Seeing Ghosts

"Am I dead?" Jack said. "I must be dreaming."

Jack still hung at the end of the crane with his arms tied behind his back. The last thing he saw before closing his eyes were the mercenaries pointing their assault rifles right towards him ready to open fire.

"No, you're not dead, and you're not dreaming," Eve said.

"But I saw you get shot!" Jack said.

"Yes, that's right," Eve said.

Eve pulled up her shirt to reveal a bulletproof vest that she wore. The Kevlar had three holes that looked to be ripped from the bullets she took.

"But you fell out of a window," Jack said.

"Lucky for me, Sanderville had an awning over a window below his office and a chair on the ground below it," Eve said. "It hurt like a bitch when I fell, but I'm still here."

"Man, you're so fucking lucky," Jack said. "A few inches higher it would have been your head. And another thing, how did you know I would be here?"

"Shadow found me while I lied in Sanderville's backyard after I fell," Eve said. "Your dog led the way as he saw the cars take off while I limped behind him. Good thing we got to my car before they all left."

"You followed them here?" Jack said.

"Yep, what happened to you?" Eve said.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now," Jack said. "Can you get me down?"

Eve looked at the chain. "Hold still."

Eve pointed her pistol right at the chain. She pointed it high enough so that the bullet won't hit Jack's feet. Jack bent his body up. Eve fired a bullet. The chain broke. Jack dropped.

SPLASH!

Eve and Shadow ran towards the water tank and got out a knife and cut Jack's hand restraints. She then helped Jack get to the surface. Jack exhaled deeply after getting out of the water.

"Got anything to break off the cuffs?" Jack said.

Eve pulled out a pick and went to pick the leg cuffs off of him. Jack climbed out of the water tank. He had dried up a bit beforehand, but as soon as he got out, water dripped from his jeans and tank-top.

"Fuck, it's cold," Jack said. "But no time, we need to get the fuck out of here."

"I know how to get out of here," Eve said. "You two follow me."

It was up to Eve to lead the way out of there. It was likely crawling with Fahook's mercenaries, as well as other mob soldiers. Eve was likely still in pain from the gunshots and the fall, something that Jack had experienced the night before. Jack was cold from being dipped into the water. It didn't help that Jack was submerged a few times and held down before he could drown.

Jack picked up an AK-47 from one of the dead mercenaries, as well as picked up a 510 semi-automatic pistol. It was better than nothing. It was time to get out of there.

But before they were about to leave, Jack found the shirt and jacket he wore. He quickly put the shirt on, as well as the jacket. There was no time to button up the shirt. He wore it open.

Eve went to the door and opened it. Some mercenaries were outside. They were talking to Rafshoon and Ruby. Eve didn't make out what was being said, but if they got out through this door, the mercenaries would have likely started shooting or called the attention of Fahook, and reinforcements would have been sent their way.

"Shit, we can't get out through here," Eve said. "There is another door on the other end. Follow me."

Back in the warehouse, Hildy sat there trying to think of how to get everyone out of there. Some of the other women were still scared. Dominique had calmed down a bit, but nowhere close to being at ease. It wasn't long until a door opened, Rafshoon and Ruby walked in.

Hildy looked up and glanced at both of them with such contempt.

"Well, look who we have here," Ruby said.

"Fuck you," Hildy said.

"I told you that you shouldn't have crossed the boss," Ruby said.

"What the hell do you want, Ruby?" Hildy said with a look of contempt in her eyes.

"Just telling you right now, you made a mistake," Ruby said. "Also, how's Jack doing?" She said it in such a condescending way.

Hildy glared at Ruby for speaking of Jack. She knew that Jack and Ruby had dated and fooled around, but after seeing her being involved with some shady figures, she didn't look at her in a positive light. Not that she did before, but it wasn't as bad as it was now.

"Don't you ever say his name again," Hildy said.

"I knew it, you're still in love with him," Ruby said. "I wonder how much he still loves you."

"What are you talking about?" Hildy said.

"Try to figure it out," Ruby said. "But I think you'll be right at home with us. After all, you shook your ass on stage. You might want to put that body to some other use."

"Go fuck yourself, Ruby," Hildy said.

"Nice to see you, too," Ruby said with an evil smile, but the tone was a bit off. "I wonder if Jack will try to save you."

Hildy remembered hearing that Jack was close by. If only she had a way to reach him. She looked at Ruby like she wanted to slap her for taunting her about Jack. She suspected what she meant by that, but was it true?

As Hildy glared at Ruby, what stood out to her was when she taunted her, Ruby's tone of voice waned a bit. Although the part about her talking about Jack angered Hildy a bit, there was something off about all of this.

Gunshots were heard outside. Rafshoon and Dutch looked up.

"What the fuck is going on out there?" Dutch said.

"Don't worry, mate," Rafshoon said. "Fahook and the others are out there to see what's going on."

"You don't think Slate has broken loose, do you?" Dutch said.

Ruby quickly looked up when she heard the name "Slate" being mentioned. It was exactly the same type of reaction that Hildy had when she heard that earlier. Ruby looked at the two men with a touch of concern and then shifted her focus on Hildy. She then turned towards Rafshoon and Dutch.

"Hey, let me take the new girl for a minute," Ruby said.

A chill went through Hildy's veins while maintaining her venomous glare at Ruby. What could she want with Hildy? However, Hildy didn't want to leave Dominique and the others behind, especially after what Dominique had gone through, or worse, that innocent woman who got shot.

"Fahook wants all of the ladies here, Ruby," Rafshoon said.

"It's only for a minute," Ruby said. "We'll be back."

This was all strange for Hildy, as just moments ago, Ruby taunted her to her face. Nonetheless, Ruby got Hildy to her feet and they got out of the warehouse.

As soon as they got a few feet away from the door, Hildy broke the silence.

"Where are we going, Ruby? What are you doing?"

Ruby looked around. "Listen, Hildy, I felt bad about what just happened, especially with how those guys just came and got you. Just get out of here. I'll take the heat for this."

The way Ruby said that was different than how she talked down to Hildy not too long prior.

"Listen, I know you don't like me," Ruby said. "But I can't let them do that to you."

"No, I can't go without Dominique," Hildy said. "She is traumatized right now and I want to keep her safe."

Hildy was concerned for her friend. Regarding the other ladies, although she didn't want to see them be trafficked like that, it appeared unless all of Fahook's associates got diverted in some way, there was no way to get them all to safety. For all she knew, one or more would have likely suffered the same fate as that one woman.

"Listen, I have an idea," Ruby said. "I'll try to get the guys away from all of the ladies and tell them I'll keep an eye on you guys."

"Okay, that might work," Hildy said. "But one question, why are you helping me, especially after you talked to me that way? And why are you willing to take the heat? Those guys are dangerous. I saw one of those twins shoot a woman in the back of her head."

"I had to keep up a front," Ruby said. "I know we don't like each other, but after all the shit I went through, I can't let you or the other girls go through what I went through."

Hildy was confused about all of this.

"One more thing," Ruby said. "You deserve Jack more than I ever will. Come on, let's go back."

Hildy shot her a look of confusion. Something told her that this wasn't genuine on Ruby's end, but there had to be way out of there. Also, with her mentioning Jack that way, it started to make her wonder if something happened that night he and Ruby crossed paths.

When they got back, Ruby told Rafshoon and Dutch that they should go look for Fahook and the others, and that they could be under heavy fire. Both of them looked at Ruby with some skepticism, but Ruby told them she will keep an eye on the rest of the ladies. There were only five of them, including Hildy and Dominique.

The two men got out of the warehouse. Ruby looked around to make sure that they were out of sight.

"Okay, girls, go!" Ruby said. "Get out of here, now!"

Hildy got up and helped Dominique up, as she struggled to get to her feet. It wasn't certain whether Dominique suffered a beating from the men who assaulted her or that she was traumatized to the point that she couldn't do anything. In either case, Hildy was there to help her friend. As soon as Dominique got to her feet, Hildy helped her walk. The other three women got out of there on their own.

"One more thing," Ruby said. "Hit me."

"What? Why?" Hildy said.

"I need for Fahook to think that you all jumped me," Ruby said.

"Okay," Hildy said in a confused tone, but willing punched her after what Ruby said to her earlier on.

"Now we're even," Hildy said. Ruby knelt there with her hand on her stomach and a bruise on her face. All she could do was give her a thumbs up.

Hildy and Dominique left the room, while the other three women fled the room as quickly as possible.

Fahook led the twins and the Volkoff brothers to the room with the water tank. The first thing that Fahook noticed was the corpses of the mercs on the ground. But then came the big one.

"What the hell?" Fahook said. Jack Slate was nowhere to be found.

"What should we do?" Meeshaka said.

Fahook turned to the twins. "I want you and your sister to look for Slate and his accomplice. I know someone helped free him. I don't know who. I don't care who it was. Find them and kill them."

Meeshaka nodded. She and Shadraka, as well as Boris and Dimitri ran out of the room.

Meanwhile, Eve, Jack, and Shadow snuck around the docks. Both of them agreed to kill if someone made them out. Jack may have killed people before, but because there were a lot of mercenaries patrolling the area. It was likely that if more gunshots were heard, reinforcements would come out of the woodwork, there would be no way of Jack and Eve leaving the docks alive.

Eve stood at the corner of a large crate. She peered and saw that some guys in green raincoats scoped the area. Jack, on the other hand, stood near another corner.

ARF! ARF! Shadow barked a bit to get both of their attentions.

"Quiet, boy," Jack said to Shadow. But Shadow wasn't done as he tapped his paw against Jack's leg.

"Not now," Jack said. Only a few seconds had passed and the sound of footsteps drew the attentions of both Jack and Eve. It wasn't just any footsteps, though. These sound like the people were running.

"Fuck us all," Eve said. "You know what? Fuck this."

Eve drew an AK that she had and quickly opened fire towards any of the mercenaries that ran towards her. She quickly dove out and fired shots at three mercs in quick succession. Some of them were hit in their legs and then their chest, even vice versa on where they were hit first and second.

But Jack suspected that more were about to come, as well as flank her. Jack quickly ran out of the small alleyway and dropped a couple of mercs that ran up in the opposite direction.

"You're pretty good with weapons," Eve said. "Did you serve before?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, back in the mid-1990s I was even in Sarajevo," Jack said.

"That was one hell of a war," Eve said. "I haven't heard of a lot of cops that use assault rifles."

"You'd be surprised, especially these days," Jack said.

"Come on, let's get going," Eve said.

Jack and Eve ran out of their. Shadow ran in front of them. Both people decided that their strategy would be to just kill at anybody just shooting at them. With there being some civilian dock workers around, they didn't want to run the risk of killing any innocent bystanders. It wouldn't look good for Jack, either, as he was still an escaped convict.

It was about survival at this point. Jack was amazed that Eve lived from not just the gunshots she took on her chest, but also the fall. It was a good thing that the awning broke her fall or she would have been badly injured. It made Jack wonder if he should have Hildy look at her.

Oh shit, Hildy! Jack thought. He remembered that he was supposed to meet her after what happened at the Sanderville Manor. His expression was visible enough to draw Eve's attention.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Eve said.

"I forgot that I was supposed to meet Hildy after the stuff with Sanderville," Jack said.

"No time for that," Eve said. "I'm sure your doctor is fine."

"Please, call her Hildy, okay?" Jack said.

"Okay, Jack," Eve said as she smiled a bit.

Shadow used his senses to see if there was anybody around. All Jack and Eve wanted to do was get out of there. Around the corner of some large crates, Shadow heard some chatter.

"…Fahook said to shoot Slate if we see him," a mercenary said.

"But someone killed some of our other guys in that room," another merc said. "Who could it be?"

"I don't know, but whoever it was, that person is good," mercenary 1 said.

"You don't think it could her, do you?" mercenary 2 said.

"Who the fuck are you talking about?" mercenary 1 said.

"I think it was Eve Adams," mercenary 2 said.

"That's bullshit, Eve Adams is dead," mercenary 1 said. "Patch said that one of the twins shot her earlier. She ain't as good as people say she is, or was."

Shadow quickly crawled back towards Jack and Eve.

"What is it, boy?" Jack said.

Shadow turned his head towards that area with those crates and looked right towards Eve and barked at her a couple of times.

"What's he saying?" Eve said.

Jack looked forward towards the right. "Shadow thinks that there are other guys around the corner."

"Get ready, Jack," Eve said and pulled out her silenced pistol. She pulled out another and handed it to Jack.

As they got closer, the two mercenaries walked around the corner. They looked up, they immediately jumped at what was seen in front of them. Jack and Eve held their pistols directly towards their heads as though they were about to shoot them point-blank.

"Oh fuck!" mercenary 1 said. "Looks like I was wrong."

"Where is there a way out?" Jack said.

"If I say anything, Fahook or the twins will kill us," mercenary 2 said.

"That's not our problem," Eve said. "Usually I would just shoot you without asking any questions, but we are having a bad fucking night. You tell us, and we won't have to kill you."

Both mercenaries were caught in a bind. The second one shook his head because he had heard about Eve's reputation as a stone cold killer. Both of them told them where to go and let them pass.

When the two (or three if Shadow should count) got far enough, Jack asked Eve, "Do you think that those guys will you tell Fahook or any of the others?"

"I don't give a shit," Eve said. "We always got to be prepared for what could happen."

"No shit," Jack said. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Meanwhile, Hildy led the way for her and Dominique. Hildy looked around to see if there were other guards around, but some of them were probably diverted from the possibility of Jack being on the vicinity and maybe shooting them. She had hoped that the other three women had safely gotten out of there. She had also picked up a pistol that she saw lying around from a dead body that she saw.

With so many of the mercenaries and assassins focusing on the possibility that they're looking for Jack, it was possible that she and Dominique would leave Dock 765 safely. However, with her first love being out there and a target, she expressed her concern. However, she also remembered that Jack was a tough guy and would get out of this alive.

"Come on, this way," Hildy said. Dominique followed her a path near some crates going towards a warehouse.

The two continued to sneak around the docks, near any crates, trucks, speedboats on trailers that were near any warehouses. They had to stay out of sight.

"How much longer?" Dominique said.

Hildy peered from a corner at the front end of a truck that was parked.

"I couldn't tell you, but I have a feeling we're not too far off," Hildy said. "Once we're out, we'll get to my car over at the Oar House and I'll take you home."

"I don't know if I want to go home," Dominique said in a rather scared tone.

Hildy turned around and saw that Dominique looked down a bit.

"Dominique, please tell me, I know I asked you, but I want to know," Hildy said. "That guy, Boris, did he rape you?"

Dominique didn't say a word for a few seconds but after a bit, her eyes started to get watery and she shook her head.

"No, but he touched me in different places," Dominique said.

Hildy went and hugged her friend as Dominique put her head against her friend's shoulder.

"It's okay, I will get you out of here," Hildy said. Hildy figured that Dominique wasn't being completely straight with her when she asked her earlier that evening. Not so much that she deceived her, but more that she didn't want to say right then and there.

"When we leave, you should get out of town for a bit, maybe visit some family somewhere," Hildy said.

Dominique nodded her head once again. "I will. By the way, how do you know that guy's name?"

"He went by the strip club I used to work at a lot," Hildy said. "He looked like he wanted to fuck me so badly."

"Wait, used to work there?" Dominique said.

"I quit working there recently," Hildy said. "Come on, let's get going."

In the months that had gone on since Hildy had met Dominique when she started working at The Oar House, that same friendly and upbeat young woman had shown a different side, and not in a good way. Hildy saw a broken and lost young woman who had been sexually assaulted. For a bit, she saw her as a work friend, but right now, she saw that Dominique needed a friend to comfort her and to also help her out of there.

"Well, well, look what we have here." Hildy looked up and heard a deep voice with a Russian accent.

"Oh no," Dominique said with such a weak and defeated tone. She knew that voice all right.

Hildy told Dominique to get behind her and she looked up and saw Boris standing there.

"Well, I didn't think I'd find you two ladies here, but looks like my night is about to get better," Boris said.

"Stay the fuck back, and STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" Hildy yelled with so much power in her voice.

"What are you going to do?" Boris said and got up to her and started to creepily rub his hand on Hildy's face and parts of her body.

Hildy laid a hard slap right to his face and kneed him right in the nuts. "You disgust me!"

Boris grabbed his groin to rub away the pain from the knee to the nuts, as well as rubbed his face from the slap. He glared at Hildy with so much anger on his face.

"You fucking cunt," Boris said. He went right for her like he was ready to attack her.

But Hildy reached behind her and grabbed the gun she had tucked in the back of her pants.

"Stay back, I'm warning you!" Hildy yelled while she shook.

"You can't do it, you won't do it," Boris said.

"What makes you so sure?" Hildy said as she shook some more.

"Because you have never shot a person before," Boris said. "I can tell. You're shaking."

Hildy shook some more but then froze. Boris was right. Hildy had never shot a person before. She may have gone to shooting ranges to practice firing a gun, but shooting a person was something she had never actually done. It was new territory for her.

Hildy pointed the gun, but the tension was so much that her arms couldn't keep still. But as Boris closed in, BANG! She let out a shot and saw as Boris fell right to the ground. She took a deep breath.

"Come on, Dominique, let's go," Hildy said.

As the two ladies were walking off, the sounds of struggle and hard breathing caught both of their attentions. They both turned around and saw that Boris was still breathing. Hildy only shot him in the shoulder.

"Stay behind me," Hildy said and drew the gun again.

Boris struggled and drew his own gun. "I am going to kill you both!"

Hildy pointed her gun and fired it once again.

"AHHHH!" Boris yelled. It turned out that Hildy shot him somewhere rather sensitive as she saw blood in between Boris's legs.

"You fucking shot me in my dick!" Boris said.

"Fuck this shit," Hildy said and fired a few more shots once again. This time she aimed for the chest and stomach. It wasn't long until Boris dropped down on his side. If he wasn't dead right then, he was going to die soon.

"Oh my god," Dominique said. "You shot him down there!"

"Can't say he didn't deserve it," Hildy said.

"That guy was a sick fuck, you did him a favor," Dominique said.

"Yeah, I agree with you," Hildy said. "I'm taking you home."

As the two ladies walked off, a yell was heard from a distance. It was from another Russian.

"Hey, you, over there!" It turned out to be Dimitri. "You killed my brother!"

Several mercenaries were ready to start opening fire on them. But out of the blue, more gunfire went their way. Hildy and Dominique looked up and some other gangsters started firing at any assassins and mercenaries in the vicinity. These men were clearly not after Hildy and Dominique. One gangster told the two to get out of the way. They looked like Russian mobsters, but they didn't appear to be affiliated with Boris and Dimitri.

However, Dimitri ran out of the way, as he was mostly focused on the two ladies. They had escaped, along with the other three women. No one had found the other three women. It seemed that they had gotten out of there safely.

Hildy and Dominique ran as fast they could. Hildy may have had a gun, but she checked how many bullets were left, which wasn't a lot. She would have to be lucky to get a shot on him, but there was no guarantee that it would put down Dimitri.

"Come back here, Faith, I know you killed my brother!" Dimitri said. He had addressed Hildy by her stripper name.

Hildy looked up and saw that they were close to the main gateway of the docks. The restaurant was not too far from there. She told Dominique to hide around the corner of the warehouse she was close to. She peered over one corner and saw that Dimitri was close and had a Desert Eagle in hand. He was ready to blow a hole into her.

Hildy got out and fired one bullet. It missed. She fired another. It grazed his leg, but he kept going. She was down to only one bullet. She got out and as she looked ahead, Dimitri drew his Desert Eagle. Hildy fired the final shot but it barely landed on his left shoulder of his white shirt. It didn't affect him much as he was ready to seal her fate right then.

"Say good night, Faith," Dimitri said as he pointed it right at her. Hildy froze right there. Sure, she wanted to run, but she couldn't. She was unable to run because the foul stench of death was upon her. But in her case, better her than Dominique.

Dimitri was about to fire a hollow point into her, but suddenly felt some teeth bite into his left leg.

"What the…?" Dimitri looked to his side and saw a gray and white Malamute, which then bit deeply into his left arm.

"Huh?" Hildy opened her eyes. "Shadow?"

Dimitri got his gun and was ready to shoot Shadow, until he heard a man say drop it and felt a gun right against his head, and then another one on another side.

"You shoot that dog, I will put a slug in your head, you got that?" The man's voice drew Hildy's attention. It was none other than Jack.

"Jack Slate, I didn't expect to see you right here, I thought they killed you by now," Dimitri said.

"Yeah, well, I had some help," Jack said.

"Hello, Dimitri Volkoff, remember me?" said a female voice on the other side. It was Eve.

"Eve Adams," Dimitri said. "Heard you were dead."

"Not even fucking close, asshole," Eve said. "Let the woman go."

Jack signaled to Hildy to go hide around the corner. Hildy obliged to it.

"Tell me something, Dimitri, what the hell does Fahook Ubduhl want with me?" Jack said.

"You're asking the wrong guy, I'm just helping out with some of his business," Dimitri said. "Besides, you killed my brother."

"Your brother shot at me first," Jack said. "It was self-defense."

"Bullshit, you helped Blanjov take Fahook's gun shipment!" Dimitri said. "I lost my other brother just now! So do me a favor, just kill me."

"Uh, not worth it," Jack said. "I'm going to find Patch and then soon enough, I will have another word with Fahook. Do svidanya."

Jack and Eve walked off. Dimitri was surprised that they spared him. However, still full of anger over the death of his brothers, Dimitri drew his Desert Eagle. But Jack and Eve figured it out right away and turned around put a few rounds into him. He quickly dropped and was done. It was kill or be killed.

As soon as they walked around the corner, they saw Hildy and Dominique.

"Hildy," Jack said, calling for her attention.

"Oh my god, Jack!" Hildy said and gave him a big hug. "I was so scared."

"If I knew you were here, I would have looked for you," Jack said.

"Hello, Doctor," Eve said to Hildy.

"Please, call me Hildy, okay?" she said and saw Dominique walk up. "This here is my friend Dominique."

Jack shook her hand, as did Eve.

"You're Jack Slate," Dominique said.

"Yes, I am," Jack said.

"Hildy has told me a lot about you," Dominique said.

"She has, huh?" Jack said. "Well, let's get out of here."

The four, along with Shadow got out of the docks. Jack wasn't done, not by a longshot, but at least he got out of there safely, as did Hildy and her friend.

Eve left in her car but told Jack that she will keep her eyes open for anything on Patch. Jack knew that Patch wasn't going to tell him upfront while he hung and was dipped into the water. Jack rode with Hildy in her car as he rode shotgun, while Dominique and Shadow sat in the back. Hildy started her car and they were off.

Fahook, along with the twins, had gotten back to the warehouse. The women were all gone. He stood there with Meeshaka and Shadraka, as well as Dutch and Rafshoon. The one person who was also gone was Ruby.

"What happened here?" Fahook said.

"Ruby told us she would watch the ladies," Dutch said.

"Yes, but where are they? Hell, Ruby is gone, too," Fahook said.

"Damn, I shouldn't have left her in charge of the women," Rafshoon said.

"You were all supposed to be watching the ladies and if they misbehaved, then you would take care of them," Fahook said.

"Yes, Fahook," Rafshoon said.

"So what do we do?" Dutch said. "The two Russian guys are dead."

"Well, right now I have my mind on other matters," Fahook said. "I need to check with Mayor Pinnacle about the upcoming debate. As for the other ladies, we will find more, but it's ruining my business."

"What about Ruby?" Dutch said.

"We'll see that she gets what's coming to her as well." Fahook said.

Everyone else in the room nodded their heads. It was clear that if she was still there, then she would have already been dead.

Author's note: Man, this was not easy. I will tell you that I had some other ideas for this one but I scrapped them. I decided to do things a different way.

I will continue with this soon. I may do a time skip or something. Stay tuned.