Faith did not dare move until she knew exactly where the voice was coming from and whether or not Bosco was hurt, so she peeked around the corner of the dumpster and stared into the darkness. At first she could not see anything, but suddenly, she caught movement on the ground about 20 feet from where she was crouching. She then was able to vaguely discern the figure of her partner as he slowly sat up from where he had apparently been lying on the ground. She saw him gradually move back to the alley wall and then heard his voice as he broke into a long string of curses.
"Bosco! Are you okay?!" Faith screamed desperately.
"No, I'm not okay!" Bosco yelled to her for the second time that night. "That bastard shot me!"
The cold voice that sent involuntary shivers up Faith's spine called out again.
"I'll shoot you again if you don't shut up."
"Do you know how much paperwork I'm going to have to fill out after I kill you?" Bosco snarled back. "Faith, shoot this idiot, and then I'll finish him off!"
Faith groaned inwardly. Somehow it didn't surprise her that Bosco was terrified of the dark but was not phased in the least by gunshot.
And then, a large, dark form made its way towards Bosco so swiftly that Faith did not have a chance to react before it had snatched her partner up from the ground with strength that she could not recall ever seeing before. Realizing that she could no longer shoot at the target and that her partner was now in danger, Faith moved to radio to the other officers in the warehouse for help.
"Not a word officer unless you want to witness your partner losing his head," that sickening voice said again.
Faith vaguely wondered how the man could have seen her move her head slightly in the direction of her radio. She could only barely make out the outlines of the shooter, her partner and the gun that was held between them. The darkness was overwhelming. But she didn't doubt that the shooter was serious or that he would hear her voice echo between the walls of the alley if she spoke into the radio. She moved her head cautiously away from that source of help and abruptly wished she was out of that alleyway and back in the boring warehouse environment. Her only hope was that the other police officers at the crime scene had heard the shots and would soon come to her aid.
"Faith, will you just shoot this jerk, so we can go home!" Bosco yelled back to her. Faith could not help but smile, but her grin disappeared when she heard the stifled but pained cry that Bosco emitted when the shooter rigorously shook him. Bosco would not cry out unless he was seriously injured, and fear hit Faith hard in the pit of her stomach.
"You know, you don't have a chance of getting out of here!" she called down the alleyway. "Do you have any idea how many cops are going to be out here in the next minute?!"
"And do you know how dead your partner is going to be if I don't get out of here?" that voice replied with chilling composure. "Let me by, and I'll see that he lives. Keep me here for even 15 seconds longer, and he dies."
Faith's thoughts were wild things flying through her mind, and she could not make one of them slow down so that she could catch it. Her hand shook imperceptibly, but she was aware of the tremor.
"Faith, shoot him." Bosco continued to insist. But now his voice was dull and drifting, and Faith felt the last of her reason begin to slip.
Without thinking and holding her weapon uselessly by the muzzle, she stood up. Adrenaline pumped furiously throughout her body, and she scarcely knew what was happening around her. She held her hands over her head and yelled to the gunman.
"Go! But if you hurt him, I'll kill you."
"Faith...don't" Bosco moaned, but her frightened mind could not focus on his plea. Instead, she was forced to listen to the gunman's voice which slithered around like a dark and wild thing in her ears.
"Thank you," the shooter said in an unbelievably polite manner.
Then he scooped up Bosco's now seemingly unconscious body with that incredible strength, and he swiftly maneuvered his way down the alley. He averted his face from Faith, so she could not see any feature which would clue her into his identity or allow her to recognize him later.
"Don't follow," the man cautioned her as he passed. "Follow and he dies."
"How will I find him then?" Faith asked desperately. The spinning thoughts of her mind were slowing, and for the first time she had the sudden suspicion that she was making a horrible mistake.
"You'll just have to trust me," was the simple response she received to her question. And then the two men were gone from the alley.
"Bozz," Faith whispered. Unsure of her decision to let the gunman go in order to save her partner's life, she pulled her hands through her hair in frustration. She clenched her teeth tightly in an attempt to hold back the anguished cry that was threatening to burst its way out of her. She had acted out of instinct and without any of the legal justifications she was forced to live by as a police officer. She was uncertain of the ramifications of her decision, but she had been completely unable to allow any further harm come to Bosco. It had been an inconceivable choice to allow Bosco to be killed when she had been handed an option that would save him.
She stood still in the alley caught between the alternatives of following the gunman and getting help. She did not think long and made another instinctual decision. Calling into the radio, she left the alley and followed the path the gunman had taken.
"Bosco! Are you okay?!" Faith screamed desperately.
"No, I'm not okay!" Bosco yelled to her for the second time that night. "That bastard shot me!"
The cold voice that sent involuntary shivers up Faith's spine called out again.
"I'll shoot you again if you don't shut up."
"Do you know how much paperwork I'm going to have to fill out after I kill you?" Bosco snarled back. "Faith, shoot this idiot, and then I'll finish him off!"
Faith groaned inwardly. Somehow it didn't surprise her that Bosco was terrified of the dark but was not phased in the least by gunshot.
And then, a large, dark form made its way towards Bosco so swiftly that Faith did not have a chance to react before it had snatched her partner up from the ground with strength that she could not recall ever seeing before. Realizing that she could no longer shoot at the target and that her partner was now in danger, Faith moved to radio to the other officers in the warehouse for help.
"Not a word officer unless you want to witness your partner losing his head," that sickening voice said again.
Faith vaguely wondered how the man could have seen her move her head slightly in the direction of her radio. She could only barely make out the outlines of the shooter, her partner and the gun that was held between them. The darkness was overwhelming. But she didn't doubt that the shooter was serious or that he would hear her voice echo between the walls of the alley if she spoke into the radio. She moved her head cautiously away from that source of help and abruptly wished she was out of that alleyway and back in the boring warehouse environment. Her only hope was that the other police officers at the crime scene had heard the shots and would soon come to her aid.
"Faith, will you just shoot this jerk, so we can go home!" Bosco yelled back to her. Faith could not help but smile, but her grin disappeared when she heard the stifled but pained cry that Bosco emitted when the shooter rigorously shook him. Bosco would not cry out unless he was seriously injured, and fear hit Faith hard in the pit of her stomach.
"You know, you don't have a chance of getting out of here!" she called down the alleyway. "Do you have any idea how many cops are going to be out here in the next minute?!"
"And do you know how dead your partner is going to be if I don't get out of here?" that voice replied with chilling composure. "Let me by, and I'll see that he lives. Keep me here for even 15 seconds longer, and he dies."
Faith's thoughts were wild things flying through her mind, and she could not make one of them slow down so that she could catch it. Her hand shook imperceptibly, but she was aware of the tremor.
"Faith, shoot him." Bosco continued to insist. But now his voice was dull and drifting, and Faith felt the last of her reason begin to slip.
Without thinking and holding her weapon uselessly by the muzzle, she stood up. Adrenaline pumped furiously throughout her body, and she scarcely knew what was happening around her. She held her hands over her head and yelled to the gunman.
"Go! But if you hurt him, I'll kill you."
"Faith...don't" Bosco moaned, but her frightened mind could not focus on his plea. Instead, she was forced to listen to the gunman's voice which slithered around like a dark and wild thing in her ears.
"Thank you," the shooter said in an unbelievably polite manner.
Then he scooped up Bosco's now seemingly unconscious body with that incredible strength, and he swiftly maneuvered his way down the alley. He averted his face from Faith, so she could not see any feature which would clue her into his identity or allow her to recognize him later.
"Don't follow," the man cautioned her as he passed. "Follow and he dies."
"How will I find him then?" Faith asked desperately. The spinning thoughts of her mind were slowing, and for the first time she had the sudden suspicion that she was making a horrible mistake.
"You'll just have to trust me," was the simple response she received to her question. And then the two men were gone from the alley.
"Bozz," Faith whispered. Unsure of her decision to let the gunman go in order to save her partner's life, she pulled her hands through her hair in frustration. She clenched her teeth tightly in an attempt to hold back the anguished cry that was threatening to burst its way out of her. She had acted out of instinct and without any of the legal justifications she was forced to live by as a police officer. She was uncertain of the ramifications of her decision, but she had been completely unable to allow any further harm come to Bosco. It had been an inconceivable choice to allow Bosco to be killed when she had been handed an option that would save him.
She stood still in the alley caught between the alternatives of following the gunman and getting help. She did not think long and made another instinctual decision. Calling into the radio, she left the alley and followed the path the gunman had taken.