Danny closed the car door behind him carefully, making sure it didn't slam. No-one was going to hear them out here anyway, but better to be sure. Leo stood a few feet away. His backpack was slung over one shoulder and he held a map and compass, examining them closely.
Danny joined him, glancing back at the car. It was covered by the trees and tall grass, so once you were just a few steps away it was almost impossible to see. In the distance he could still hear the buzz of cars from the highway. They had only come a little way off-road, zigzagging through the trees. He would have liked to go further, but Leo said he was worrying about nothing.
"We head this way." Leo pointed and started off through the trees. Danny followed. He watched their surroundings change, trying to keep track of where they were, where they were heading and where they had come from. He had done a course in orienteering once at summer camp. Leo's knowledge blew that out of the water. Danny shifted the backpack across his back. It contained everything they could need, guns, knives, medical supplies, and more guns.
They walked in silence through the trees. It was still early, just past mid-day. It would take them a few hours to get to the compound, and then they would have several more to scope it out. Danny barely noticed the woods they walked through. The scenery was beautiful. He didn't care. His mind was ahead of them, in some dingy concrete-floored room with his children.
They emerged from the trees, open land stretching out ahead of them, scattered with fields, small roads and the occasional farmhouse.
"Better keep a low profile." Leo led them off the dirt track linking the houses and across the side of a field. They travelled through several fields until they came to a small grassy valley with a river flowing down the centre, flanked on both sides by steep hills covered with trees.
"That's the back of the studio ahead of us," Leo said.
Danny looked up. At the top of the hill ahead he could see a wooden fence and brown roofed buildings.
"Better get into the trees."
Danny led the way this time, through the trees and up the incline, until Leo shot out a hand and grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "We need to take it slow. Don't know who might be watching." They crept on, through the over-grown underbrush. Slow and silent, until a fence reared up in front of them. Leo stopped but Danny kept going, getting onto his hands and knees in the undergrowth, crawling forward to the wire fence. He could hear a sort of chugging noise. As he looked through the fence he saw a wind turbine on the thin strip of land ahead of him. It was balanced on a rocky outcrop, on either side the ground fell away down sheer limestone cliffs. Directly ahead the strip of land sloped down to an area scattered with wooden buildings. In the distance he could see a larger, more modern building. That must be where they were to meet with Starkweather. His kids could be there, right now. Danny tore himself away, the meet-up wasn't for hours, it would be a bad idea to rush in when he wasn't even sure if his children were there. He crept back to where Leo was sitting.
"That it?"
"Yeah." Danny nodded.
Leo had his bag open in front of him. Danny pulled his own off and set it down. "Are we waiting here?"
"That's right." Leo pulled something out of his bag. A brown jar filled with what looked like dust. He opened it, took a sniff. Then he stood up and walked carefully a little way from where Danny sat. He began to walk in a circle round him, scattering the dust.
"What's that for?" Danny asked.
Leo came back to him. "It covers our scent. In case they have dogs." He handed it to Danny, who smelt it and gave it back. "Try not to flatten the grass around us. That'll give us some cover too." He wrapped the jar in some cloth and put it back in his bag.
Danny lay back, head on his rucksack. The grass rose high above him. The trees were close here, bathing the area in shade. Unless their enemies were right on top of them they would be invisible. "So now we just wait?"
"Yeah." Leo sat down. He removed the guns from his backpack and set them out lovingly at his side. He picked up the pistol and opened it up, examining it and snapping it shut. "A Ruger p95. The first time I held one of these I was thirteen. We all went round to this kid's uncle's house. He let us all take pictures holding it. Don't know why he even had one. Just dealt fucking weed. Wouldn't have let me hold it a year later."
He aimed the gun in front of him, then put it down, only to pick up the long rifle next to him.
"And this, this is…"
Danny zoned out, looking up at the sky, the trees above. How long would they have to wait here? Three, four hours? Till dark. Those hours stretched between him and the kids.
"Am I boring you?" Leo's voice brought him back to the present.
"Sorry?"
"You are allowed to speak you know. If you have anything to contribute."
"My mind's on other things." Of course he wasn't going to be the best audience right now.
"You've hardly said anything since we left the car." Leo turned over to face Danny. "We've got some time, might as well make the best of it. Bet I can think of something to do." He reached out a hand, grabbing Danny's arm and attempting to pull him closer.
Danny pulled back. "What are you doing?"
"Want to fuck?"
"No!" Danny pushed his hand away.
"Why? You still don't trust me? Come on what agenda do you think I have here? What am I getting out of this?" Leo looked at him, amused.
"It's nothing to do with you, you moron. My children are in there. The last thing I want to do is fuck you." Danny rolled onto his side.
Leo seemed to stop and think about that. "Ok. Why don't you get some rest? You're going to need it once we get in there."
Danny looked back at Leo, who was now lying on his back, staring up at the sky. He had expected him to be pissed off or persistent, anything besides understanding.
Danny adjusted the bag beneath his head, tried to get comfortable. He closed his eyes and tried to think of anything but his kids. So he thought of Leo. He wasn't sure how he felt about him yet, the man had both helped and hurt him. It was pointless to pretend he didn't care about Leo, but there was still a part of him that hated him. Things had changed so quickly between them. It was going to take some time to figure it out.
Danny woke to something hitting his leg. He sat up quickly. Leo was crouched low, walking away through the grass. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. I just need to take a piss. Go back to sleep."
Danny looked at his watch. It was almost five. Three hours to meet-up time. He felt nauseous. He reached into his bag, pulled a stack of energy bars out and forced one down. Leo came back, settled down next to him and took a bar.
"Did you look?"
"Yeah. No sign of movement. But they're there. I can tell."
"When do we go in?"
"Not yet. We don't know where they're keeping the kids. Don't want to go running in before they get them here."
They were silent for a moment, the only sound them chewing on cereal bars and the constant buzzing of every insect in the area.
"So, what do you think they're doing now?" Danny said, too casually. "You should know."
"They can't do much to the kids. They need them as a bargaining chip" Leo looked at Danny, and his face must have looked doubtful. "Probably nothing. They just wanted to put that suggestion in your head, distract you, make you weak. But you need to focus. Just think one minute ahead of you. You need to be strong now, for the kids, and to get through this."
Danny took a drink of some energy cola. Leo was right. He needed to focus. "Why don't you sleep for a while? I'm not tired."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," Danny said, a little irritation creeping into his voice. He was capable. It wasn't the first time he had done this kind of thing. Leo should know that.
"Ok." Leo lay down next to him. He closed his eyes and his breathing slowed almost immediately. Beside him Danny waited, staring up at empty chinks of blue sky above the weeds.
Danny stuck out an arm and shook Leo's shoulder. "Leo, wake up. It's one hour till the meet-up."
Leo was awake almost immediately, sitting up, packing things into his bag. "There's a way to go. Might as well head out now."
They crept forward towards the fence. Danny took the lead a little. He felt excitement, fear, clenching in his stomach. Leo pulled out the clippers when they reached the wire. He slowly and methodically cut a hole in the metal. Beyond the fence it was silent, there was no sign of life. It was unlikely, but Danny couldn't help but hope it would be like this all the way. Leo pulled the sheeting back and went through first. Danny followed, crouching low as they ran under the crunching turbine and across the wooden planks which connected the land to the hay barn. This was where they had run into Whyte. He wondered if Leo remembered this place, one of the last they had been together. Danny looked around at the dust covering the floor, the spider webs flopping from the ceiling. The barn looked like it hadn't been touched since he had last been here. He moved to the edge of the floor and looked down into the yard. They had removed the bodies at least. Did Starkweather own this place now? Leo had said he made some kind of movies.
"Danny!" Leo hissed, calling him back from the edge. They headed around hay bales and down the covered ramp. At the end Leo stopped and Danny behind him, staring forward into the dusk. "It's deserted," Leo said, looking a little disappointed.
"Maybe they weren't expecting us."
"Of course they were expecting us. They've under-estimated us, the stupid fucks." Leo moved forward, gun held across his chest. He led the way from building to building, shadow to shadow, until they reached a tall fence with a gate. It was locked with a thick chain and padlock.
"Cover me."
Danny stood there looking around while Leo worked at the chain with the wire cutters. It took a while, but it was quiet. The chain snapped, the gate opened. They headed through to find more empty shacks and the land sloping up. When they reached the top of the incline Leo stopped. They had come up against a tall wooden wall. "Where do we go now?" he murmured, almost to himself.
"Don't you remember? We came down through that window, last time." Danny nodded upwards, to the gap maybe ten feet up the wall.
"How the fuck are we going to get up there?" Danny felt the other man brush past him and move forward to contemplate the window. Danny found himself watching Leo. His presence was so firm, so real, but then Danny had thought that before, and had been wrong. What it must have been like for Leo, before, the last time they were here, when he was just a part of him, what that had felt like? Now wasn't the time to ask about that though. He glanced behind him and had a flash of inspiration.
"We could try moving that." Danny pointed to the wagon, a little way down the hill.
They each took a shaft and pulled. The wagon creaked forward slowly, sending up a cloud of grey dust. It pulled back heavily on them as they dragged it up the hill. Danny was sure they would be heard as they manoeuvred the wagon under the broken window. But there was no sound of running feet, no shouts of alarm, as Danny took a step back, breathing heavily, to admire their work.
"Come on," Leo said. He was already standing on the wagon. He reached out a hand and helped Danny up. They looked up at the window. "You give me a boost and I'll pull you up." Danny crouched down, boosted Leo up, and then got pulled up himself. Toppling over the window, he got up and adjusted his glasses. They stood in a kitchen. Danny led the way through the house, rooms bare bones of wood, glassless windows and empty doorframes, to the front door. He was about to open it when he stopped still, hand outstretched. There were voices outside.
Leo looked through the crack between the door and frame. "Two of them, coming this way, armed." He and Danny shared a look and moved backwards, out of the front room, to separate adjacent rooms.
The front door opened and two men entered. A skinny man in his early twenties and a baseball cap, and taller man with long dark hair in a ponytail. They hesitated a little before moving in, saw the silent room and visibly relaxed. The first one smiled. "This is it, end of the line."
The second man looked a little more nervous. "Great. So let's go back now."
Baseball cap moved further into the room. He was waving his gun around, Danny could smell the drink reeking off him. "No, we have to check this place out. Check it for burglars." He laughed.
The second still lingered in the doorway. He looked uncertain, like he was trying not to look afraid, just slightly disgusted by the house. The first man stepped towards him and took his hand, pulled him into the hallway.
"Or maybe there's something else we can do." They moved closer.
"Not here." The dark-haired man looked around him, like someone might be about to appear.
"Relax. No-one's watching." The first man pulled the second into a kiss, which the second returned gradually. Behind the door Danny hesitated. It seemed kind of wrong to do anything when they were like this, he looked behind him. He could get out the window, but get down the hill without being seen from the front door? Too risky. He could see Leo, across, just, backed away from the other doorway. He was watching, didn't seem to be in a hurry to move. But they had to hurry. Think of the Katherine and Josh. That strengthened his resolve. He looked up, trying to catch Leo's eye. The men were in the centre of the room, as far as possible from the front door without seeing either of them. The moment was perfect. When Leo looked up at him he nodded. Danny unsheafed his knife from his belt and walked forward. In three short paces he grabbed the second man from behind, held him to his body and slit his throat. Leo did the same from the opposite side. The two men looked at each other as the blood drained from their necks, their bodies thrashed but the movement left their eyes. Danny dropped his guy as he turned into a heavy lump of flesh. Leo cleaned off his knife on the shirt of his victim while Danny walked over to the door. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
"It looks clear."
Leo joined him. "Let's go, stick to the side." As they made their way down the hill Leo glanced at Danny. "You ok?"
"It doesn't seem right, killing them when they were doing that."
"They were fucking. Not some holy act."
"They weren't fucking yet." Danny said quietly, though that was hardly the point.
There was a barn up ahead, the light in the window making it stand out against the darkening sky. On the wind Danny heard fragments of voices, shouting and laughing. They approached slowly and stealthily. "If we can, silent," Leo breathed. Danny, so close his body felt like it was part of Leo's moving in sync with him, nodded. They reached the building and walked up a ramp inside. Creeping past hay bales, the conversation and laughter became louder, clearer. Someone was having a good time. A window ran along the front of the barn, along with a hole and a pulley for raising hay bales. Voices rose up from beneath. In the yard ahead a group sat around a makeshift camp fire, drinking and chatting. Many of them wore camouflage gear, though some had everyday dress. A snatch of song rang out.
"Some guards."
"These aren't guards. They're…" Leo seemed stumped for once for anything bad enough to say.
"Whatever they are, there's a lot of them, and they have guns. How do we get past?"
Leo looked down at the yard, then around them. His eyes settled on the burning gas-light. "We cause a distraction." He pulled the lamp out of the bracket. There was another hay hole a little way down the barn. He stood poised above it, sheltering the light with his hand. Then he dropped it through the hole, onto the hay below.
They ran for the window before the shouting started. As the yelling began and the yard cleared they climbed out onto the beam and jumped into the hay below. Leo ran for the padlocked gate ahead but Danny stopped him, pulled him towards a stable to the side, they ran through, the back wall was missing. Danny glanced back. If anyone noticed them they were to busy to do anything about it. The barn was going up in flames.
On the other side of the stable was a dirt path, lit only by the moon. "This place is a maze," Leo said, then immediately pulled Danny back with him into the shadow of a large wheel of electrical wire. Someone was coming towards them. A flashlight snapped on and they saw a man unlock the gate ahead of them and run past to the barn. This man was dressed more professionally then their previous opponents, and armed more professionally too. Leo grabbed Danny's arm, pulled him quickly out of the shadows and to the gate. "Come on. Stealth if we can, they're going to try to put it out before alerting anyone. Idiots." He sounded exhilarated. Whether that was because they were doing well or because he now had a better opponent Danny didn't know.
Through the gate, Leo led the way off the dirt track and down a slope to the side. Danny could hear something moving ahead. Maybe the wind, maybe soft footsteps. "Can you hear that?" he whispered. He turned to see nothing. Leo was gone. He walked forward further into the tall grass. Hesitant steps, every sound was coming in closer, louder. Beyond the sway of grass, low and almost inaudible. Those were footsteps, behind him, faster. Danny kept moving. He held his knife in front of him, his other hand on the gun in his belt. The grass grew almost to his head and he crouched down so it did cover. The moon was hiding now, this little valley in shadow. But ahead of him was something darker. A mouth, a circle that he moved closer to automatically. Darkness was shelter.
There was a noise behind and he turned in the stone tunnel. The moon came out, slipping from its cloud cover, and a man stood where he had, bathed in light. He held a flashlight and he shone it at Danny, blinding him just after he saw the gun. He heard something crash down from above the drain. The flashlight was thrown off to the side, bounced twice and went out. There was a dark shape where the man stood, moving silently. Danny walked forwards as Leo stood up. "Which way now?"
Danny led the way this time, up, closer to the path. He could see the building ahead. They ran silently across the track, to the cover of the shacks on the other side.
They walked along the side of a wooden building until they heard a noise ahead and crouched down next to the wall. Someone was coming towards them, soft steps and no light. Leo tapped Danny on the shoulder and gestured towards the window above. Danny climbed through, taking the hint. He heard Leo move around the building behind him, not following him in. Looking up, he saw a wooden altar and realised he was in the church he had seen from the hill. He slipped behind a cardboard box next to the window. He was still as he heard footsteps climb the stairs into the church and come closer. Then there was a snapping noise and a shuffle of feet. He broke cover. Leo stood behind the guy, his knife buried in the guard's shoulder, the guard was raising his gun, turning. Danny leapt forward, sliding over the box, to grab the gun and pull it from the man's hand. His knife impaled the hunter in the thigh as he wrenched the gun from his hands. The guard was trying to scream but Leo had his hand over his mouth. Leo withdrew his hand just to shove the knife in, blade first. Danny stood up and sliced across the guard's throat with his own blade, stopping him once and for all.
Leo let go of the body and ran to the door. Danny picked up the guard's flashlight and followed. He felt like he was on autopilot now, following Leo, trusting him to get him through this. Leo looked happier than he had in a long time.
They moved back into the dark, slowing, listening. As one they walked in the same direction.
Over the bridge, they passed the fake building facades with no trouble. It all seemed deserted here. They came to a wire fence. Danny looked back, seeing where they could double back, but Leo was already crouching down, wire clippers out. He pulled a door open and Danny followed him through. The land sloped sharply down and the grass after the fence was long and overgrown, there was another mesh fence at the bottom of the hill. Danny moved forward and Leo put out a hand, stopping him. Danny stopped and took another look. Beyond the fence was a small concrete yard, and then the entrance to the main studio building. The only light came from a small red bulb above the door, leaving most of the yard in darkness. Leo pulled out the sniper rifle from his bag, set it up and looked through. "One guy, armed." He paused, moving the rifle around as though looking for something.
Danny stared into the shadows but could barely see anything, only shapes in the dark. "What do you see?"
"There's a security camera by the door. There must be more hunters inside. I can take out the guard, but you're going to have to destroy the camera first." Leo handed Danny the rifle.
Danny took hold of it uncertainly. "You're sure?"
"Yeah, you've done it before. You're not a bad shot, if you can keep your cool. Take a look."
Danny did. He could see the solitary, bored-looking guard leaning against the wall. The camera above the door angled to view the yard. "How are you going to get close without being seen?"
"Wont be a problem. Wait for me to get close enough to the guard, then take him out. As long as they don't know where we are, we've got the upper hand."
Leo moved back into the grass. Danny watched the green-lit yard through the scope. Though he was looking for him he missed the minute Leo entered the yard and was shocked when his sight trailed over him, just a few paces from the guard. Leo was moving forward steadily. In a few seconds he would be close enough. Danny took aim at the camera and pulled the trigger. It burst into pieces with a pop from the silencer.
He moved back to Leo, saw him pulling the guard, throat cut, into deeper shadows. Danny reloaded. Light sprang into the courtyard as the door to the building opened and two men ran out. Danny hurriedly shoved the last bullet in and raised the gun to aim. The men went separate ways. He followed the one who was heading towards Leo.
"Turn on the floodlights." Danny heard one hunter shout. Looking up he saw a new man standing in the doorway, turning to run back inside. He aimed quickly and fired but his bullet hit empty space where the man had stood. Throwing the gun down, Danny jumped up. He had to get in there quick or Leo was dead. He ran, slipping down the slope and landing against the fence next to the yard. The man nearest spun around, looking straight at him. Danny pulled out his handgun, shot the hunter between the eyes. As the guard fell bullets spattered the ground around him. Danny ducked down. The other hunter was still out there. He needed to find the hole in the fence that Leo must have made to get through. But then there was more gunfire, hitting his instincts and making him freeze. He saw bullets spark off the tarmac on the other side of the yard, sparks of light in the darkness. The spotlights flashed on, illuminating Leo, and the second guard as he died. Danny saw the hole then, an empty circle in the mesh fence to his side, and slipped through as Leo walked over.
"So much for a quiet entrance."
Danny looked up. Leo had a cut on his cheek, blood seeping down from where a bullet had grazed him, otherwise he looked miraculously uninjured. "Sorry."
"Doesn't matter," Leo said. "Could only keep up that stealth shit for so long."
As they walked towards the door the third man ran out. Leo raised his gun, shot him, a volley of shots in the chest so he slammed back through the door. They stepped over the body, into a huge and brightly lit garage. Leo took off running across the floor and Danny followed. Now they had started shooting their position would be easy to pin down. Someone would be looking for them.
At the other side of the empty garage was an elevator. Danny pressed the down button. This place looked so unused, he was a little surprised when the doors beeped open. He exchanged a look with Leo. Leo's eyes showed clearly his doubt, his complete lack of belief in this situation. Danny didn't exactly disagree. But what else could he do? He got in the lift, Leo following, standing close to him. He pressed down and the elevator started to move. He was more surprised when he felt Leo's arm move next to him, a hand find his own and fingers tighten and entwine with his. He knew Leo didn't think they would be getting out of here. But he couldn't let himself think like that. He had too many people relying on him. He squeezed back.
The doors opened onto a cramped landing with stairs descending. They crept down, weapons drawn, into a TV control room and then out into the studio. The set was deserted, but with all the lights on. The stillness and silence made it feel like this place had been waiting for them, something was about to begin. Dust and bullet holes covered the plywood walls. Looked like it had hardly been touched since the last time they were here.
It was Danny who pulled Leo back this time. When they reached the end of the set, just before they stepped out into the corridor he remembered, he got a feeling. He grabbed Leo's arm, and pulled him into the room next to them. The footsteps were light, appearing a second before the man in the doorway. He shone an unnecessary light into the room, hesitated a second, before turning back the way he had come. Leo followed after him. Danny walked in his steps, watching as he hesitated at the door, taking only a second to check for other guards, before he was moving swiftly and silently up behind the hunter. The butt of Leo's gun rose up and connected with the back of the man's head. The guard fell silently, arms outstretched but crumbling before he hit the ground. Leo pulled out his knife and knelt above the prone body.
"Stop!" Danny said, hurrying over. Leo looked up at him. "We don't need to kill him." Leo gave him a look, which clearly said 'what is this bullshit I have to listen to now'. Danny was already searching in his bag, pulling out a length of twine. "Besides, he's unconscious, you won't get any fun out of him."
"This isn't about fun. Do you think he wouldn't kill you if he could?" Danny didn't answer, busy binding the man's hands and feet together.
"Come on," Leo said as he stood up. He led the way down the corridor. They moved from locker to locker at first, then broke into a run as they realised it was clear. The door at the end of the corridor was padlocked with a chain too thick to cut. Leo shot it and slammed in through the doors, gun raised. He moved into a little room to the side quickly, Danny shadowing him. Stacks of recording equipment filled the room. In the distance Danny heard movement, a door slam. He recognised this place, part of the set where they filmed that kids programme, what was its name? "We can go through the sets, there's plenty of cover," he whispered.
Leo carefully moved to the next door, crouched down and crept through. He had the gun in one hand and something Danny couldn't quite make out in the other. They made their way through the sets, until they came to a low brick wall. Danny glanced back. A patch of far too green grass, flowers with faces. He definitely remembered this show from his childhood. Some surreal thing about a group of angry looking animals who lived on a tiny planet. It had always been the outside scenes which got to him, showing that the madness wasn't confined to the house.
Leo nudged him. Danny recognised the look on his face, 'Focus'. He heard a noise and froze, realising then there was someone else in the room. Next to him Leo stood up, breaking cover. Danny almost panicked then, the world seemed to slow down and he had an urge to stand up and just shoot blindly, let loose, and had to fight to stop himself. He felt like he was falling and needed to catch himself. Leo swung out whatever was in his hands and the guard was pulled back three or four feet, until he hit the other side of the wall where Leo stood. Leo pulled the cable tight around the guard's neck. The guard was flailing, trying to keep his grip on the gun slipping from his fingers. Danny came to life, leaned over the wall and used the butt of his rifle to hit the gun out of the man's hand. Leo had the wire held in both hands, twisted around the man's neck, pulling him back so he was bent backwards over the short wall. The man was grabbing at the wire, trying to shout but short of breath, his face red turning purple. Danny thought he saw Leo loosen the twine, let it relax a second before pulling back again. He knew Leo could finish this now if he wanted to, and knew why he was doing this, to get a rise out of him, because he had not let him kill the last man.
He felt sick and he brushed past, ignoring Leo, who didn't look at him. He jumped over the wall and moved forward out of the set and up a small flight of stairs, into a dimly lit area with amps and other recording equipment scattered around. Something moved ahead and he raised his revolver and fired blindly, letting off six rounds and emptying the gun. Leo ran up behind him, finally inspired to end his game and they approached the body together. "What are you doing? You have to be more careful," Leo said.
Danny looked at him. There was no need to mention the strangled corpse back there. He checked the body, kicking it over onto its back while it tremored, but all real life was already gone.
"They know where we are now." Leo muttered as he followed Danny to the next door. They walked through another corridor, into a room filled with lockers. It appeared to be empty, and when Danny stopped and listened he could hear nothing. Leo bumped into him, pushing him out of the way. Unlike Danny, Leo seemed far more tense now there was no one to fight. Danny knew he felt there was something wrong with this situation, and knew he was right. But Danny was focused on only one thing. At the next door he grabbed Leo's arm, holding him back. Something was telling him to exercise caution. For some reason his heart was raising in his chest, well something was threatening to come up anyway. He opened the door hesitantly, inch by inch, so smooth and slow he had to hold his breath. He slipped through, still silent, though he saw no one in the room. Leo followed his lead, in fact he did it better than him. Danny turned and was surprised to see him so close behind. The room was some sort of control room, a long panel with buttons and dials along one side, with a window above it looking over the studio, a soundproof room in the centre. Leo moved through the room, stopping to check the sound booth was clear. Danny walked over to the window. Below lay a studio, 'The Terry Helmut Show' a talk show Danny couldn't remember ever watching. There was a stage and on the stage sat two chairs, and on the chairs sat two people. Danny looked and then he couldn't look any more. He slipped down to the ground. By this time Leo had come over and he took Danny's place, appraising the situation. Leo knelt down next to Danny, grabbed his chin in his hand none too gently, forcing him to look up. "Get a hold of yourself. That's your kids down there. You'll have time to sit around and cry later."
Danny stood up. Leo handed him the sniper rifle and he took it adjusted the aim. He was calm now, he knew what he had to do. He barely noticed Leo leave, heading down the corridor that would lead him to the studio below. He placed the rifle over the control desk. He lined up his shot. He had two bullets. There were two guards. He couldn't miss.
He shot the first one between the eyes, the man's neck snapping back as the bullet hit. He did not stop to see the expressions on the faces of his children. He trained to the next man who was running back, looking up at him, trying to get a clear shot. Danny focused, picked his moment. The guard crumpled to the floor, a clean shot. He swept over the floor for any hidden guards. He heard Leo shoot the lock and the door swing open and hit the wall through the echo. He crouched back on his heels, lowering himself and the gun from the control panel. He sat there for a second. Now it was done, suddenly he was hesitant. But they were down there alone with Leo, he remembered, and at that he stood up and started running. He hit the bottom of the stairs and pushed the double doors open, jogging into the room a little too fast. Leo spun round from behind the chair where he was untying Danny's son's bonds, a half raised gun until he saw who it was and relaxed. Danny's daughter, standing next to him, froze and gave a sort of muted shriek, like a small animal which has just seen a predator. Her eyes were wide and fixed on her father's. Her brother struggled away from the chair as soon as Leo finished cutting the ropes. He stood next to her, his expression much the same. "What is he doing here?" he asked Leo.
"We're going to get you out of here," Leo said, half-heartedly.
Danny understood why. He saw the other two entrances to this room, the way the kids had been here waiting, like bait. Maybe it wasn't too late, maybe if they hurried they could get away. What if they went back the way they had come? He looked up at the window just in time to see someone move up there. "Get over to the wall!" he shouted. Kat just stood there staring at him and Josh looked away, gazing angrily around the room as though looking for someone else to blame for this.
"Come on," Leo urged them. "Unless you want to get shot." They followed him to the stairs by the far door, climbing up out of sight of the overlook.
Danny stayed back, a few paces away, knowing it was best he didn't approach. "We need to leave, now."
Kat hadn't taken her eyes from his, but now shock was fading, being replaced with anger, hate. "You killed her. Why? How could you?" she asked. There was fear and anger in her voice but something else too, which Danny couldn't quite place.
Josh hadn't looked at his father since he first came in. He seemed to be doing his best to pretend he wasn't there. Suddenly he mumbled something and broke away from the group, striding up the remaining stairs and pushing open the door. Danny's warning stuck in his throat. A gun fired, just one and the teenager stumbled back. Danny ran forward, and so did Kat.
"No!" she screamed, getting between him and her brother, who she ran to as he fell to the ground. Danny ran past to the door instead, slamming it shut and bracing himself against it. He expected to feel hunters pushing their way in at any minute, but it didn't move. He looked behind him, where Leo crouched down over Josh. The boy was pale, all the blood drained from his face but he sat up with a little help. He looked at his arm, which hung, limp and immobile. Leo felt his arm, found the spot as the boy winced. "Got him in the shoulder. Arm's broken but he can still move." Leo reached in his bag, pulling out the first aid kit.
Kat stood next to them, alternating keeping an eye on Josh and warily looking at Danny. "Who are you?" she asked Leo. "How do you know him?" she said the last word like it was something disgusting.
"You don't want to know. Trust me." Leo was bandaging Josh's wound, quickly, efficiently, but not as well as Danny could have done. Josh held still, watching Leo as he did, still refusing to acknowledge Danny was there. They trusted Leo, Danny realised, in the way you instinctively trusted someone when the only other options were the man who killed your mother and a crazy director who had kidnapped you.
"What do we do now?" Leo looked up at him, dropping Josh's arm in the makeshift sling.
"There are still guards in the corridor," Danny said. He could hear them through the door, waiting.
"They're above us too," Leo said as he and Kat helped Josh up.
Danny looked over at the door on the far side of the room. The hunters hadn't made any move to come downstairs, but they didn't need to. Starkweather's troops were free to wait up there and pick them off at their leisure, after all the four of them couldn't stay here forever. Danny took a step forward and as he did so a voice echoed through the room. He looked over at the speakers next to the stage. The others did too.
"Ah, Daniel, nice to see you made it. Now, there's no need to hide away. Why don't you come out here? We can have a little chat."
Danny knew what he had to do. Before Starkweather stopped speaking he walked past the other three, crossing the room, over to the door he had entered initially. He knew the hunters above would have a good line on him from here. He had to hope they had been given orders not to shoot on sight. Apparently they had. He forced the rifle between the door handles, jamming it shut. He quickly crossed back across the room, not looking up at the overlook, not wanting to tempt fate.
When he got back Leo had taken his place at the door, holding it shut. His children stared at him as he walked past. He glanced back, at the door held by the sniper rifle. "That'll buy you some time."
Leo stepped forward, backing him into the corner, away from the kids. "No."
"I can cause a distraction," Danny said softly.
"I'll do it."
"No. You need to get the kids out. They won't go with me."
"We both know what happens when you die. You tend to forget things. And I need you to remember this, because if we get out alive, you owe me big time."
Danny brushed past Leo, who grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "Get the kids out for me, please." Danny tried to shake him off, looking straight ahead at the door.
He felt Leo move close to him, arm around his back pulling them together until they touched. He felt breath by his ear, and then lips against his jawbone and for a second teeth. "You better remember me," Leo whispered as he pulled away.
Danny walked forward, pushing open the door and out into the corridor. The guards outside trained rifles on him, but moved aside to let him through. He walked a little way, to where the two routes out of the studio met at stairs. Starkweather came forward to meet him and the hunters closed ranks behind.
"Drop the weapon," the hunter next to Starkweather ordered. Danny still gripped the pistol. He held it in front of him, lowered by his stomach, in both hands.
"I want to talk to you."
"Give him the gun," Starkweather said. Danny didn't move. Starkweather looked at the guards behind him. "Go get the rest."
Danny raised the gun to eye level and aimed. "No."
All around him Danny heard the hunters react. "Now Daniel," Starkweather raised his hand, "what do you think you will accomplish by killing me? Do you think you will go free? Do you think any of you will ever see daylight again?"
Danny pulled the trigger.
He had heard your life flashed before your eyes at these times, but there was only one memory in his head.
…
Twelve hours earlier.
Leo sat on the wooden floor of the motel while Danny paced back and forth. It wasn't until he almost tripped over a brown paper bag, and noticed it's strange heaviness as he kicked it out of the way, that he took any notice of what Leo was doing. He looked down. "What are those?"
Leo was surrounded by the packages. He had a roll of tape and was carefully attaching them to each other. "Security. I'm not going to be taken alive again."
"They're explosives?" The bags were thin enough to be worn under clothing. "So you're planning on blowing yourself up?"
"Not planning on it. Just in case."
"That's crazy. It could go off at any time."
"No, nothing short of me getting shot in the chest could set this shit off. But if it goes, it'll take out a bunch of those bastards too, everyone in the surrounding area."
"Right, and what about the kids?"
"They're your problem. Like you said I'm not going to be anywhere near them am I?"
Danny was quiet for a minute thinking out the implications of the plan. "Can you make one for me?"
Leo looked up. "Why?"
"I'm the only hope they've got. I can't risk being captured. At least if I die there's a chance I can come back for them."
Leo shrugged and taped down another packet. "Ok, but if you're going to detonate don't stand too close to me."
There was noise, no feeling. He was waking before he knew he had not been aware. He was a heap in the middle of the room. Blackened and cold, the room stunk of ash, the ceiling fallen in around him. There was meat burnt and spattered over the wall, stuck on like a scab. He was red and black, a thousand tears in his skin. He curled in a ball, numb in places, pain in others, coming back, pieces missing, no sight, the smell of his own blood, his own roasted flesh. He curled in a ball, in on himself. He lay there for a while and felt himself grow stronger, feeling returning. When he opened his eyes he could see the scars healing, trace the lines receding along his skin, beneath the sheet of blood.
With effort he stood. It was night. He could see through the holes in the ceiling. He didn't know how long he had been out for. He walked back through the destroyed corridor. The doors had been blown off their hinges into the studio, but it looked in better condition than the hallway, the full blast hadn't reached back here. It was empty.
He turned and made his way out of the compound.