Grey’s charge took him straight past us and he snarled with rage as he swung around again, facing me as I scrambled to my feet.
He roared angrily and charged at me again, catching me around the throat and wrenching me away from Taylor. He slammed me back against the cold, concrete wall and I kicked uselessly as the pressure on my windpipe increased.
I scratched at his hands, chunks of skin coming away beneath my fingernails, but it was no use. His hate filled gaze bored into mine and I could see my death reflected back at me in the icy depths of his eyes.
Taylor yelled out as he tried to prize Grey off of me but the beast flung his elbow back, catching him in the gut and sending him flying.
I stopped clawing at his arm and reached for m
y belt, the cool, metal hilt of a knife skimming my fingertips like a sweet promise.
His grip tightened agonisingly as he choked me. Sparks of light bloomed before my eyes and I felt something pop inside my neck.
I scrambled for the knife again and managed to hook it into my grasp.
I gritted my teeth and swung it at him with all the strength I could, plunging the blade into the thick muscle of his bicep. He yelled in surprise and pain, releasing me so that I fell to the floor and I lost my grip on my knife. I gasped and coughed as air found its way back into my lungs and I scrambled to regain my feet.
Taylor aimed his rifle from the floor and fired. The sound of the shot echoed around the tiny room and blood flew from a wound on Grey's leg. He rounded on Taylor with a cry of rage, kicking him in the face with his good leg before he could fire another shot.
Blood poured from Taylor’s nose and he clutched at it as he fell back to the floor again.
I threw my weight to the side and rolled over, coming up into a crouch and grabbing the shotgun from my back as I did so. I scrambled onto one knee and braced myself as Grey charged at me like a bull, roaring with rage.
I swung the shotgun up between us as my heart leapt in panic and I squeezed the trigger. The force of the recoil against my ribs knocked me back across the floor and my foot hit the wall behind me as I managed to stay upright through some miracle.
But the power of the recoil was nothing compared to the power of the shot which Grey had taken to his huge stomach. He was thrown backwards and smashed into the wall behind him, before collapsing in a heap on the ground.
I panted as I stared at him, not daring to lower my weapon despite the size of the wound he’d taken. Several heartbeats passed but he didn't move.
My hands started to shake and the gun began rattling in my grasp. Strong hands closed around mine and Taylor was suddenly staring into my eyes, pushing the shotgun down. Blood ran down the side of his face but he ignored it.
"He was going to kill you, and he was going to enjoy it. You didn’t do anything wrong," he said fiercely, not breaking eye contact with me. I stared back into his grey eyes and took a deep breath.
He was right. I couldn't let what I’d done get to me. I had to own it. To know it was the only choice I had. I nodded and fought to calm my shaky breathing.
Taylor released the shotgun and I stowed it in place on my back once more.
“Where's Evan?" I asked.
He'd been in front of us as we’d entered the building but now there was no sign of him. I moved into the corner where my pistol had disappeared and felt around in the dark until I found it.
“Evan?" I called out. There was no reply and a chill raced along my skin.
Taylor wiped at his face so that most of the blood was removed before stalking across the room to hunt for him.
We moved through the doorway into the second room, stepping over Grey's legs which were splayed across the threshold.
The first thing I saw was Dolly, with her freakish half head of red hair and disfigured face, laying opposite the doorway. There was a knife protruding from her chest and a pistol still clutched in her hand. Her dead eyes were staring straight at me and I gasped in shock at the sight of her.
Evan was to the left of the doorway, sitting on the floor with his back to the wall and his eyes closed with no obvious signs of injury.
I dropped to his side, putting my hand to his cheek. It was warm and I shook him lightly to try and get a response from him.
"Evan?" I whispered, but I remembered that gunshot ringing out too loudly in the close space and making me dizzy. A tear spilled from my eye and raced down my cheek. "Evan? Please, wake up." I placed my other hand on his chest, it was warm and wet.
I leaned down, pressing my forehead against Evan's, trying to will him back to life as I felt his blood seeping through the knees of my pants.
Eventually Taylor pulled me to my feet. He wrapped his arms around me and I buried my face against his chest and sobbed.