One hour earlier...

"Let's go," Ian called as he opened the garage door.

Lily rushed out with Ava and opened the backdoor to put her in her carseat, then looked around. "I left her bottle caddy on the counter."

"I've got it." Ian hurried back inside.

"Put another can of formula in it." She turned from clicking and started to walk around the back to the passenger side when she froze seeing Erik standing there.

He was holding a pistol casually by his side as he eyed her in confusion. "Do you know who I am? Which one are you?"

Instead of answering, Lily demanded, "Why are you stalking my sister, Erik?"

"You do know who I am... I don't want to hurt you or your little girl. Tell where Lily is and I'll let you go," Erik insisted.

Lily was terrified and confused, but she bit her lip helplessly to not beg him for her life.

Shaking his head once, Erik growled, "Tell me or die. Where is she?!" But as he raised the gun, Ian tackled him.

"Run!"

Lily stood frozen as they wrestled then she rushed to get Ava. She had never gotten her child out of the carseat so fast when a shot boomed and the rear window shattered. Lily screamed and ran as she heard the neighbor shouting and Ian swearing at Erik. Terrified she was going to be shot in the back, she didn't freeze this time or faint. She hunched over Ava as she sprinted into the house hitting the panic button for the alarm company, then locked herself and her child in the panic room. She turned on the monitor and saw Ian lying in the yard as Erik ran away.

The phone rang.

"This is..."

"My husband's been shot!" Lily shouted into the phone, "Send an ambulance and the police."

"Are you safe?"

"Ava and I are in the safe room but..." Lily sobbed as she watched the neighbor pressing on Ian's leg. "Please hurry. He was after me... He's crazy... he's a serial killer."

"Is the shooter still there?" The person was talking very calmly and typing very fast.

"No... No, Erik ran off. I saw him driving a pickup. It's red I think, and before that he was in a black SUV with dark windows. Please help us. Ian's bleeding." Lily clutched Ava who was crying just as hard as her mother. "I need to go help him. Erik shot him when I ran away with Ava. I left him."

"Mrs. Hastings, stay in the safe room until the police get there. It will only be a few minutes. You have to think about Ava. You don't know if Erik left... If you leave the safe room before the police come, she could be in danger." The man's voice and rational words kept Lily in the safe room. "Just stay on the phone and tell me what you see on the cameras. Do you see the vehicle he was driving before anywhere on your street?"

"No."

"Okay, that's good. The ambulance and police are almost there. I am creating a digital copy of the attack and pictures of the man. They should be coming out of the printer now. Is that the man?"

Taking the paper off the small digital printer, Lily swallowed hard to not sob out her fear. "Yes, that's Erik." Her words began to pour out. "He killed my college roommate, but I stopped him from killing another girl. I scarred his face when I hit with a champagne bottle. He... he fled the country and faked his death. I knew I wasn't crazy; I knew I was seeing him, but the doctors just put me on a bunch of fuking pills and the therapist told me I was imagining it because of PTSD from finding Marlana dead but I wasn't." She sank to the floor sobbing, "I'm not crazy... I was right, I'm not crazy."

"No, you're not. You were right. Your family believed you because it is in the file if you report seeing this Erik person, we were to send the police immediately. It's going to be okay. The ambulance should be pulling up now and the police are almost there. Do you see the ambulance?"

"Yes... Thank you... Thank you... Goodbye."

"Wait! Mrs. Hastings! Do not open the door yet. Let the police get there and check the house," he insisted.

"But Ian..."

"Mr. Hastings will be just fine. Look at the monitor. See? They are already checking him over and bandaging his leg... it will just take a few more minutes. Okay? Can you stay on the line with me?"

"Yes." To Lily, it seemed to take forever for the police to come and check the house. She watched the monitor. They were putting Ian in an ambulance, but he was pointing at the house.

"Mrs. Hastings, you can open the door. The police are telling me the house is empty. Give them the pictures. I hope you have a better evening."

"Thank you, goodbye." Lily hung up and typed in the code to open the door as the police stood waiting. "Hello, I'm Lily."

She shakily held out the pictures, "This is Erik, he's a serial killer. Please call Detective Javier and tell him what happened."

"We will. They need to take your husband to the hospital but he is refusing to leave without you and your daughter," the officer announced. He guided her outside to the ambulance.

Ian squeezed her hand. "Thank god, he didn't hurt you. When he shot the car and you screamed... Babe, I was so afraid."

"He shot you!" Lily sobbed as the ambulance howled.

"I'm okay as long as you and Ava are safe. I love you," Ian insisted. He blinked rapidly, then glanced at the EMT.

The EMT checked Ian's vitals and then reached up and knocked on the panel between them and the driver as he said, "Ian, I'm going to increase the flow of your IV and tighten the pressure on your leg. Just breathe slowly and try to stay with us. You're going into shock."

Ian nodded once then his eyelids dropped.

"Ian?" Lily's voice squeaked.

"It's okay, I'm just a little woozy. I'd rather be shot a thousand times than see you or Ava hurt by that lunatic," he breathed out his words as much as spoke them. He glanced at the EMT, who looked worried over his mask. "My wife's a hero. She stopped that guy from killing a girl at a party after he murdered her best friend. She saved our daughter from him. She kept saying he faked his death to get out of... being arrested... as a serial killer."

"You're wife was right," the EMT hurriedly injected his IV with a needle. "How you feeling?"

"Proud that... I could be... as brave... as her." Ian panted as he spoke then his eyes shut.

"Ian? Don't close your eyes," Lily begged as she clutched Ava tighter. "Stay with us. Look at me... look at me. If you die on us, I'll never forgive you." He opened his eyes groggily and stared at her. "That's good... Just look at me... I love you."

The ambulance stopped quickly, and the doors flew open. A police officer helped Lily out then they took out the gurney and rushed Ian inside.

The EMT pulled off his gloves and nodded to her, "He'll be fine after they get the bullet out of him. He has every reason in the world to stay."

"Thank you." Lily gushed then she followed the officer inside.

He looked at the other officer and said, "Her husband said she stopped a serial killer then he came after her?"

"Yep, the home security guy said the shooter had her at gunpoint then her husband tackled him. Instead of fleeing, she stopped to get their daughter out of the carseat while he shot up the back of their car before she ran inside and locked herself and the kid in a safe room."

"That explains the glass in her hair," the EMT revealed, then added, "You should probably have the nurses inside make sure she doesn't have any lacerations and have her comb it out."

"I will. See ya man."

"Yep, it's a new moon, they're as bad as full moons for all the crazies coming out."