Time resumes its normal speed and without thinking, I run at Tori, scooping her up in my left arm as I dash past her to find cover.
“Come on, baby, we’re leaving!”
She shrieks in shock as I sweep her off her feet, whizzing her round and grabbing her arm, helping her run while still tied up.
“What the fuck?” yells Clara behind me. “Don’t just stand there, you idiots! Shoot him!”
We’re on the opposite side of the room to where they caught me, so I know my guns aren’t close by. We’re crouching down around the corner of a partition.
“Are you alright?” I ask Tori.
She nods, but doesn’t respond. I look behind her at her wrists, still bound in standard-issue law enforcement handcuffs.
“Pull your hands apart as much as you can,” I say to her.
She frowns and does it, tightening the chain. I take aim and fire once, making her scream. Before she can say anything, I lean round the corner and fire off a few more rounds, hitting another two men. So that’s four down, one wounded… leaving six, plus Clara and two stragglers. This isn’t going to be easy. While I have cover right now from anyone in front of me, it’s ultimately a large, open, circular room, so they can come at me from either side as well.
With no real option for long-term protection, I need to take the fight to these assholes.
“Tori, we need—”
She interrupts me by kissing my lips, quickly and with as much urgency and love as anyone can give.
“Just get me out of here,” she says.
I smile and nod. It’s a weird feeling… my Inner Satan is in full-on survival mode right now, but the usual thirst for violence that goes with that isn’t there. I just feel a need to do what I have to, nothing more. It’s quite liberating, if I’m honest.
I put my gun in her hand.
“Wait here,” I say to her. “If anyone comes near you, shoot them.”
Her eyes are wide, betraying a mixture of fear and lack of understanding. It’s a lot to ask someone who’s normal to take a life. I look her in the eye, so she can feel reassured and safe — so she can believe that it’ll be okay.
She purses her lips and nods rapidly.
I smile. “That’s my girl.”
I stand and run to the right, keeping low. The remaining men are spread out and taking cover behind partitions and desks. I doubt the idea of me being unarmed at any point would’ve crossed their minds, which buys me some breathing space. But I know the guys on the perimeter will still be there, covering the exits, and they’ll see immediately that I don’t have my gun. I need to act quickly.
I make my way around the outer wall of partitions, counterclockwise, and soon meet the first two guys, who are guarding the way I came in. They have their guns drawn, but aren’t expecting me to run at them, as they’re standing quite relaxed and facing forward, into the middle of the room.
I reach them and deliver a kick to the first guy’s gut at full speed, sending him flying backward. I use the impact to take away my momentum, stopping to throw three punches in quick succession at the second guy — one to the gut, one to the side of the ribs, and a third to the jaw, starting with my right hand and alternating. He crumples to the floor and drops his gun, which I pick up in time to fire at the first guy, who’s back on his feet and taking aim at me. I hit him twice in the chest and then immediately duck back down as someone in the middle shoots at me.
I wait a moment, and then put a bullet in the second guy’s head, who’s lying at my feet. I quickly continue my circuit, firing into the middle every time I come up to a gap in the walls. I don’t have eyes on Clara from my position anymore, but I can still spot where most of the men from the group are.
I see an opportunity for a shot, so I step inside the first layer of wall and crouch by a desk. I line up my shot and fire twice, hitting one of the guys in the neck, which is visible, despite his cover.
I carry on, and see my weapons just ahead of me. Keeping my gun aimed ahead, I slow down and crouch, eager to get hold of some real firepower. I reach my Berettas, but bullets immediately pepper the ground around me, forcing me to duck back behind cover.
I look at my babies as the wooden partitions splinter around me, desperate to feel their comforting weight in my hands once more. I’m biding my time, waiting for a pause in the onslaught before I can make a dash for them again.
After a few moments, the firing stops and I seize the opportunity.
Got them!
I scoop them up and take cover on the opposite side of the gap. I put both Berettas in my holster and pick up the Ithaca, chambering a round and hearing the comforting double-crunch of a shotgun ready to fire.
I take a breath and close my eyes.
Showtime.
I spin round the corner and stride purposefully toward the center; the Ithaca aimed straight and low. I see movement in the corner of my eye on the left, so I turn sharply and fire.
The great thing about a shotgun in this kind of situation is the damage it’s capable of. The buckshot sprays out in a conical arc in front of me when I fire, and the closer the target is, the more chance of them being blown in half. Right now, at this range, I don’t even need to be accurate — if someone’s within ten feet of me, I can aim loosely in their direction and they’re dead.
The shot cuts through the table and hits the man hiding behind it in the chest. Just behind him, another man appears and I fire again. He flies backward from the impact, dead before he hits the floor. I flick to the right in time to see another man peek around the side of a partition. A shot in his direction blasts through the wall and rips through his torso.
That’s three more down… can’t be many left now, surely?
I reach the middle, where the original group is standing with Clara. I can’t see her anywhere. I do a slow circle, turning clockwise. The trick when doing this is to point the gun in front of where you’re looking, so the weapon completes the turn before you do. That way, when you see something move, you can take it out straight away, instead of having to readjust your angle first, which would cost you valuable seconds.
I look past the large monitor and see two men side by side, who must’ve been following me. As I see them in my peripheral, I fire on instinct, knowing the barrel of the shotgun is aiming in the right place. I catch them both in the stomach with one shot.
I hear movement behind me, so I spin faster and drop to a crouch, lining up the shot. However, as I look round, I freeze. In the gap is the last remaining man, aiming his gun at me. Next to him is Clara Fox. She’s got a gun in her hand too, and it’s pointing at Tori.
I let out a heavy sigh.
Shit…
30
“Drop it,” says Clara, slightly out of breath. “Or I drop your girlfriend.”
Man, she looks really pissed off… I must’ve done a good job winding her up before. It’s worrying that she appears so unstable, given she’s holding Tori, but at least I know she’s unlikely to be thinking clearly. I’ll use that to my advantage, when the time’s right. For now, I’ll do as she says. She nods at me, looking at my body harness.
“And those custom pieces of shit you’re in love with.”
Reluctantly, I remove both Berettas from their holster and drop them next to the shotgun. She leans toward the man next to her.
“Go and secure him,” she says. “But be careful.”
I look at Tori. I hold her gaze so she can see into my eyes — see the confidence in them. I want her to believe this will all be okay. Because it will be. I’ve already won. Clara has messed up, and it’ll cost her, her life. She just hasn’t realized it yet.