Lincoln
They were doing their best to hold the trespassers back, but there were just too many of them.
Some were fighting on foot, and others had arrived by vehicle.
The Creeds and their crew were gravely outnumbered.
And the best they could hope for at that point was to secure the house and keep everyone alive until law enforcement arrived.
“Fall back!” he ordered. “We got cover above!”
“They’re coming up the side!” Pam shouted. “They’re trying to flank us!”
They were almost there, less than fifty feet away, when Pam took one in the back. She let out a yelp before she was shot a second time. Her body hit the ground like a ton of bricks.
Lincoln slid to a stop. He turned and ran back for her. Her eyes were open, but her breathing was labored. While picking her up, shots rang out over his head, taking him back to the war that often resurfaced in his nightmares.
Lincoln lifted Pam in her arms and ran the remaining fifty feet to the house.
Before he could reach the doorway, Lucas raced from the doorway, firing a bolt-action rifle. “Go! Go!” he shouted while providing cover.
As he ran by, Lincoln could hear rapid gunfire overhead.
If he were a betting man, he’d wager that it was the twins providing the cover from above.
Once inside the safety of the house, Lincoln lowered Pam to the floor.
Her eyes were closed, and she was no longer breathing.
He snatched the Velcro and pulled the Kevlar vest from her body.
A brief search for injuries revealed a bullet wound in her neck.
“Pam!” Lincoln shouted. “Fuck!” He snatched her shirt open and started chest compressions. “Huck!” he yelled. “Come here. Put pressure on her neck.”
Huck, one of Linc’s guys, did as he’d instructed and pressed his fingers against the wound.
Lucas backed into the front door and kicked it closed.
“Where is Mom?” Lincoln asked while continuing compressions.
“She’s still in the theater. She’s safer there.”
Lincoln stopped compressions and slid his arm under Pam’s body.
He was prepared to carry her to the theater where his mom could work on his friend.
Huck and the rest of his team stood back and looked at him like he was fighting a lost cause.
The pity and regret in their eyes were pissing him off. “Anybody plan on helping me?”
With Pam cradled in his arms, Lincoln stood to his feet.
He was about to carry her to the theater when Donna blocked his path.
She stepped up and looked down at Pam. She pushed her hair out of her face and noted the wound in her neck.
“Baby,” she whispered. She ran her hand up his arm and squeezed his shoulder. “Put her down.”
Lincoln frowned. “No.”
“Baby, she’s gone. And they’re still coming. Now, I need you to take her to the couch, put her down, and pick up your gun because we are not done here.”
Lincoln dropped his head and carried Pam into the parlor. He lowered her to the sofa and kissed her forehead. Then, he did as his woman had instructed. He pulled his weapon from his belt and went to defend his family.