slowly for what he did to her.

I wanted to make him suffer.

I wanted him to endure every type of pain there is to endure.

But...her...she comes first. She’s always come first.

She is my life, and fucked if I will let her down again.

I take a deep breath, aim the rifle so the red dot is right on his head, and then I murmur, “I hope you fuckin’ rot in hell, you bastard. This is for Ellie.”

I pull the trigger.

It takes almost a moment for me to see the result I want. It’s like everything is in slow motion. The sound of the rifle echoes through the night, and then I watch as the window smashes as the bullet breezes through. It doesn’t hit him, but I knew it wouldn’t. Wind, glass, and other factors affect where the bullet goes, and I knew it wouldn’t go directly where I needed once it hit the glass.

But it is enough for him to jerk, his head whipping up.

I have a split second before he moves, and I miss him.

I have the shot lined up. I haven’t moved a single muscle.

I knew he wouldn’t get time to leap off her, that he’d simply lift his head, and I was right. Which means, my next shot will go exactly where I need it to go.

His eyes look out into the darkness, almost directly at me.

As if he knows I’m watching him.

As if he knows his life is about to end.

And I pull the trigger.

And my aim is spectacular. The bullet hits him right between the eyes, and a splash of red can be seen as slowly, his body topples backwards.

He hits the ground. Lifeless.

And just like that...it’s over.

Just like that, I slayed a monster.

Just like that, I gave Ellie her freedom back.

Just like that, I made it all go away.

Just. Like. That.