in
the face. I take a moment to recover and relax my hand. I drop the
gun to my side.
Mistake number one.
Demetrius mumbles under his breath, “No
body, no crime.”
His eyes, even in the blackness of the grimy
room, are vacantly hateful. He shifts his eyes to me, and in that
look I know...I’m marked!
I play it cool, paying close attention to
where his arm is pointing. I’m not sure what he has planned for me,
so I don’t want to alert him that I am onto him. Knowing this sick
fuck, he’ll make me help him clean this mess up and then off me. I
give him the intro he needs to see where this is going.
“What’s next?” I ask. My hands are steady as
always, and I keep my breathing even.
A new shot whizzes by us and embeds itself
in the wall behind Demetrius. It startles both of us. I immediately
hit the ground and roll close to the wall. A garbled screech roars
through the ancient building. I keep moving and stay low to the
ground as I scan around me looking for an exit. I don’t know where
Demetrius has gone. I’m like a rat in a maze. But my prize for
figuring it out isn’t a crumb of cheese...it’s getting out of here
alive. I say a silent thank you for my father being a bastard when
it came to training.
I keep my gun poised and set. More shots are
fired and pump into the walls, shattering and collapsing them. The
yelling continues between the shots, and I can finally make out
what this person is shouting.
“You killed my brother!”
Sobbing wails bounce off the crumbling
enclosure as whoever is out there kneels over the dead body. “You
son of a bitch! Demetrius! Where are you?!”
I strain to listen. I definitely know where
the shooter is. This person is clumsy and inexperienced. I don’t
know where Demetrius is...and that is a problem.
I can’t stay here. I’m too exposed. I stay
low and shuffle across the floor, but only get about ten feet when
I recognize the shooter is coming my way. I crouch on the floor
near a doorjamb. The tip of a sneaker comes into view and slips
forward cautiously. I slide my gun in the back of my jeans, needing
two hands.
Don’t think, just do!
With another step forward, I lunge and grab
the person around the middle trapping their arms. A startled yelp
bellows out. I clasp my hand over their mouth.
Holy shit! It’s a girl!
Her cheeks are slick with tears. I tighten
my grip, squeezing her as she tries to free herself. She is
attempting to raise her gun, struggling. I jerk her over to the
wall and press her face against it. She whimpers. I whisper in her
ear as her long black hair flies wildly in my face.
“I’m not Demetrius. Stay calm, and I’ll get
us out here,” I say, attempting to sound comforting.
She nods her head, but I can’t trust her.
She’s too unstable and upset. I keep my hand in front of her mouth
and my other arm securely around her, pinning her to me. I hear the
familiar crunch of plaster.
He’s coming!
I pick her up, inches off the floor, and
make a run for it. I dash over the threshold, and we’re out into
the night air. I see two people crouched by the side of the
building. I immediately throw the two of us down onto the ground,
and grab for her gun. She screams into my hand. Within a second,
I’m aiming.
“Tonio! It’s me,” a voice says that I
identify instantly.
Vito!
I relax my hand, lowering my gun, as Vito
rushes over to me. Behind him is Patrick.
“What the fuck are the two of you doing
here?” I spit, angry at Vito totally disregarding my instruction to
stay away.
The girl who tried to blow my head off
earlier, although I truly think she was aiming at Demetrius, begins
sobbing uncontrollably. The crying racks her body and makes it
convulse in defeat.
I’m not sure if the danger was over. I have
no clue where Demetrius is now.
“Help me get her up,” I say. Vito reaches
down and scoops her up into his arms. I hang onto her gun.
“We need to find cover,” Patrick orders. I
agree.
Patrick and I flank Vito as
the face. I take a moment to recover and relax my hand. I drop the
gun to my side.
Mistake number one.
Demetrius mumbles under his breath, “No
body, no crime.”
His eyes, even in the blackness of the grimy
room, are vacantly hateful. He shifts his eyes to me, and in that
look I know...I’m marked!
I play it cool, paying close attention to
where his arm is pointing. I’m not sure what he has planned for me,
so I don’t want to alert him that I am onto him. Knowing this sick
fuck, he’ll make me help him clean this mess up and then off me. I
give him the intro he needs to see where this is going.
“What’s next?” I ask. My hands are steady as
always, and I keep my breathing even.
A new shot whizzes by us and embeds itself
in the wall behind Demetrius. It startles both of us. I immediately
hit the ground and roll close to the wall. A garbled screech roars
through the ancient building. I keep moving and stay low to the
ground as I scan around me looking for an exit. I don’t know where
Demetrius has gone. I’m like a rat in a maze. But my prize for
figuring it out isn’t a crumb of cheese...it’s getting out of here
alive. I say a silent thank you for my father being a bastard when
it came to training.
I keep my gun poised and set. More shots are
fired and pump into the walls, shattering and collapsing them. The
yelling continues between the shots, and I can finally make out
what this person is shouting.
“You killed my brother!”
Sobbing wails bounce off the crumbling
enclosure as whoever is out there kneels over the dead body. “You
son of a bitch! Demetrius! Where are you?!”
I strain to listen. I definitely know where
the shooter is. This person is clumsy and inexperienced. I don’t
know where Demetrius is...and that is a problem.
I can’t stay here. I’m too exposed. I stay
low and shuffle across the floor, but only get about ten feet when
I recognize the shooter is coming my way. I crouch on the floor
near a doorjamb. The tip of a sneaker comes into view and slips
forward cautiously. I slide my gun in the back of my jeans, needing
two hands.
Don’t think, just do!
With another step forward, I lunge and grab
the person around the middle trapping their arms. A startled yelp
bellows out. I clasp my hand over their mouth.
Holy shit! It’s a girl!
Her cheeks are slick with tears. I tighten
my grip, squeezing her as she tries to free herself. She is
attempting to raise her gun, struggling. I jerk her over to the
wall and press her face against it. She whimpers. I whisper in her
ear as her long black hair flies wildly in my face.
“I’m not Demetrius. Stay calm, and I’ll get
us out here,” I say, attempting to sound comforting.
She nods her head, but I can’t trust her.
She’s too unstable and upset. I keep my hand in front of her mouth
and my other arm securely around her, pinning her to me. I hear the
familiar crunch of plaster.
He’s coming!
I pick her up, inches off the floor, and
make a run for it. I dash over the threshold, and we’re out into
the night air. I see two people crouched by the side of the
building. I immediately throw the two of us down onto the ground,
and grab for her gun. She screams into my hand. Within a second,
I’m aiming.
“Tonio! It’s me,” a voice says that I
identify instantly.
Vito!
I relax my hand, lowering my gun, as Vito
rushes over to me. Behind him is Patrick.
“What the fuck are the two of you doing
here?” I spit, angry at Vito totally disregarding my instruction to
stay away.
The girl who tried to blow my head off
earlier, although I truly think she was aiming at Demetrius, begins
sobbing uncontrollably. The crying racks her body and makes it
convulse in defeat.
I’m not sure if the danger was over. I have
no clue where Demetrius is now.
“Help me get her up,” I say. Vito reaches
down and scoops her up into his arms. I hang onto her gun.
“We need to find cover,” Patrick orders. I
agree.
Patrick and I flank Vito as
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