Thirty-five

The tension in the air was palpable as I watched Loomis' face contort after the blow I landed on him. For a brief moment, I felt satisfaction seeing him stagger back, surprised and hurt. However, that satisfaction quickly turned to concern. Loomis was not an easy enemy, and the cruel expression that formed on his lips reminded me of that.

"Tessa, are you safe?" I asked, keeping my eyes fixed on Loomis. We needed to think fast.

Bennett approached, his voice firm and full of urgency. "Mason, we need to get Tessa out of here. This hospital isn't safe with Loomis on the loose."

I nodded, determination growing within me. "We need a distraction to buy time and get her out of here."

Tessa was visibly scared, but there was a strength in her eyes that gave me even more resolve to protect her. "I'll be fine," she said, trying to sound confident. "Do whatever you need to do."

Bennett and I exchanged a look. He knew as well as I did that Loomis would not give up easily. "We need to lure Loomis out of the hospital," I said. "If we can isolate him, we'll have a chance to end this once and for all."

"You think it's going to be that easy?" Loomis' voice cut through the air, dripping with malice. He straightened up, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. "I came prepared."

Before we could react, Loomis pulled a gun from inside his coat. "All of you are going to pay for this," he growled, his voice dripping with hatred.

I moved instinctively, placing myself between Tessa and Loomis. "Bennett, get Tessa out of here. Now!"

"I'm not leaving you here alone," Bennett protested, but he knew I was right. We had to protect Tessa at all costs.

Loomis laughed, a cold, soulless laugh. "You really think you can stop me?"

"Let's see," I retorted, throwing myself at him with everything I had.

The next few seconds were a blur of movement and sound. The booming of gunshots echoed through the room, glass shattering everywhere. I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, but I kept moving forward, determined to keep Loomis away from Tessa and Bennett.

With a final effort, I managed to knock Loomis to the ground, his gun sliding away. I pinned his wrists down, struggling to keep him immobilized as I heard the hurried footsteps of Bennett and Tessa moving away.

"This is for what you did," I muttered through gritted teeth, pressing down harder.

But then, something unexpected happened. Loomis smiled. "You really think it's over?"

Before I could react, he let out a dark laugh and, from somewhere, an alarm started to sound. Reinforcements? We didn't have time to find out.

"Let's get out of here," I shouted to Bennett. "Now!"

The fight was far from over, and as I dragged Loomis out of the room, I knew we needed to prepare for what was coming next. Tessa's safety depended on it, and I was willing to do whatever it took to ensure she stayed safe.
The tension in the air was palpable as I watched Loomis' face contort after the blow I landed on him. For a brief moment, I felt satisfaction seeing him stagger back, surprised and hurt. However, that satisfaction quickly turned to concern. Loomis was not an easy enemy, and the cruel expression that formed on his lips reminded me of that.

"Tessa, are you safe?" I asked, keeping my eyes fixed on Loomis. We needed to think fast.

Bennett approached, his voice firm and full of urgency. "Mason, we need to get Tessa out of here. This hospital isn't safe with Loomis on the loose."

I nodded, determination growing within me. "We need a distraction to buy time and get her out of here."

Tessa was visibly scared, but there was a strength in her eyes that gave me even more resolve to protect her. "I'll be fine," she said, trying to sound confident. "Do whatever you need to do."

Bennett and I exchanged a look. He knew as well as I did that Loomis would not give up easily. "We need to lure Loomis out of the hospital," I said. "If we can isolate him, we'll have a chance to end this once and for all."

"You think it's going to be that easy?" Loomis' voice cut through the air, dripping with malice. He straightened up, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. "I came prepared."

Before we could react, Loomis pulled a gun from inside his coat. "All of you are going to pay for this," he growled, his voice dripping with hatred.

I moved instinctively, placing myself between Tessa and Loomis. "Bennett, get Tessa out of here. Now!"

"I'm not leaving you here alone," Bennett protested, but he knew I was right. We had to protect Tessa at all costs.

Loomis laughed, a cold, soulless laugh. "You really think you can stop me?"

"Let's see," I retorted, throwing myself at him with everything I had.

The next few seconds were a blur of movement and sound. The booming of gunshots echoed through the room, glass shattering everywhere. I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, but I kept moving forward, determined to keep Loomis away from Tessa and Bennett.

With a final effort, I managed to knock Loomis to the ground, his gun sliding away. I pinned his wrists down, struggling to keep him immobilized as I heard the hurried footsteps of Bennett and Tessa moving away.

"This is for what you did," I muttered through gritted teeth, pressing down harder.

But then, something unexpected happened. Loomis smiled. "You really think it's over?"

Before I could react, he let out a dark laugh and, from somewhere, an alarm started to sound. Reinforcements? We didn't have time to find out.

"Let's get out of here," I shouted to Bennett. "Now!"

The fight was far from over, and as I dragged Loomis out of the room, I knew we needed to prepare for what was coming next. Tessa's safety depended on it, and I was willing to do whatever it took to ensure she stayed safe.

---

Outside, the rain was pouring down, making the streets slick and hazardous. The hospital's entrance was a blur of activity, with patients and staff scattering at the sound of the alarm. Bennett had already gotten Tessa into the car, and I could see the worry etched on both of their faces as I approached, still dragging Loomis with me.

"Buckle up, we're moving," I said, shoving Loomis into the backseat and jumping into the driver's seat. Bennett quickly took the passenger seat, and I hit the gas, tires screeching as we sped away from the hospital.

"We can't keep running forever," Bennett said, glancing back at Loomis, who was struggling against the makeshift restraints we had fashioned.

"I know," I replied, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "But we need to get to a safe place first. Somewhere we can regroup and figure out our next move."

Tessa leaned forward from the backseat, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. "There's a cabin up in the hills, not far from here. It used to belong to my family. It's secluded and well-stocked. We can go there."

Bennett and I exchanged a quick glance. "That sounds perfect," Bennett said. "Let's head there and lay low for a while."

As we navigated the winding roads leading up to the cabin, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. Loomis' words echoed in my mind. This isn't over. He had reinforcements, and they would come for us. We needed to be ready.

The cabin appeared through the trees, a small, rustic structure that seemed almost forgotten by time. I parked the car behind some dense foliage, hoping it would provide some cover. We hurried inside, securing the doors and windows as best we could.

Once we were settled, I turned to face Bennett and Tessa. "We need a plan. Loomis' people will come looking for him, and for us. We have to be ready to fight back."

Bennett nodded, his expression grim. "Agreed. We can't let our guard down, not even for a moment."

Tessa took a deep breath, her resolve clear. "I'll help in any way I can. We can use the supplies here to set up some defenses, and there are some old hunting rifles in the storage room. They might come in handy."

As we began to prepare, I couldn't help but feel a sense of determination growing within me. We had come this far, and we weren't going to back down now. Loomis and his reinforcements didn't stand a chance against the combined strength and resolve of our group.

This was just the beginning, and I knew we would fight to the end to protect each other and survive.