20
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And now my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be
Impossible.
Z
Pain. In my dim, fuzzed out mind that was the only thing to make sense. The closest thing besides the pain was a bone chilling cold. There was an urgent prick in my brain that cut through the fog like a laser. I tried to get back to the blackness that hid the pain, but that niggling feeling wouldn't go away.
I sighed. It sent a sharp, crushing pain through my rib cage. It knocked the breath out of me. After fighting to get it back to the dull throb, everything started to get a little clearer. My face was sore and pressed against a flat surface. My arms were completely numb, but there was a dull throb at my shoulders. I tried to clear my head and go back to sleep, but it wouldn't work.
Kamata. Han. Sean. The little prick in the back of my brain reminded. Suddenly, I was coherent again. It was like someone tossed a bucket of ice water on me. I had to get to Han and out of here before he came back with Takeshi. I didn't know how much time had passed. I hoped it wasn't too late for Han.
I started working on wiggling my toes. When that was accomplished, I moved my aching, stiff legs. I attempted to move my arms, but realized they were yanked together and tied behind me. My heart started to sink. After a moment of struggle, all I accomplished was hurting myself and figuring out that I was held my zip ties. I couldn't exactly pick those.
A feeling of rock-bottom helplessness crashed over me. My eyes started to burn and few bitter tears started slipped out. My eyes were almost swollen shut. I tried to pry them open further, but it made no difference because everything was dark.
I was about to die. I was only seventeen years old, and I was about to die. There was no way out of this. I was going to have to lay here until they came back to kill me. To slowly torture me to death. Anger burned in my chest and fought the cold feeling of helplessness.
None of this was my fault. I was just a kid. It was my uncle's fault for being a gambling addict, my dad's for agreeing to bail his butt out, and Han's for trying to pull a fast one on Kamata. Why was I paying for it?
I laid on the cold floor and wallowed in self-pity. I was so close. I had the plane ticket in my waiting car with my waiting suitcase. I had the gun in my waistband in case I had to fight my way out and the phone in my bra. I had a debit card from one of Han's accounts and wire cutters and a lock pick in my shoe in case I couldn't make it to Han's. Oh.
When the realization that it wasn't over hit, I took a second to calm myself down and think. I slowly started to pull my foot towards my bound hand. Moving after lying sprawled on the floor where I had been tossed hurt. I finally made it up to my numb fingers and started trying to pull the wire cutters out. After a few tries, I managed to get them. Forcing my clumsy fingers around the cutters hurt, but I finally managed to cut myself free.
My arms snapped apart. My shoulders cried out in protest, but I forced myself to ignore it. I pulled my aching arms up in front of me to wipe the tears streaming down my cheeks. My hands met my swollen skin. The skin was broken in a few places, and every touch set pain streaming down my nerve endings, but aside from that, the probably broken ribs on my left side, and the burning around my wrist from the zip tie, I was okay.
I started clumsily moving my arms and legs out to see if I could figure out where I was. My toes and fingertips almost instantly brushed the hard surface of the base board. I was in the coat closet. All I had between me and the front door was the waiting room.
I pulled my legs under me and did my best to stretch up to reach the lock. Every stiff muscle and bruise screamed in pain. I grabbed the lock pick out of my sock and waited to see if I heard anyone outside the door. Several tense minutes passed with nothing but the sound of a mouse behind the baseboard. I started fumbling with the lock pick, pausing every so often to listen for movement. I got the lock and started focusing on standing up. It took an agonizing six tries to get myself shakily on my feet.
I ran my hand through the jackets in the closet. I found a zip-up hoodie and dragged it off the hanger. I pulled it on with a lot of difficulty and pulled the hood up. I didn't have any sunglasses to hide my black eyes and busted lip, but it would have to do. I pulled the gun out of my waistband so I wouldn't get tangled in my extra long sweatshirt if I needed it. I went ahead and chambered a round like Han showed me, just in case.
I was surprised they hadn't taken it, but the ogre that dragged me back obviously didn't search me.
I gently turned the knob and peeked out the door. I couldn't see well out of my swollen eyes, but it didn't seem like anyone was in the room. I pulled the door open slowly and started creeping out.
I moved slowly so I wouldn't hurt myself or make any noise. I was almost out the door when I heard a noise behind me. I froze and waited to be shot for a second before I realized it was in one of the back offices.
I yanked my phone out the second I was free. I tried to adopt the stride of an arrogant mobster who would destroy anyone that looked at him wrong, but at five feet tall that was rather difficult. I dialed Han's number as I speed walked away from that place. Every stepped jarred my broken ribs.
The phone was ringing when I heard someone screaming at me in Japanese. I jerked around to see the other guard that was always hanging off of Kamata. It wasn't the ugly one, but he was usually on stationed at Kamata's other shoulder. He was yelling at me to stop. I froze like a scared mouse about to get nabbed by the owl. I let my hand fall away from my ear and close, shutting the phone. I put it in my pocket and slipped out my gun. He reached at his hip to draw his gun. I saw no other way out of it; I raised the gun and fired.
Horror spread through me as I saw him fall. I started backing away slowly. I spotted a parked car and started running for it. My lungs were screaming in pain when I reached it. I grabbed the door handle and it opened without a problem. I found the key hanging from the ignition. That meant it was a Yakuza's car; no one else would leave it unprotected like that. I turned the key with shaking hands. The icy fear from the nightmares was nothing compared to what I was feeling now.
I took off from the curb. I was lucky that the car was an automatic. I redialed Han's number with the phone on speaker. My heart beat faster with every ring. I prayed I wasn't too late.
"Ellie! You're running late are you almost here to get your car?" Han's joyful voice came through the earpiece. A few tears slipped as I squeezed my eyes shut in relief as long as possible without wrecking. He wasn't dead yet.
"Not exactly." I said quickly. I was having trouble breathing and talking at once.
"What?" Han asked.
"Kamata-knows-money-you need to run." I choked out. It was getting hard to breathe.
"What about you?" He asked worriedly. I heard the unmistakable sound of D's engine. My jaw dropped in horror.
"Han!" I cried out best I could. I glanced down at my phone. He had hung up.
"Damn it!" I hit the steering wheel with my good arm. I had to get help. There was no way I could save myself, let alone Han. I shouldn't have even been driving. I pushed Hanna's speed dial.
This was one of those time when I wish I could call my dad. He was made for situations like these. He taught me the driving, and I picked up the criminal skills from his crew, but I was not equipped to handle this. The old veterans from my dad's crew were barely equipped for this; most of them retired and scattered to keep the mob off their tail.
"Hey, girl-"
"Hanna, I got caught. Kamata's after the guy helping me." I gasped out. The adrenaline was starting to kick in, but I was still hurting.
"Are you hurt?" She immediately took charge of the situation.
"Beaten to a pulp, but fine. I had to shoot someone. I stole a car." I admitted.
"Okay. I'm on the street beside the huge square. I'm actually with a doctor. Is it easier for you to come to us, or us to go to you?" She asked calmly.
"I'll meet you there. I'm so scared. I can't breathe" I told her.
"I know. I'm going to stay on the line with you." A minute of silence passed where I concentrated on breathing. I heard the sound of people screaming and screeching tires floated over the phone.
"Hanna, what's going on?"
"What does your friend drive?" She asked urgently.
"Orange and black Rx-7, veil side body kit. Sean drives a red Evo with some silver graphiti painted on the side." I said. I was so worried for him and Sean.
"Shit." She hung up without warning.
I pulled off to the side. I was panicking and couldn't get my breath again. I was in a more populated section of town so I decided I'd walk from there. I found a pair of sunglasses and put them on. I got out of the car and people stepped out of my way. I glanced back to see the Mercedes symbol on the hood of the car. In my haste to get away I hadn't even noticed.
I had to put Han and Sean out of my mind for now. I didn't want to, but I had to save myself before I could ever help them. I pulled the hood over my head and pushed my way into the
crowd.
Z
"Ellie, are you on the plane yet?" Twinkie's concerned voice floated over the earpiece.
"No. I just got away from Kamata. I missed my flight. Are Han and Sean okay?" I asked.
"Baby girl," He hesitated. I felt my heart drop. "Han was in a wreck. He- he didn't make it."
The tears started falling. The sobs wracked my chest. I was in so much pain I put my back against the brick wall of a building and just slid down.
"Sean's okay. I'm going to go see him now. Do I need to come get you?" He said soothingly.
"No. You don't need to be near me. If they catch us, they'll kill you too." I told him.
"Okay. Call me if you need anything; and I mean anything. I'll be right there."
"I will." I hung up.
How could Han be dead? He was Han. The fact didn't compute in my concussed brain. I wasn't even angry at him for bringing Kamata down on me; I was expecting that. None of this made any sense to me. It couldn't be real. It hurt worse than the broken ribs.
I wanted to sit there and try to figure it all out. I was tired and I wanted to go to sleep and wake up back on his futon with him beside me; but I knew better. I had been there way to long. I had to get out of there. I had Han's debit card. I could get on the train and go somewhere-anywhere. I just couldn't stay in Tokyo.
I had forced myself up and was walking back into the crowds when my phone rang again. It was Hanna this time.
"Hello?" I couldn't hide the fact I was still crying.
"Find a place where I can pick you up. I have your friend; he's alive."