The woods swallowed the last of Katie and Mark's footsteps, the darkness nearly impenetrable, the air sharp with winter cold.
Behind them, another set of footsteps followed—deliberate, unhurried, confident.
The footsteps of a man who believed the night belonged to him.
Steve's car skidded onto the gravel shoulder near the forest line. He and Jaime sprinted out, weapons drawn, flashlights slicing through the trees.
"MARK! KATIE!" Steve shouted.
His own voice echoed back at him, swallowed whole by the forest.
Jaime scanned the ground. "Tracks—small ones. They went this way."
Steve's pulse hammered.
"They're running," he said. "Which means he's close."
Jaime's eyes widened.
"You think he's armed?"
Steve didn't answer at first.
Then he said quietly, "He's a hunter. He doesn't need a gun."
---
At the Hospital — Arron
Arron jolted awake, gasping in pain. His leg felt like it was on fire, his chest tight and constricted. Machines beeped in alarm as he tried to sit up.
A nurse rushed in. "Sir—you need to stay down—your blood pressure—"
"NO!" Arron yelled, grabbing the nurse's wrist. "Katie—where is she? Courtney—where—"
The nurse gently pushed him back but her eyes softened. "Courtney's in the hallway. I'll send her in."
Courtney rushed through the door before the nurse could finish.
Her face was pale, her eyes swollen, but she was alive—and that was enough for Arron.
She ran to him, gently cupping his face. "Baby, stop sitting up—you're hurting yourself—"
Arron grabbed her hands with a strength the nurse couldn't believe he still had.
"Courtney… it's him."
He swallowed hard.
"It's Grandpa. He's alive. And he's hunting Katie."
Courtney froze, her breath catching in her throat.
"Arron… Grandpa died years ago. Your mom said—"
Arron shook his head violently. "No. That's what we were told. But he never died. Keith knew. Sue knew. That's why they were murdered. That's why John worked for him—why Ron and Ashley worked for him."
Courtney's stomach twisted.
"Arron… he can't get to Katie. Steve's going to her."
Arron closed his eyes, tears pushing through the pain.
"Steve doesn't know him. He doesn't know how dangerous he is. Grandpa hunts people, Courtney. He hunts them like they're animals."
Courtney felt her throat tighten. She placed a hand on her stomach.
"I won't let anything happen to Katie," she whispered. "I won't."
Arron's eyes snapped open. "Courtney—listen to me—"
But his words cut off when the door to his room slid open.
Two security officers stepped inside.
"Ms. Wright?" one asked.
"There was a man in the hallway asking about you. He said he was Arron's grandfather."
Courtney's heart stopped.
Arron's monitor beeped faster.
"Where is he?" Courtney whispered, voice barely audible.
"Lobby," the officer said. "We were about to bring him up. Should we let him in?"
Arron screamed, "NO! GET HIM OUT OF HERE! LOCK THIS FLOOR DOWN!"
The security guards exchanged confused looks.
Courtney grabbed the nearest officer's vest. "He's the one who kidnapped Arron. He's the one who killed Sue. Please—PLEASE—don't let him up here."
The officer's face drained of color.
"Understood," he said immediately. "We'll secure the elevators."
They ran out of the room.
Arron reached for Courtney again. "Keep the door locked. Don't let ANYONE in unless it's a nurse or Steve!"
Courtney nodded quickly.
"And Courtney?"
Arron whispered, voice breaking.
"Yes?"
"Don't let Grandpa see the baby."
Courtney's heart shattered into a thousand desperate pieces.
---
Keith's Room
Keith woke to the sound of alarms and shouting out in the hallway. He blinked hard until the room came into focus. A doctor tried to push him back down.
"Sir, you need to stay still—your wound—"
Keith grabbed the doctor's coat, eyes wild.
"He's here."
The doctor froze.
"Who?" he whispered.
Keith's voice trembled with a lifetime of pain.
"My father."
The doctor swallowed. "But… but the records say he died—"
"He never died," Keith rasped. "He hid. He waited. And now he wants my children."
Keith pulled the IV out of his arm.
"Get Arron into a secure room. Move the girl. Call Steve—call ANYONE—just keep my family away from him."
The doctor didn't argue.
He ran from the room shouting for security.
Keith pushed himself upright, despite the blood soaking through his gown.
He had one thought left in him:
If Steve is at the woods… then the hospital is unprotected.
And his father knew it.
---
In the Woods — Katie and Mark
Katie and Mark crashed through the brush, branches snapping under their feet. The cold stung their faces, their breath fogging in the air.
"Katie—this way!" Mark pointed toward a slope leading deeper into the forest.
Katie stumbled but kept running.
Tears blurred her vision.
Behind them, the flashlight beam hit a tree, then another—closer, tracking them.
The voice floated through the darkness:
"Come on out, Monkey… Grandpa's getting tired…"
Katie sobbed. "Mark—please—run—just leave me—"
Mark squeezed her hand harder.
"I'm not leaving you. We run together."
She choked on a breath. "Arron always says that…"
"I know," Mark said. "Now move!"
They sprinted into a clearing—only to freeze.
A silhouette stood on the far side of it.
Flashlight in hand.
Head tilted.
Smiling.
But then—
A voice thundered from behind Katie:
"KATIE! DOWN!"
She dropped instantly.
Steve barreled into the clearing, gun drawn, positioning himself between the kids and the silhouette.
"Don't move!" Steve shouted.
The silhouette didn't run.
Didn't flinch.
He merely stepped forward, revealing his face under the beam of Steve's flashlight.
An old man with silver hair.
Sharp eyes.
A hunter's grin.
"Detective," he said calmly, "you're late."
Steve aimed higher. "You're not taking them."
The old man chuckled softly.
"You don't even know who I am."
Steve's jaw clenched. "I know enough."
The hunter raised his head slightly, assessing him.
"You don't know anything."
He stepped closer.
"I am the one who taught John how to lie."
Another step.
"I am the one who taught Ron how to kill."
Another.
"I am the one who taught Keith how to disappear."
The trees rustled in a breeze that didn't exist.
"And I am the one who taught Arron what real fear feels like."
Katie screamed, "DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!"
Steve tightened his grip. "You're not taking them. Not tonight. Not ever."
The old man smiled.
"Well then," he whispered, "let's see if you're as good as they say, Detective."
And he lunged.