Words wouldn't come.
None were required. We both knew how we'd come to this standoff. Fear compelled me to maintain eye contact.
So I just stood there resembling a retail store mannequin looking into the distance in disbelief while Jordan's pinched face, frigid features, and mouth twisted into a sneer and grew larger than life. I expected a rage-filled voice to berate me. Nothing. Just that venomous stare.
A prickly sensation shot up my spine at the same time my chest pounded with fear as it dawned on me that Jordan had escaped Detective Morrison and his canines.
Several seconds later, self preservation kicked in.
My mind kept watch as my eyes darted from left to right. On the bookcase at the back of the shelf* behind my favorite novel rest a hammer in addition to the fireplace tools sat comfortably in the far corner of the sitting room behind me.*
I gasped for air. My mind ordered my quivering legs to run. But one was rendered inoperable, and the other unreliable. So I continued to stand there motionless.
My eyes followed as he glanced over his shoulder, then backed up until the door met him. He fumbled until the creaking padlock shut in place.
Too overwhelmed with terror to make a dash to the door, I froze. He stepped not over or around the detective but on top of him and reached for me with the same anger, this time rolled up into a ball of fire that leapt from his eyes. The man I once knew had vanished.
In that instance was truly the first time in my life I felt imprisoned by fear. I took in a long slow deep breath, but don't remember exhaling. The end was near.
I don't know from where my strength emerged, but I immediately retreated a few steps. Only then when I felt Jordan's hand on my back did I propel myself forward and run toward the kitchen.*
It was a tiny tool. But it would have to suffice.
Laying on the island counter was a paring knife. The kind with a straight edge, four-inch blade that tapered off. I headed straight for the weapon feeling Jordan's breath on my neck. By the time I reached it, he'd overtaken me and jerked me back.
He swung me around with a force that almost toppled me. As I slipped from his grip, I gathered both hands and knocked him back. The next moment, I lay on top of him, stabbing him anywhere I could as deep and relentlessly as I could despite Jordan's hands around my neck. If I were going to die tonight, then he would need emergency medical treatment because his guts would be so torn up inside, he'd bleed out.
It was when Jordan went limp that I threw the knife down, jumped up, and I headed toward the sitting room, not looking back.*
The next moment, I stepped over Detective Morrison. With trembling hands, I frantically unbolted the door, rendered slippery from the blood on my hands.
I knelt and searched the detective's pockets for his mobile phone and keys. A temporary sigh of relief as I retrieved both.
Away into the dark I limped in pain down the path in front of the cabin back toward the clearing.
Now Part 9:
It was dark.
I was hurt.
I was fleeing from Jordan. And,
I had lost direction.
In the distance across the lake to the west, city lights sparkled from skyscrapers crowding the night's sky. I glanced up quickly. Raindrops met my gaze. A sudden chill in the air covered my bare arms. I shivered.
Detective Morrison's mobile phone was as dead as he was.
The only option remained was his car. He'd probably parked at the entrance to the park next to Jordan's vehicle. I started in that direction when suddenly behind me I heard the front door open.
I glanced cautiously over my shoulder. Wind gusts arrived ushering in threatening weather. Blinding rain would certainly slow me down.
I made it to the park where vehicles were allowed to park before visiting the caverns. Fumbling with the keys, I finally opened the door. Locating Detective Morrison's car, I managed to open it. To no avail. After several attempts, the car wouldn't crank.
I left the keys on the car seat and headed in another direction.
The pier stood just on the other side. It was impossible for me to crouch, so I hobbled as fast as I could toward the long, narrow clearing in the woods.
Only a few feet from my lake cabin. My family's boat would be docked there. A big boat, so I figured I could hide inside undetected.
By now my leg and ankle were dead weight. But I kept moving. Jordan never left my thoughts. I wasn't afraid of the dark or the woods. But knowing someone was chasing me with the intent to kill terrified me.
I couldn't keep to the trail leading to the pier. It was a long way around hiding in the bushes, but I'd be able to detect Jordan.
The overgrown brush slowed my progress as I navigated the path. Limbs and twigs cracked. I couldn't prevent the noise from revealing the direction I was headed.
But I kept moving.
Unfortunately, Jordan knew every aspect of my life since our meeting, including the family boat which he'd visited numerous weekends. Was I setting in motion my capture? Probably. But on the boat was working radio equipment to contact authorities. If only I could reach the dock before Jordan discovered my whereabouts.
That he was permanently disabled by the blow dealt him wasn't possible. At every situation, he somehow managed to escape. I knew that alone I couldn't best him.
Only a few feet to the pier.
Suddenly, my my pulse quickened as I detected the sound of movement headed in my direction. I crouched down low to the ground and took a deep breath. The rain flowed heavily now, soaking me.
The rain made it impossible to hear movement. But I was convinced it was Jordan tracking me. For a second, I thought of retracing my steps and returning to the clearing.
The moment I stepped onto the pier, my name rang out loud and clear through the thunder and rain.
"Tracie! Foolish girl. Why do you persist in running from me?"
With an equally loud voice, I retorted vehemently, "you'll not get the chance to experiment on me!"
I turned and hobbled to the end of my family's pier, then managed to board the vessel. Below deck, I locked the door and stood against it, closing my eyes in horror at the thought that Jordan was on the other side.
[to be continued]
For my theme, I was inspired by and utilized the 
27 December 2024, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2599: a big boat
26 December 2024, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2598: experiment on me
10 November 2024, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2552: so much anger;
For your convenience if you'd like to return to the beginning of "From the Smoke Club to the Ridge, the Smoke screen Unveils" drama, I set out below Chapters 1 - 7:
Good luck everyone with whatever your endeavors.
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SOURCES:
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g) "Flames." What is Apophysis 2.09. https://flam3.com/
English is my native language.
If translation included, I use DeepL to assist my readers.
Thanks for your patience an understanding.