Christmas Escape

Chapter Sixteen

Peyton

Everything was perfect. Everyone was happy, the food was delicious, and the drinks were flowing. Even Dad and Micah were getting along fabulously. I couldn’t imagine a better Christmas. It was exactly what I would’ve wanted.

I was stacking the last of the dishes into the dishwasher after lunch. Mom and Dad had decided to go for a walk to window shop. While George and Camilla retired for an afternoon nap. The other guests were either milling around in front of the fire, or out sightseeing. Micah was putting the last of the scraps in the trash and getting ready to take it outside.

“Did you have a good day so far?” he asked.

I looked up at Micah and smiled broadly. “It is the best Christmas I’ve ever experienced,” I enthused.

Micah chuckled. “Good,” he replied as he pressed a quick kiss to my lips, before taking the trash out and heading for the back door.

Suddenly I heard Micah shouting. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but fear gripped me. I slowly crept towards the back door. I could hear another voice. It was too low to understand what they were saying. But I recognized that voice anywhere. Jason.

Panic hit my stomach and nausea rolled over me. I thought he was still in jail. No one told me that he was out. How could he be here? I turned back to the kitchen searching for something. My hands were shaking, my knees felt like they were going to give out on me. If he’d followed me, I knew that there was no way he was going to let me go.

If I didn’t get away from him, I was going to die at his hands. I pulled open the drawers and found a butchers knife. Pulling it out with shaking hands I pressed myself against the bench, facing the door. With wide eyes I listened as Micah’s shouts became louder.

It didn’t take long before I saw Jason dragging Micah in through the back door. Jason’s eyes were almost black with anger. He glared around the room. His teeth bared in a snarl. He looked more like a feral animal than a human.

“Hello sweetheart,” Jason sneered. I thrust the knife out in front of me. Jason c****d his head to the side and laughed. “What do you intend to do with that sweetheart?”

“Go away Jason,” I said as firmly as I could. But even to my ears I sounded weak.

“That’s not going to happen sweetheart,” he growled. “I’m not leaving without my wife.”

“I’m not your wife anymore Jason. I ended our marriage when you landed me in hospital,” I said feeling a little bit of strength build inside me.

Jason laughed again and shook his head. “No, see, that’s where you are wrong,” he continued to sneer. “I tell you when our marriage ends.”

Jason lifted his hand from behind Micah’s back and showed me that he had a gun in the palm of his hand. He pressed the steel barrel against Micah’s temple. Without taking his eyes off me Jason clicked the safety.

“No, Jason, please,” I begged, feeling tears well in my eyes. Micah’s eyes were wide with panic, and I could see the fear all over his face.

“Have you been f*****g him?” Jason spat. His spittle coating the side of Micah’s face.

I shook my head rapidly. “No Jason. Only you. I’ve only ever been with you.”

Jason continued to glare at me, watching for the lie to cross my face. Whatever he saw it must have satisfied him. Jason stepped forward towards me, the gun still held tight against Micah’s temple.

“Put the knife down, and come with me,” Jason demanded in a low and threatening voice that didn’t broker argument. I didn’t want to obey but I knew if I didn’t, he would kill Micah and anyone else that tried to stop him.

I glanced at Micah who gave a small shake of his head. What choice did I have? I wasn’t going to stand by and let Jason kill the man that I knew I was very quickly falling in love with. That wasn’t going to happen. I placed the knife on the bench beside me without taking my eyes off Jason.

I reached out and took Jason’s hand. Suddenly a crack filled the room and deafened me as Jason lowered the gun and shot. Micah screamed and fell to the ground. I screamed in horror. I didn’t have time to stop and check on Micah as Jason dragged me from the back door to the front of the lodge.

We were halfway to the road when Mom and Dad turned from the sidewalk onto the driveway. Mom was smiling and laughing at something Dad said to her. Dad was the first to see the problem. Mom noticed Dad’s reaction and gasped.

“What the f**k are you doing?” Dad growled at Jason.

Jason ignored Dad and pointed his gun towards Mom. “Please Jason don’t shoot them, I’m coming with you.”

“Peyton no, you can’t,” Mom cried.

“I have to Mom, please,” I replied, trying to convey to her the situation that I was in. I couldn’t let Jason kill anyone that I loved. It was bad enough that he’d shot Micah. I just hoped that the shot was enough to rouse the guests and they would get Micah the help he needed. I sent out a tiny prayer that Micah would be alright.

“Yeah Mom, she has to,” Jason sneered as he tightened his fist on my arm in a bruising hold.

Jason lowered the gun and continued to drag me towards the road without looking back. I looked around but couldn’t see his car anywhere. The streets were empty of all cars. Everyone at home or away with family to celebrate the holidays. All I could hope for was that Mom and Dad would be able to get help before Jason got too far away.

“Come on,” Jason growled as he continued to drag me down the sidewalk. I had to jog to keep up with him. I continued to stare around the street in hope that the police would find me. That might be anyone that might be able to save me.

We rounded the corner and I saw that his car was nestled among some pines. From what I could see he’d been parked there for some time. Snow settled on the surface of the car. Jason didn’t slow down as he continued to drag me towards the car.

I tripped over twigs and uneven ground. Jason’s hold prevented me from falling. His jaw was held tight, and I knew that I was going to have an imprint of his fingers on my bicep. Suddenly what sounded like a roar deafened me. I turned just in time to see Maurice with his antlers lowered charging towards us.

Jason turned, he pointed the gun, but he was too slow. Maurice’s antler caught Jason in the chest and lifted him into the air. I watched in horror as Jason was flung across the roof of his car and landed with a gut churning thud against the trunk of a large pine. Maurice didn’t stop. He lowered his head again and charged Jason. Over and over, I watched in horror as Maurice continued to pummel Jason’s lifeless body, until every bone had to be crushed.

“Peyton,” I heard in the distance. I didn’t turn my head as I stared at Jason’s unrecognizable, bloody, and broken body. “Peyton.”

I turned just as Dad pulled me into his arms. “Are you hurt?” he asked. Panic laced his voice, and his eyes were wild with fear.

I looked at Dad and shook my head. Tears streamed down over my cheeks. Fear caused my entire body to tremble. “Micah?” I whispered.

“He is going to be fine. Just a flesh wound in the leg, the doctor is with him now, patching him up. But it is you that I’m worried about. Did Jason hurt you?” Dad continued.

“No, no he didn’t hurt me. Is he dead?” I asked.

Dad looked over my shoulder at the crumpled body of my ex-husband. “Yes, he’s dead. A giant moose saved you.”

“Maurice,” I replied. Dad looked down at me with a small shake of his head, confusion was etched into his face. I knew I probably sounded like I was going mad. “The moose. His name is Maurice. He likes pastries.”

Dad chuckled and nodded. “Right well, I’ll have to buy him a whole pile of them,” he replied as he slowly started to walk me down to the sidewalk where I could see police starting to arrive.

After I spoke to Brody and explained to him what happened, Dad led me back to the lodge. Doctor Ashburn was wrapping Micah’s leg. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion. My ears felt like I was hearing underwater. The blood that pumped through my body whooshed inside my head. My body trembled, in a combination of fear and adrenalin. Jason again had come so close to killing me. But like Micah promised, the town kept me safe.

“Peyton, oh god Peyton, you are alright?” Micah called when he saw me.

A sob fell from my lips, and I ran from Dad’s arms and into Micah’s open arms. “He shot you,” I cried.

“I’m fine, it just nicked me,” he answered. “But you, are you okay?”

I nodded my head and looked into Micah’s eyes. “He’s dead. Maurice, he killed him.”

Micah held my cheeks and stroked my face. “Good.”

I nodded again and looked over at Micah’s leg. The bandage was bulky, but the Doctor assured me that Micah would be fine. He just needed a couple of days of rest. After Doctor Ashburn checked me over, he left. Brody came and took our statements. Soon enough we were left alone. I couldn’t believe that it was over. Not for just a while. But forever. Jason was dead. I thought maybe I should feel some kind of sadness. But inside I felt nothing but relief.

The next day, Dad came in with his arms full of pastries. “What is that for?” Micah asked sounding amused. He was sat out on the couch with his leg up.

“Maurice. He saved my daughter,” Dad said proudly. “And some for you too son. You took a bullet for my daughter. If that doesn’t prove to me your worthiness, I don’t know what will.”

I smiled up at Dad. It was going to take me some time before the shock and fear that Jason had built up in me with his last and final visit, but I knew that with Micah by my side I would make it through. I linked my fingers with Micah and glanced over at him. Micah lifted our joined hands and kissed my knuckles.

“How about a kiss for the invalid?” he asked.

I giggled and leaned over him carefully, pressing a kiss against his lips. Yeah, I was going to be simply fine.