by Tom Clarke
As the second intruder pulled Max the dog free of his partner, he suddenly felt a weight, and piercing pain in his back, as Shilo jumped up and bit into his lower right side.
The second male screamed, and let go of Max, who turned and started biting, right along with Shilo, into the second male.
As Max and Shilo chewed on the second male as though he were a giant Kong toy, the first intruder, bleeding profusely from numerous puncture wounds, got to his feet.
He started to step forward only to be hit square in the face with a glass bottle of steak marinade.
Utilizing a strike her husband had taught her, not for the head, but for the nose, mouth and eyes, Shelly hit the male as hard as she could with the glass bottle, which had the desired effect. The bottle broke the man’s nose as well as his front teeth, knocking him back to the ground. She then retreated into the living room, and from a coffee table next to her husband’s recliner she produced a .40 caliber Glock handgun.
During her years of being married to an undercover narcotics agent her husband Jim had taught her how to deal with home invasions. As she brought the handgun up Jim’s voice echoed in her mind, “If they force their way in they have every intention of killing you, don’t give them that chance!” At the time he had been referring to members of a local motorcycle gang he had infiltrated while undercover, but in the end, this was no different.
Knowing that all the handguns she and her husband kept for self-defense were kept in a loaded condition Shelly tapped the bottom of the magazine to ensure that it was seated, then gripped the gun tight, making sure that there was no space between the palms of her hands and the grip of the gun.
Moving back out from the living room into the open kitchen area, she pulled the Glock into her chest keeping the muzzle pointed forward. She could see the intruder she had hit with the glass bottle of steak marinade getting back to his feet. She then heard a loud thud as the second attacker threw Shilo against the wall, and then a loud yelp as he kicked and then hit Max with a chair.
Shelly stepped into a solid stance, sinking her hips, and leaning just slightly forward in an aggressive posture. She pushed the muzzle of the handgun forward and fired two rounds center of mass at the first attacker. Both rounds struck him square in the chest. Shelly then pulled the handgun back into towards her chest, turned and faced the second attacker who had just hit Max with a chair, pushed the gun forward and fired two rounds into his chest as well.
Shelly turned back to the first attacker, seeing that he was still standing she fired two rounds into his chest, and a third round that struck him in the head, killing him instantly.
She turned back to the second intruder, keeping the front sight in line with her eyes and saw that he was on his knees, but still moving. She fired two more rounds into his chest, knocking him to his side. He tried to crawl forward, but after a few attempts fell silent.
After taking a few seconds to ensure that the two intruders were, in fact, both dead Shelly grabbed her keys from the kitchen table and hit the emergency duress button on her alarm key fob.
She then ran over to Max and Shilo, both of whom were a little wobbly, but seemed okay. She hustled them both out the back door and into the yard. After some serious hugs and the promise of dog biscuits for life, Shelly went to the front of her house and took a seat on the porch.
It did not take long for her to hear the sirens of the approaching police cars. Her husband Jim had gotten to know most of the local Sheriff’s Deputies and they all knew what he used to do for a living, so when the call came in of an emergency distress activation from his house they wasted no time getting there.
Watching the first patrol car come up her driveway Shelly dropped the magazine and locked the slide to the rear of her handgun. She then set them both off to the side. Two patrol cars stopped halfway up the drive back from the front of the house. The two deputies approached the house on foot, hugging the tree line with their handguns at the ready.
As Shelly watched the two deputies approach the house, she noticed a warmth running down the front of her face. The realization of the warm liquid on her face was followed by a pounding in her head.
She reached up and for the first time since the incident began, she realized that she had been injured.
The blood was running from a cut on her head just above her hairline, probably caused by the door hitting her in the head. It was then that the totality of the situation began to set in. As she started to realize just how close she had come to getting killed the tears started running down her face.
“Shelly…. Shelly are you okay?” the first deputy said as he approached her on the front deck.
Shelly looked up at the two deputies, “What?” she responded in a confused tone of voice.
“Are you okay, what happened, where’s Jim?” the deputy asked as he grabbed her and hustled her outside and into the driveway.
Wiping tears from her face, she said in a shaky voice, “They are inside, in the kitchen. Two of them kicked in the back door, they would have killed me if not for Max and Shilo.”
The second deputy looked at her and asked, “Where are the dogs now?”
Shelly didn’t answer, she just pointed to the back yard. “It’s okay, your safe now. We need to go inside and check, stay here” the first deputy said. Shelly just nodded as the two deputies opened the front door and made their way into the house, guns at the ready.
As she sat on the front porch Shelly could hear the two deputies, “Clear…. Clear…. Jesus Christ. What the fuck! Is that steak marinade?”
As both deputies came back onto the front porch, additional units from the Sheriff’s Department and the Montana Highway Patrol started arriving. “Dispatch this is 1332, we are going to need a supervisor to my location. Roll EMS as well, the scene is secure.”
Sitting on the rear tailgate of the ambulance, talking with the supervisor and a detective from the Sheriff’s Office Shelly could hear a familiar roar. As the rumble got louder a slight smile started to spread across her bruised face, it was the sound of her husband Jim coming up the street on his motorcycle.
“Is that Jim?” the detective asked. “Yes, he has two friends from his old job with him” Shelly replied.
The Detective looked over at the supervising deputy, nodded his head, and said “This should be interesting.”
As Jim came barreling around the corner from the main road onto the gravel driveway that lead to his house, his 1998 Harley-Davidson Road King kicked up enough dust that it made it even harder for Nico and Darrel to keep up with him. Rounding the corner, he had an ear to ear grin thinking about sitting down and having a nice dinner with his old friends. His smile quickly left him as he pulled into his driveway and was faced with the flashing lights of the police cars, and an ambulance parked in front of his house.
Jim stopped his bike next to the police cars, he could see several officers milling around so he knew that whatever was going on was not still an active scene. As he got off his motorcycle Nico and Darrel pulled up and parked next to him.
As Jim was dismounting his bike, the supervising deputy from the Sheriff’s Office, a man named Tyler who had become a friend of Jim’s since they had moved there, approached him.
“Jim” Tyler said as he approached, “Jim Shelly’s okay.”
“What the fuck Tyler!” Jim said as he looked with a sense of panic in his eyes at the emergency personnel in front of his house, “what the hell is going on!”
As Tyler got within arms distance of Jim, both Nico and Darrel, who had arrived right behind him, were standing next to him. “Jim, there was what appears to be a burglary, or attempted home invasion. Looks like Shelly encountered them inside, there was a fight, and some shots were fired.”
The panic in Jim’s eyes boiled over as he reached out and grabbed Tyler by the arm, “Brother where is my wife?”
Tyler reached up and put his hand on Jim’s shoulder, “She’s okay, Jim, she got a cut on her head during the fight, the medics
are checking her out over at the ambulance.”
Jim let loose of his grip on Tyler and stepped backwards, almost stumbling. He turned and looked at Nico and Darrel, the panic in his eyes had now turned to fear.
“Jim!” Nico said, taking his friend by the shoulders, “Jim, focus, she’s okay.”
“Okay, who is this guy?” Darrel asked, pointing to an older gentleman with a large beard, a stethoscope hanging from his neck, and rubber gloves on walking towards the three of them.
Jim looked up, recognizing the old man he turned to Tyler and asked, “Tyler, why is my dog's vet here?”
Tyler smiled, “Jim those two furry monsters you have put the beat down on the two intruders. Shelly told me that they saved her life, anyway they got a little roughed up, so I called Dr. Benson to come and check them out.”
“Hello Jim” Dr. Benson said in his deep southern accent as he approached the group. “Well, looks like both Max and Shilo are okay. They got knocked around a little and Max lost a tooth, but they are doing good.”
“Thanks doc” Tyler replied. “I appreciate you coming over on short notice.”
Dr. Benson smiled, leaned forward, and slapped Jim on the shoulder, “Don’t fret, son, your families still in one piece.” Dr. Benson winked at Jim, turned and started to leave, “Oh, I want to see both my heroes in my office for a follow up next week.” With that the Doctor got into his truck and left.
Tyler looked at Jim, and then over at Nico and Darrel. “Jim, can I talk to you, in private?” Tyler asked.
Jim didn’t even hesitate in his response, “Tyler, anything you have to say or ask me, you can do it in front of these two. I trust both with my life.”
Tyler took a deep breath, “Okay, look as best as we can tell the two assholes that your wife shot arrived in a rental car. It was parked on the street by your driveway, we have it impounded pending a search warrant. The Coroner is inside with the bodies now, he found Italian passports on both.”
“Italian, are you sure?” Nico asked.
“Why?” Tyler replied, making note of Nico’s accent. “Are you Italian?”
Nico looked Tyler straight in the eyes with a burning stare that made him visibly uncomfortable, “No, I am Swedish.”
Tyler looked at Jim and Darrel, both of whom had taken a step back nodded, and replied, “Okay, anyway, I had pretty much all of the fellows look at the bodies, no one recognizes them. I would like you and your friends to look at them, see if you recognize them.”
Jim nodded and replied “Sure, let me talk to Shelly first.”
Tyler nodded, smiled, and replied, “Come on, she’s over here.”
Tyler walked Jim, Nico, and Darrel over to the ambulance where Shelly was being treated. Jim smiled as he took his wife’s hand, “How’s she doing?” he asked the paramedic.
“Doing all right” the paramedic replied. “I think it would be a really good idea if she went to the hospital and got checked for a concussion. She had a pretty good blow to the head; some stitches may be in order as well.”
Jim looked at his wife, “Are you okay?” His voice betraying a slight crack under the strain of the moment.
Shelly smiled, fighting back a few tears, “Yeah, I’m okay. Jim, who were those guys?”
“I don’t know, yet” Jim replied, “but we are going to find out, that I promise you.”
Shelly leaned forward and hugged her husband, as she let go she reached out and grabbed Darrel, by the hand, “I’m sorry, but it looks like it is going to be drive-through for you guys tonight Darrel.”
Darrel stepped in and gave his friend a big hug, “That’s fine with me kid, I’m just glad that you’re okay.”
Shelly smiled and looked up at Nico, “Ms. Richards, thanks be to God that you are okay.”
Shelly grabbed Nico and pulled him in for a hug, “Yes” she replied, “and thanks be to my husband Jim, and our good friends at Glock.”
As she let Nico go of the hug she looked at Jim and said, “Thanks be for Max and Shilo too. Jim if not for those two I would be dead, and those two assholes would have been waiting for you guys when you got home. How are they?”
Jim smiled, put his hand on his wife’s shoulder and said, “Doc says they're fine. They may be a little sore, but they are going to be fine.”
Wiping away a tear Shelly looked up and said, “Jim the big one who kicked in the door and grabbed me by the neck, he said something…. something strange. He said something about fear and a kingdom, and pain, I just can’t remember it, but it was weird.”
Nico’s expression suddenly changed, he stepped back from Darrel, Jim, and Shelly and started muttering something in Swedish.
“Nico, what is it brother?” Darrel said.
Nico ran a hand over his face, he looked up at the sky, and then back at Shelly and said, “Fear is his kingdom and pain his lands. I serve his greatness.”
The color ran from Shelly’s face as she finished the sentence by saying, “and you are mine.”
“Nico?” Jim said with a tone of determination and aggression, “what the fuck does that mean?”
Nico stepped forward and took Shelly by the hand, “Did he mark you?”
“What?” Shelly replied.
“Shelly, did he mark you?” The concern is his voice now showing for everyone to see.
Shelly’s hands started to shake, “He barely got a chance to finish that sentence before Max started chewing on him” she said. “He didn’t get a chance to put any marks on me if that’s what you mean.”
Jim reached forward and put his hand on Nico’s arm, he could sense that his friend was feeling a very real sense of dread. “Talk to me Nico, what does that babbling shit mean?”
Nico looked back at Jim, “We need to see the bodies Jim.”
Jim nodded, looked back at Shelly and said, “You need to go to the hospital and get checked out.”
Shelly nodded in agreement. “Jim, I can take her. I’m heading to town anyway” Tyler said as he walked over to the ambulance.
“Okay” Jim replied, “I will be headed that way as soon as we finish here.”
“Sounds good, I’ll wait there with her until you arrive” Tyler replied. “Also, Bob’s inside, go on in, he’s expecting you to try and identify the bodies.”
Jim reached out and shook Tyler’s hand, “Thanks man, talk to you soon.” Shelly gave her husband a hug and then left for the hospital with Tyler.
As Tyler drove down the driveway and then onto the main road Jim waived, then turned to Nico and said, “Okay what the fuck was that all about!”
“Jim” Nico replied, “that phrase your wife heard, it’s a devotional saying used by hardcore, upper-level followers of a deity named Rin Alue-Ran. Ran is said to be a class of demon that thrives on human suffering, despair, and enslavement. They are nasty, you should know, you met two of them before.”
“God damn it!” Darrel barked, “I knew this shit was going to come back around!”
Nico nodded, “We need to look at the bodies to be certain. If they are followers of Rin Alue-Ran then they will have the marks.”
“Okay, let’s go have a look” Jim said as he swallowed hard while watching Tyler drive off with his wife.
As Nico and Darrel followed Jim into the front door of Jim’s house they were greeted with the smell of death. It’s an oddly pungent odor that is hard to describe, but once you have smelt it, you will never forget it. “Jim, over here” the Corner yelled out.
From the front door of his house Jim could see the two bodies in his kitchen.
He had seen death before, up close and personal, but for some reason the sight of the two men who had tried to kill the most important thing in his life, lying in his kitchen, stopped him in his tracks.
Darrel grabbed Jim by the shoulder, “Easy brother, breathe,” he said in a hushed voice.
Nico, who was standing next to both then said, “I am with you.” He looked Jim right in the eyes, “God is with you. But most important, your friends
are here with you.” Jim nodded and the three of them walked into the kitchen.
The activity in the kitchen was starting to wind down. The crime scene technicians had completed taking photo and video documentation of the crime scene and were in the process of lifting a few prints.
“Jim, how are you holding up?” asked Bob Estes from the County Coroner’s Office. As Estes addressed Jim he was eyeing up Darrel and Nico. “And you might be?” Estes asked.
Jim looked at Estes with a level of intensity that made him take an extra breath and said, “They are friends of mine.”
Estes looked at Darrel, Nico, and then back at Jim, “Okay. Tyler wanted me to give you full access, see if you knew these guys, so I will be over there when you’re done.” Estes smiled and then shuffled as quickly as he could to get away from the man who Tyler had once described as dangerous, and his two friends.