The Hostage

Chapter two

Billie stared at the screen Oh please God, don't let him be dead. She too blinked back tears. She had to stay in control, she couldn't fall apart.

The tech then rewound the live feed video so they could watch what happened immediately after the robbers destroyed the old cameras. Now there wouldn't be any sound but at least they could see what was going on.

They watch as Gibson grabbed Van by his arms and pulled him to the side of the room. A streak of blood followed his body. He then orders one of the customers to mop up the blood.

"We got to get him out of there Billie." Deaq kept staring at the screen unable to take his eyes off of his partner's still form. There was so much blood.

"Deaq………..you got to realize it might be too late. He might already be………." She didn't want to say it but she didn't want Deaq to have any false hopes.

"He's alive till I see him dead!" Deaq interrupted her as he spun around. Van wasn't dead, this had to be some kind of nightmare he'd wake up from. He and his partner would be back shooting hoops tomorrow. This wasn't happening.

They turned back to the tape and watch as the robbers force the hostages to sit against a wall. They then pull down the shades at the bank and two of them began going through the teller's drawers stuffing money into their bags.

The tech fast forwarded the tape then began the live feed again. Hadley looked at Billie.

"Well, now we know what happened." Seeing the distraught look on her face he adds. "I'm sorry, was he one of your men?"

"Not was, is." Deaq said angrily. "Is one of her men. My partner's not dead."

"Can you get different views from the camera?" Billie asked. As much as she dreaded what she might see, she had to know.

"Let me see." The tech fiddled with different switches and the camera slowly turned. All eyes watched as the camera scanned the room.

"Hold it!" Deaq shouted as he pointed to a figure at the corner of the screen. "Over there!" A crumbled body could be seen lying beside a desk.

"Try to zoom in." Hadley told the tech.

Slowly the lens zoomed in. Van's body lying in a small pool of blood came into focus. He wasn't moving.

Deaq shut his eyes. Guilt washed over him and his stomach turned into a hard knot. He turned away from the screen. A stupid argument, and now his partner might be dead because he had become pigheaded and left him at the bank. Damn it! Why the hell did I leave! Maybe if he had gone in with Van things would have worked out differently. Billie wanted to comfort Deaq, she knew what he was thinking, but her own heart was breaking as she looked at Van's body. Then suddenly her eyes widened.

"He moved! Oh my God Deaq he moved!"

TBC