screamed like he’d actually been shot. His faultless facade crumpled into trembling terror as he ran from the room. “Help! Somebody help!”
Long and loud, as though he’d just heard the best joke of his life, Val laughed. I shoved him away from me and pulled the gun out of his hands, putting it into my bag before he tried anything else stupid. “What the hell was that?”
“We should probably run,” Val said, waving a hand to fan himself as his laughter subsided. He went to the window and opened it up wide enough for us to fit through. Feet thundered down the hall. I ran over to the door and shut it, locking it to bide time, then rushed back to join Val at the window. It was a long way to the ground, but what other choice did we have?
Bullets pierced the door as I followed Val onto the steep slant of the roof. Almost immediately, Val’s footing slipped and naturally, because he hadn’t caused me enough trouble or pain, he grabbed my arm as he fell. It was a bumpy slide, roof shingles scraping and bruising, and then all at once dropping out from underneath me as I fell from the third floor to the second. I sat up in time to see where the roof dropped off again. Beyond that, all there was left was the ground.
The second my feet hit the faux grass, I looked up. Val flew from the roof after me and landed, feet first in a well-maintained flowerbed, before staggering forward into a hedge shaped like a bear.
“They’re over here!” yelled a suit from the corner of the house. He was joined by three others. I ripped Val out of the hedge and shoved him toward the fence, taking off after him in a dead sprint.
“Don’t worry.” He laughed. “They couldn’t hit us even if we stood still.”
I didn’t want to test the theory. Val reached the fence first and started climbing. He didn’t get to the top quite as fast as before, I noted. The wound on his shoulder was slowing him down. From the top of the fence, I spotted the two suits who had stood guard at the front gate. They ran along the outside of the fence to cut us off. As close as they were, there was no way they’d be able to miss. I jumped from the fence, already reaching for my gun when Val grabbed my wrist and started running straight at them.
The suits looked just as confused as I was. Val laughed as we plowed between them, knocking them off balance. We were heading right for the canal when he shouted, “Jump!”
I’d have rather taken my chances against a hundred armed suits than jumped into the murky water. It was freezing. Ten times colder and twenty times slimier than it looked. I kept getting shoved underwater by the swift current, caught in twisting torrents which threw me in one direction then another.
When my head broke the surface, I gasped in rancid-smelling air which burned my nose. I scanned my surroundings for Val, or at least a way out of the canal, only to be forced back under as I started to call his name. The mouthful of water I got was even fouler than the air. I would have choked if a sharp change in current hadn’t slammed me against the wall and knocked the breath out of my lungs. My fingers dug into the uneven cement, and I pushed off of it, breaking the surface again.
I hacked up the water in my lungs and opened my eyes in time to spot a set of stairs past the bridge ahead. Swimming was not one of my strengths, but I somehow managed to reach the ledge and haul myself up onto the concrete. I scooted back to lean against the uneven wall. My teeth chattered in my head—hell, my entire body shook—and there wasn’t enough Listerine left in the world to get the taste of the canal water out of my mouth. Soaked to the bone, bruised, and battered, I came to the conclusion that I truly, truly hated Seattle.
I startled as a set of hands grabbed onto the ledge next to me, and Val struggled to pull himself out. As much as I wanted to shove him back underwater, I heaved him out of the canal with what energy I could spare.
Val
Long and loud, as though he’d just heard the best joke of his life, Val laughed. I shoved him away from me and pulled the gun out of his hands, putting it into my bag before he tried anything else stupid. “What the hell was that?”
“We should probably run,” Val said, waving a hand to fan himself as his laughter subsided. He went to the window and opened it up wide enough for us to fit through. Feet thundered down the hall. I ran over to the door and shut it, locking it to bide time, then rushed back to join Val at the window. It was a long way to the ground, but what other choice did we have?
Bullets pierced the door as I followed Val onto the steep slant of the roof. Almost immediately, Val’s footing slipped and naturally, because he hadn’t caused me enough trouble or pain, he grabbed my arm as he fell. It was a bumpy slide, roof shingles scraping and bruising, and then all at once dropping out from underneath me as I fell from the third floor to the second. I sat up in time to see where the roof dropped off again. Beyond that, all there was left was the ground.
The second my feet hit the faux grass, I looked up. Val flew from the roof after me and landed, feet first in a well-maintained flowerbed, before staggering forward into a hedge shaped like a bear.
“They’re over here!” yelled a suit from the corner of the house. He was joined by three others. I ripped Val out of the hedge and shoved him toward the fence, taking off after him in a dead sprint.
“Don’t worry.” He laughed. “They couldn’t hit us even if we stood still.”
I didn’t want to test the theory. Val reached the fence first and started climbing. He didn’t get to the top quite as fast as before, I noted. The wound on his shoulder was slowing him down. From the top of the fence, I spotted the two suits who had stood guard at the front gate. They ran along the outside of the fence to cut us off. As close as they were, there was no way they’d be able to miss. I jumped from the fence, already reaching for my gun when Val grabbed my wrist and started running straight at them.
The suits looked just as confused as I was. Val laughed as we plowed between them, knocking them off balance. We were heading right for the canal when he shouted, “Jump!”
I’d have rather taken my chances against a hundred armed suits than jumped into the murky water. It was freezing. Ten times colder and twenty times slimier than it looked. I kept getting shoved underwater by the swift current, caught in twisting torrents which threw me in one direction then another.
When my head broke the surface, I gasped in rancid-smelling air which burned my nose. I scanned my surroundings for Val, or at least a way out of the canal, only to be forced back under as I started to call his name. The mouthful of water I got was even fouler than the air. I would have choked if a sharp change in current hadn’t slammed me against the wall and knocked the breath out of my lungs. My fingers dug into the uneven cement, and I pushed off of it, breaking the surface again.
I hacked up the water in my lungs and opened my eyes in time to spot a set of stairs past the bridge ahead. Swimming was not one of my strengths, but I somehow managed to reach the ledge and haul myself up onto the concrete. I scooted back to lean against the uneven wall. My teeth chattered in my head—hell, my entire body shook—and there wasn’t enough Listerine left in the world to get the taste of the canal water out of my mouth. Soaked to the bone, bruised, and battered, I came to the conclusion that I truly, truly hated Seattle.
I startled as a set of hands grabbed onto the ledge next to me, and Val struggled to pull himself out. As much as I wanted to shove him back underwater, I heaved him out of the canal with what energy I could spare.
Val
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