And Chaos Ensues
A/N: Here it is guys! Your reviews are so incredibly encouraging; thank you so much for taking the time to make my day! Enjoy...
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The ceiling overhead creaks loudly again and we make a mad dash for the door, frantically praying all the while that the four floors above won't give-way and crush us to death. God, no, please... Just let us get out the door... we're so close...
Five seconds later we're out.
The icy air outside hits us like a slap in the face, but anything is better then the hellhole that we just came from. Carlos and a bunch of the bucket boys grab Jimmy from us and take him quickly to the waiting ambulance, relieving our shaking arms from his weight.
I run as far away from the complex as I can before I lean over, throwing my mask off, gasping and struggling to catch my breath. I wince at the cold air as I gulp it in, coughing and choking on what seems like two inches of soot on my tongue and throat. I attempt to spit out the taste and then cough again so hard that I nearly heave up my lunch. Oh, God, I'm gonna cough up a lung...
Suddenly there's a hand on my back and a familiar voice. "Bosco! Are you okay?" Faith asks, clearly worried. I try to answer her, but I can't stop coughing. My eyes are still watering like nothin' goin', and my lungs are so tight that they feel like they will just rip apart. God, make it stop, I inwardly groan, squeezing my eyes shut in pain.
When I open them again a minute later, Carlos is in front of me with the meds bag. "Are you okay, man?" he asks. What an idiot! Do I look okay? "Com'on let's get you checked out."
I know what that means: I get to sit in the back of the ambulance and have Carlos poke and prod at me. Or worse, he looks me over and decides that I need a ride to the hospital - my least-favorite place in the entire world. No thank you, I'll pass.
"I'm fine," I rasp. I seem to be saying that a lot today...
"You're a bad liar, Bos," Faith remarks. I shake my head and cough a few more times, trying to be rid of the stiffness in my lungs and throat. Damn, I need some water.
Finally, I straighten back up and attempt to breathe normally. "I'm okay, I just got some smoke. I'm fine. Go help Jimmy or Walsh."
Faith doesn't buy it. "Doc and Kim got them. Com'on, Bosco, just let him take a look at you." She's not gonna take no for an answer, I can tell.
Oh, yeah, this day just keeps on gettin' better and better...
**********
Fifteen minutes and half of an oxygen tank later, Carlos finally decides that I'm okay.
Of course I'm okay - I just needed to cough out the smoke, get some fresh air. No big deal. My lungs feel halfway back to normal, but my head still aches and now my back and arms are a little stiff. Whatever, I'll be fine.
I hop out of the back of the ambulance and wander over to where Faith is waiting. She gives me a weak smile and pats my arm. "That was really somethin' you did in there, Bos."
I shrug her off and glare at the smoldering building. Apparently, almost the entire second floor gave out a little while ago right near where we were - we got out of there in the nick of time, with only seconds to spare. The flames are still licking at the top floor, but the fire has died down considerably. "Lieu said that everyone got out okay, right?" I ask my partner.
"Yeah, they were all on their way out when you and Doc went in. You guys were the last out." She purses her lips and her eyes cloud over. I know she was worried; she's got that mothery look on again...
"Let's go, Faith. I want to get outta here," I say and turn back around, heading for the RMP. I don't want to spend one more second here, the smoke that is still hanging in the air is irritating and makes my head pound.
As I get closer to the cruiser, I notice the absence of our guest. "Where the hell is Tenney?" I snap, very perturbed. If that sniveling jag-off got loose...
"Oh, uh, Sully and Davis offered to take him in," Faith answers softly as she pushes past me to the driver's side and gets in. Okay, I guess I'm not driving.
I get in the passenger side and slump into the seat. I'm so tired and it's only... I check my watch. 7:22 pm. Great - three and a half more hours left in this day from hell. It never ends...
"Well, it's a good thing they took the bastard. I mighta just killed him myself. I mean, what the hell kinda person burns a building with people inside it? Sick son-of-a-bitch," I lash out, annoyed.
"Bosco, I don't really care about him," Faith says a little louder then necessary, her voice taking on that high pitched kinda tone she gets when she's upset. "You had me worried as hell. Don't ever do that again, okay? Or at least wait until my day off!"
I guess I really upset her, because she looks like she's going to cry. "Hey, I'm sorry," I say quietly. "I just couldn't leave Jimmy and them in there, ya know? Just wouldn't be right..."
She nods her head, but I can tell she's still bothered. Her hands are shaking slightly and she's clutching the steering wheel in a death-grip.
"Hey, could we stop for something to drink? I need some more water," I say, strategically changing the subject. I hate this. You know, all of this emotional stuff. I'm no good at it - never have been.
"Sure." Faith pulls the RMP back on the road and I lean back and close my eyes. Oh, man, I wish I were in bed right now...
We drive on a few minutes before a call comes in over the CB. "Dispatch to any available units, reports of a MVA at Anderson and 12th."
I automatically reach for my radio to call us in, but Faith's hand stops mine. "No, Bos. Let someone else take this one. Why don't we lay low and take it easy for the rest of the night? We'll pick up an easy one later."
Sounds good to me. Today has been... well, one of the most unusual days of my life. Let's see, I had two perps assault me, shot a robber, survived sock coffee, wrote up a store full of shit, and ran into a fire. I just realized this, but we've been running from call to call all day without a break. If I make it through the rest of the day I deserve a medal...
"Whatever," I reply and sink back into my seat.
**********
"So then he tells me that I'm being bitchy. I wasn't being bitchy, I just wanted him to do it my way for once!" Faith says forcefully.
We've been sitting around in the RMP for the last hour and a half and I'm nearly bored out of my mind. Faith has been ranting about this thing with Fred for a good ten minutes. Give it up, women.
Apparently, Fred and her had a big fight this morning. Fred was making scrambled eggs for breakfast and Faith only likes hers over-easy. Their kids like scrambled and he likes scrambled, so what's the big deal, right? Well, Faith here wanted him to throw away the half-done eggs and start all over with fried.
"Uh, yeah, Faith - hate to break it to ya, but that's just plain bitchy," I say, waiting for her to start the impeding tirade about me not taking her side. "You shoulda just waited for him to finish and made your own."
"Oh, you would side with Fred," she rolls her eyes. "Men - they always stick together and the woman is always wrong."
"No, men stick together when the woman's PMSing," I tell her. I totally feel for Fred, you don't want to be with Faith when she's like that. After nine years of working with a woman, I have long-since figured out why they call it PMS: 'Cause Mad Cow Disease was already taken.
"Dispatch to any available unit. Disturbance of peace in the subway station at 4th and Robinson," the radio squawks.
"Ok, Faith - we're taking this one. It's like a block up the street," I inform her shortly and grab my CB. So far, Faith has made us pass up four calls, and they weren't even hard ones. If she makes me sit here and listen to her problems any longer, I'll scream. This call isn't a big deal anyway, it's probably some drunk singing or something - usually is. "Besides, I'm bored as hell."
Faith hesitates a moment then nods. I know she's worried about me, but I'm okay now and I'm a grown man - I can take care of myself. She needs to chill out.
"10-4, Central. 55-David, 4th and Robinson." I recite back. "Let's go, Faith," I motion for her to go and reach over to switch the lights and siren on.
My partner sighs heavily and drives the squad out onto the street. It's started to snow again; the flakes are big and fluffy, falling down to the street lazily. Wonderful - I hate snow. A lot. We already have enough snow around here to kill a horse. I hate being cold all the time and I hate traffic when there's snow on the ground, it gets so slow that I might as well just walk home. Winter sucks. Only a couple more months of this crap...
Faith pulls the RMP up to the subway station's aboveground sign. There's nobody around up here; I'm guessing that the "Disturber of the peace" is underground. Faith gets out and I follow her to the flight of concrete stairs leading into the station below.
"You think it's Stan?" Faith asks, referring to one of our well-known frequent flyers.
Stan is called in at least once a week for disturbances, normally a result of a drinking binge. He likes to sing when he's drunk - very loudly. Either he sings himself to jail or we find him lying somewhere in a drunken stupor. Last time we found him passed out not four feet from the edge of the subway platform. He's lucky that he didn't fall or roll off, otherwise we'd have had to scrape him off the tracks.
"Probably," I reply scornfully as we trot down the steps. "That guy needs to get a life outside the bottle."
"Well, at least he's harmless," Faith remarks, smiling a bit as if she's amused. I'm sure as hell not amused. My time is valuable and I don't like spending it on stupid drunks. I have better things to do.
"Yeah, but he's a waste of time. Every time we gotta come get him our tax money goes down the drain," I scoff.
Faith has no comment, and I'm thinking that she agrees with me.
We get to the bottom of the stairs and take a left down the hall, hopping the ticket turnstiles. Our footsteps echo loudly in the nearly empty station, drowning out the hum of the electric trains that move through the tunnels.
We reach the main terminal and look around. Ten or twelve people are standing around, a few sitting on the benches that line the wall, waiting for the next train. I don't see anyone disturbing the peace, however. "Okay... Uh, I guess he's not here?" I venture.
Faith shakes her head slightly and continues to look the place over, walking around with her hands on her gun belt in her usual casual stance.
My gaze darts from person to person trying to pick out our offender. Old guy. Nope. Lady with baby. Nope. Two, obviously gay guys... double nope, but I have a mind to arrest them for PDA. Public displays of affection are never cool - especially if you are two guys holding hands in the subway station. Keep it to yourselves people.
A horn sounds faintly from down the dark subway tunnel and a few people get up and move to the edge of the platform. The eerie quiet and substantial dimness of the underground station is staring to feel really creepy. I don't like this place and I'm getting a bad feeling...
"Faith! There's no one here," I call after her, wanting to get out of here.
Faith just ignores me, and as the train pulls into the station, she yells out, "Hey, did anybody here call the police?"
A few people turn, but as they all push to board the train only a middle-aged guy pipes up, "Yeah, that guy over there was yelling his fool head off." He points to a dark corner near another stairway.
I squint to see and realize that there's a man down there. Looks like he's standing next to the wall and banging his head against it. What on earth? Either he's a wack-job, or he's drunk as a skunk.
"Thanks," Faith calls after the informant as he boards the train.
"Check out the headbanger," I say to her, my tone a mix of amusement and annoyance. "This oughta be fun."
"Interesting," is all she has to say. Yeah, Faith, I know...
We walk over towards where the crazy wack-job is standing, and when we get closer I can hear him moaning or humming something - I can't tell which. Weird. He's dressed pretty well, so I don't think he's s bum, but something is really off about him. Can't place my finger on it...
"Hey, you okay, sir?" Faith asks very nicely, letting her hand slide down to her nightstick. I do the same, my fingers gripping the metal handle, ready to yank it out at a moment's notice - I'm not taking any chances with this guy. He's giving me a bad vibe. Behind me, I hear the hiss of the train as it pulls away.
Great, we're the only ones in the whole damn place with this weirdo.
Wack job shakes his head to Faith question, and continues to bang it again and again against the concrete wall. God, that's got to hurt. For no good reason, he breaks out into some sort of wordless song, half-yelling it right in our ears. I frown at him, confused. This guy is some kind of moron...
"Sir?" Faith tries again, hollering over his ode and moving a bit closer to him. She sighs and gives me an annoyed look. "Sir! You're gonna have to stop that!"
He quiets a bit, but continues to belt out his sad song. Sounds like something I heard at a funeral once, I think. I try my luck at him, "Hey, com'on, man. You need to cut it out."
I guess he is either ignoring us or he's deaf, because nothing changes. I roll my eyes and get frustrated at him. This is useless - we might as well go now. "Faith, let's just get outta here - he's a loony. Let him sit here and bang his head till he makes a hole in the wall. I don't really care..."
"Com'on, sir," she tries once again. "Why don't you come with us..."
I see her grab his arm and suddenly everything goes into slow motion.
I watch in horror as the guy's eyes widen and panic light up in them. My heart stops as I see him reach under his coat for his belt. No! my mind screams, and my reflexes move to stop him but everything is too damn slow. His shaking hand comes out, revealing exactly what I'd feared.
First, a glint of metal - then a round, sliver barrel right in my face.
Gun. That's a gun. God, he's got a gun. Oh, God, I'm gonna die. Don't shoot...don't you dare shoot, I want to yell at him, but the lump forming in my throat is too big.
I hear Faith gasp; a strangled, tight sound and I see her slowly back off a couple of yards. I want to scream at her to run, to get out of here fast, but I can't. It's like my whole body has frozen. I'm like a solid block of ice, a sitting duck.
What the hell do I do?
My brain is on overload. I'm thinking a billion things right now, but none of them seem relevant. I slow my thoughts down and focus on what I need to do. Okay, okay, I can do this, I assure myself. I can do this. Easy, easy now... Just need to reason with him, just need to show him I'm not a threat...
I deliberately raise my hands slowly in submission, hoping he'll see that I'm not in offensive mode and lower the gun. Okay, man, com'on... I silently beg.
I stare at my assailant and try to read him, see if I can tell what he's planning on doing. His eyes have an insanely wild look in them, something I've never seen before. He's starting to sweat, despite the freezing temperature, and his hands are shaking crazily. I can only see fear and horror and panic. Oh, God, this is not good...
"Bosco?" I hear Faith whisper. I can tell she's scared, but I know she's not in the line of fire, so I concentrate on getting myself out of this mess.
My mouth is dry, but I swallow against the scratchiness and the lump in my throat and struggle to find the right words, "Okay - easy, easy," I soothe, taking a measured half-step back.
But my deliberate movement sends him into a frenzy. "Don't you move, dammit!" he shrieks, waving the gun two inches from my face. Shit.
My stomach drops and I blink at the gun in shock, thinking that he's about to blow my face away. "I won't let them take me! No more! They won't take me again..." he rants, his nostrils flaring and his eyes rolling.
What the hell is he talking about? This guy is mad. Stark, raving mad.
With the wild look on his face, plus the way he's sweating, I think he's probably the scariest person I've ever seen. Well, the fact that he has a gun leveled right between my eyes might have something to do with it too... but seriously, I'm scared half to death right now.
I watch out of the corner of my eye as Faith reaches slowly for her CB, but the psycho sees that too. "Don't!" he screams at her, still keeping the gun leveled at my head.
Now I'm starting to sweat and my whole body feels like rubber. I need to move; I need to get out of here. God, don't let him shoot me! Okay, okay...stay calm, Bosco. Try and get him to put the gun down...
I keep my hands up and attempt to reason with him again, "Listen, buddy-" I start, my voice a lot shakier than I'd like it to be.
"Shut up!" he yells and viciously drills the gun right into my forehead. I squeeze my eyes shut and hold my breath, dreading what is to come. The cold steel against my skin sends tremors coursing through my body. I'm dead... I'm so dead. Faith, don't be mad at me... I'm sorry.
"Just shut the hell up! You can't take me! They can't have me! Who sent you? Was it them?" he screams in my face, punctuating each question with a violent thrust of the gun.
What the hell is he talking about? He's insane! He's gonna blow my head off!
I'm not going to die like this... no way ! I quickly open my eyes again and furiously stare him right in the eye. His face is pouring sweat now and his eyes are nearly entirely bloodshot, the look on his face indescribable. I've never seen anything that scared me so much. God, help me...
I swallow back the enormous lump in my throat and attempt to talk again, "I don't know, pal. Everything's gonna be okay. Listen, just take it easy. Just take it real easy. I'm not gonna hurt you..."
His eyes widen again and he thrusts the gun into my chest. Hard. I flinch and struggle against my dropping stomach as it nervously threatens to heave. "That's what they all say! That's what they say!" he screams again, his angered expression changing into one of sheer horror.
What have I done? Oh, God, what have I done...
"You're one of them!" he whispers, his eyes wide and darting from my face to the gun. He's terrified. At what? I see his finger move slightly, starting to squeeze the trigger, and my heart drops to the floor.
Oh, shit, no...
I hear the gun go off before I feel anything. It pops loudly and sends a flash of bright light through the dim station. Suddenly my body is thrown back violently. I start to fall back and another flash blinds my eyes. I feel something hard hit me again and the air rushes out of my lungs as I go down.
I'm wearing my vest, I think as I fall. I'll be okay.
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TBC... Sorry guys about the lil' cliffhanger, I'm a repeat offender :) Tell me what you thought about this one, I love hearing from you all!
