Banshee Hunt Read Online Free

man. Maybe the last gun man as he dared to hope. Half a dozen pillars away, taking shelter, and with another assault rifle in his hands. This gang was well armed. But there was probably a lot of money in selling children. Sheryl had talked about twenty thousand. And if that was what she had got for selling Matti to them, they had to be selling them for twice as much.
     
    It was nearly over. James clambered down the ladder and then jogged silently for the gunman, knowing he had to end this before any children got hurt. Once he'd reached the pillar the gunman was hiding behind he took up a position on the other side, waiting his moment, while he worked out how to take him. In the end it was simple. The concrete pillar was just wide enough for a man to hide behind, but not if he held a rifle flat in his hands as he was. James could see the weapon's barrel poking out. And that was his point of attack. James slung his shotgun over his shoulder, knowing he'd have to do this by hand and then readied himself.
     
    He struck fast, grabbing the barrel with both hands, yanking it upward so it pointed at the ceiling, catching the man by surprise. But the man had his finger on the trigger and as James ripped the assault rifle up, it started firing. Bullets started ricocheting in all directions, filling the dimness with sparks. Children who had grown quiet started screaming again, and the man started struggling to pull the weapon back. But he was too slow and unprepared.
     
    James didn't try to pull the rifle from his grip. Instead he stepped toward the man and smashed the barrel the rest of the way into his face causing him to let go and scream. He should never have let go of the weapon. Because suddenly finding himself holding it by the barrel James swung the weapon like a baseball bat, smashing the stock into his face. It was a vicious blow, breaking some bones and knocking him backward onto the floor. Then James drew his own shotgun once more, pressed it into the man's flesh and blew the man's groin apart.
     
    After that he took shelter behind the pillar once more, and waited. He waited for the children to stop screaming. And for anyone else who was out there to start hunting him. But as the long seconds and minutes began to drag, he began to think that maybe there was no one else. Still he stayed where he was, waiting until finally he was sure.
     
    The silence was like a victory bell, and as James stood there, he eventually realised he'd done it. He’d rescued the children. And he'd survived.
     
    It was over. Eight men were down. He just had to pray that there were no more. But really, he thought as he stood over the fallen slaver, anyone else would have started firing when they heard the last shotgun blast. Which meant it was time to call the police and find Matti.
     
    Then his plans unexpectedly changed as he spotted a group of children on the ground beside another of the trucks and realised they were down. They looked hurt. Could they have been hit? He ran for them, fearing the worst and then discovered it was worse than even that. There were three children on the concrete and it looked as though they'd fallen off the top of the truck when the gun had gone off. Two were alive and crying, nursing injuries. But the third was lying motionless. And he recognised her long light brown curls.
     
    “Matti!” James screamed in panic as he saw her. He screamed some more when he rolled her over and saw her face covered with blood. Blood that was coming from a head wound. James’ training took over. He ripped off his gloves and immediately felt at her throat for a pulse. When he found it he almost died of relief.
     
    She was alive! But she needed medical care urgently. So did some of the other children. And they all needed to go home. Which was why he pulled off his mask, heedless of the gas and reached for his phone. They needed an ambulance.
     
    It vanished. Literally one minute the phone was in his hands as he started pushing