Aurora 2025 with cover

Justin Sullins

Before Paul could respond, he heard a noise in the woods. Then there was a deep voice from the distance that said, “This is my land and you need to leave.”

Paul looked at Angie in panic. “We need to get out of here. This has never happened before.”

“I warned you,” he said abruptly, not giving them enough time to leave. A gunshot went off from what sounded like a hundred yards away. The shot echoed through the woods. “This is private property,” the voice called out. Paul and Angie ran down the hill and through the dirt trails. Another gunshot went off followed by what sounded like the laugh of a madman. They couldn’t hear what he said after that because they were so focused on running away. Paul’s heart was beating so hard he struggled to catch his breath. Angie ran as fast as she could but acted like she did this kind of thing all the time. After a few minutes of running, Paul stopped to catch his breath. “Do you think we’re safe, now,” he asked Angie. She chuckled and said, “What’s wrong with you? Have you never been shot at before?” He was scared out of his mind, but part of him missed these wild times he had with her. They didn’t hear the voice or the gunshot again. Paul figured the man wasn’t trying to kill them. He was just trying to warn them to stay away since the place attracted so much attention. Still, he began to regret coming out here and wished he would have stayed at the diner. He was even starting to regret coming to this town.

They ran up the hill to their cars in the parking lot. The kids at the playground had left and it was empty. They could have been

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