Hutch offered the smallest of smiles to his brother.
It was returned easily.
o0O0o
David's finger tightened on the trigger as a sick smile spread over his face. "Goodbye, detective."
A loud, echoing thump and metallic clang caused all five men to flinch. Hutch recoiled into the wall behind him before realizing that the sound had not been the discharge of a gun.
"What the hell was that?" David growled, turning in the direction of the noise.
With wide eyes, Hutch glanced at Starsky. There was no time to rejoice over still being alive just yet. He had a sinking suspicion who the sound had been.
Mike and Gary approached the stack of cardboard boxes with caution as David held his guard over the detectives. "Looks like someone else wants to join our party," David announced, the remark meant to encourage his partners.
Gary seemed to understand and relaxed into a more confident posture. "Here girly girly, come on out. No one is going to hurt you…"
Hutch's eyes narrowed as he noticed the fine tremors coursing through Gary. Not tremors of fear, but tremors of excitement and possibly something more. This guy was not right in the head. Beside him, Starsky took a breath.
"Leave her alone," Starsky threatened. "She's of no harm to you."
"Shut up," David snapped, barley glancing backwards.
Hutch looked at his bound hands, wishing more than anything that they were free. He swallowed, deciding he would never rid the taste of blood from his mouth, and tried to think of a way out.
Gary approached the boxes and grinned. "I know you're back there little girl," he sing-songed sadistically.
Hutch saw the disgusted look Mike shot David. Mike then rolled his eyes and lowered his weapon, stopping about halfway in between David and Gary and watched his friend with scorn.
Gary was outright twitching as he knocked over a cardboard box. Various nuts and bolts and old, dirty cars parts tumbled onto the floor with a clatter.
"Gary, knock it off," David said, removing even more of his attention from the detectives against the wall. "Get back over here."
"Yeah," Mike added. "Listen to your cousin."
"Shut up!" Gary snapped, spinning to glare at his friends. "I'm going to find her!"
"Is he high on something?" David asked, casting his question to Mike. "What did you guys do while I was gone?"
"Hey, he's your relative," Mike huffed. "I don't get paid to baby-sit."
Gary pushed more boxes to the floor and continued plowing through the mess he was creating. "Come out, come out, where ever you are," he called.
"You better get a leash on him," Hutch murmured, sounding weaker than he hoped.
"Shut up," David snapped, spinning around and aiming his gun between Hutch's eyes. "I'd worry about myself if I were in your place," he growled, holding the aim for another heartbeat before turning away again.
"Gary, I said get over here!" David glared at Mike. "Go get him."
Mike looked like he would rather eat a live cockroach but relented and moved towards Gary. "Come on," he started, jerking when Gary shoved more boxes to the floor.
Something glimmered, and Hutch realized there was a car parked on the other side of the wall of boxes that Gary was dismantling. His pains seemed to fade as the situation just got a lot more interesting. Gary grew more agitated, swinging wildly with one arm in an attempt to locate April. David acted as if he were more angry that he was no longer the center of attention rather than being worried for the sanity of his relative.
Mike took another step before Gary stopped and turned, red faced and panting, his gun wavering in his grip. "No! She's mine now, I found her, I'm keeping her!"
Hutch watched as something rolled off the top of one of the overturned boxes and clattered to the floor. With surprising speed, Gary spun and aimed and fired all in one movement.
The car exploded.
A wall of heat shoved Hutch back against the wall as the car's rear end lifted off the ground. A roaring ball of fire enveloped the car, the boxes, and Gary as the gasoline ignited and cast a blinding light throughout the entire warehouse. Starsky and Hutch dropped to the ground in self protection and surrendered to the helplessness of merely listening to the carnage inflicted by the explosion.
And that quickly, the explosion was over. Hutch looked up from his position against Starsky. Burning cardboard was everywhere, crackling and shriveling as it burned. Gary was gone, though the stomach-turning stench of burning flesh began filling the room. The car was nothing but a sooty skeleton, smoking ominously in the silence of the aftermath.
David was the first to pick himself up off the floor. He stood with his back towards Starsky and Hutch, shoulders slumped as he realized the full implications of the explosion. He was unarmed.
Hutch pulled himself upright as Starsky struggled underneath him. "You okay?" he murmured over the ringing in his ears as he glanced down at the burnet.
"What was that?" Starsky asked just as quietly, looking at the source of the explosion. He collapsed against the wall with a wince.
Hutch didn't get to answer. Mike pulled himself to his feet with no small amount of difficulty. His face and arms were wrinkled and pink with heavy burns, and his clothing bore testimony to the degree of heat he had endured. He looked down at himself and staggered.
"Mike…" David started, sounding just as aghast as Hutch felt.
Mike looked up with wide, red eyes. "I'm out of here," he said in a broken voice that left no doubt for the amount of agony he was in.
Before David could respond, Mike turned and stumbled away.
The fire was growing as it ate through every flammable surface available. The crackling grew louder, reminding Hutch of the impending danger. They had to get away- had to find April. There was a small chance she was still alive, and Hutch clung to it like a lifeline.
"Come back!" David yelled, taking a step forward. "The cars… the money…" his voice dropped off in despair before he stood a little straighter. "The money!"
This was their opening. Starsky and Hutch rose to their feet as David lurched forward. Once it was obvious that David was no longer aware of their presence, they began to move.
Hutch stretched his jaw in an effort to regain his hearing. They moved along the wall, holding onto it for both support and direction amidst the heavy black smoke. An object on the floor caught his attention and he reached down to snatch it.
It was his gun.
"What-" Starsky started, then turned around to face Hutch.
Their eyes met and a glimmer of hope flickered in the burnet's eyes.
Hutch jammed the gun into the waist of his jeans the best he could with his hands tied. The gun would most certainly come in handy later. Now there was just one more thing to find.
"Where's April?" Hutch asked over the noise of the fire.
"Hutch, there's no way…" Starsky trailed off, sparing a moment to meet Hutch's gaze.
"She's alive!" Hutch replied stubbornly. "I know she is!" He stopped, unwillingly giving in to the pain in his knee. "April!"
Starsky sighed softly but it went unheard. "April!" he called, joining in for Hutch's sake.
Hutch coughed violently after inhaling a lungful of smoke. He doubled over in pain, nearly sinking to the floor before he felt a small weight on his back.
"Just breathe," Starsky said, looking worriedly at his partner.
"I'm fine," Hutch gagged, then spit blood on the ground. Starsky looked away.
"Hold on," Starsky said then, and the weight was gone from Hutch's back. When Starsky returned, he held a piece of twisted metal.
"Give me your hands," he ordered, gently pulling Hutch's bound hands away from where they were drawn tightly against Hutch's midsection. With a single motion, the metal sliced through the ropes and Hutch's hands fell apart.
"Here," Starsky said, pushing the warm piece of jagged debris into Hutch's tingling hands. With minimal effort, both detectives were free.
Something crashed to the floor nearby, it's identity concealed by the leaping flames that consumed it.
It was time to move.
"Come on," Starsky urged, grabbing the metal from Hutch and tossing it to the side. "We've got to get out of here."
Hutch's eyes watered from the smoke and the pain and frustration. The fact that Starsky's eyes were also wet only calmed his heart a fraction.
They moved. Both partners were limping horribly but knew with certainty their fate would be sealed if they dared to stop.
Up ahead, across a path of burning debris and flames, a large horizontal water pipe was bolted to the concrete wall behind it.
Relief flooded through Hutch. "Up there!" he shouted, fighting the burn in his chest. "The pipe will lead us out!"
Without words, Starsky began tugging Hutch forward.
They were halfway through the path of destruction when a small voice called out.
"Hutch!"
The blond stopped instantly, turning in the direction of the scream. He squinted through the black smoke and could barely make out the short stature of a little girl emerging from the shadows.
There was no time for happy reunions. Hutch wrapped his arms around the child as she collided with him, hugging her briefly for both their reassurances. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said as Starsky began picking his way through the flames.
Hutch had just grabbed onto the pipe when a familiar rumble filled the air.
"My car!" Starsky cried reflexively, spinning on one leg in the direction of the noise.
Hutch grabbed his partner as a blur of red and white sped through the large room they had just left.
It looked like Mike was making a run for it.
"Come on," Hutch urged, tugging on the burnt fabric of Starsky's sleeve. "We'll go after him later."
Indignant mumbles spilled from Starsky as the three made their agonizingly slow journey along the pipe. A window shattered from somewhere behind them, sending shards of glass tinkling to the concrete. The smoke seemed to lighten for a moment but quickly became overpowering once more. They had to move faster.
He was cold but his lungs burned. The sounds of their own frantic footsteps echoed on the concrete around them. Hutch was using the large metal pipe completely for support now, clinging to the horizontal structure as he limped along beside it. He was painfully aware of April's blistered and bloody bare feet as they smacked the concrete beside him. Starsky was practically hopping on one foot in an effort to move himself along.
It was just like his dream.
Bright orange flames licked at the walls, emitting a heat so strong it tightened your skin. Temporarily blinded by a small burst of light and sound, Hutch stumbled and instantly felt Starsky's hand on him, pulling him upwards before Hutch hit the floor. The fire was spreading rapidly, too rapidly, but Hutch was aware that this time, it was not a dream.
They reached the foot of a metal staircase and did not hesitate before struggling upwards. Each of April's hands were grasped tightly in one of Starsky and Hutchs' and they pulled her upwards as fast as they could climb. She made no complaint as they fought against their own handicaps and scrambled to raise above the flames.
"Cover your mouth," Hutch gasped, pausing to reach down and pull April's shirt up over her nose and mouth. The higher they climbed, the thicker the smoke became. It was a small price to pay for escaping the hungry bite of the flames. Hutch immediately covered his own nose and mouth, barely aware of the blood trickling down his chin from the corner of his mouth. They continued up the stairs with ducked heads, fighting to se as far as the metal under their feet.
At the top of the stairs, a door appeared before them at the end of the hall- a large dark looming rectangle that whispered promises of freedom. They were racing against an unknown but very near deadline and had no time for second thoughts. The three of them raced for the door.
Starsky reached the door first and grabbed the handle, twisting as he threw his weight against it. They spilled onto a metal balcony and the cold night air stung their fire-warmed skin.
Hutch pulled his shirt down and reached over to help April. Starsky came to a stop against the railing, uncovering his own mouth as they tried to catch their breath. The only way down was by way of a rusty fire escape ladder.
Hutch looked at Starsky as he straightened. His chest burned as broken bones grated against each other in an attempt to supply his body with newly found air. The sudden surplus of oxygen dulled his other aches and pains as the cold air chilled him. Blue eyes locked on blue.
"We have to keep going," Starsky panted. "That place is filled with oil drums. The whole thing is gonna blow."
Hutch nodded and pulled April closer. "Think you can make it?" he asked her as he wiped his chin with the back of his hand.
April nodded, her eyes large and wet in the moonlight. Soot spotted her skin from head to toe, but she otherwise appeared unharmed.
"Hutch."
Hutch turned at Starsky's distressed voice and moved closer. The burnet was staring at the street below them. Hutch reached his side just in time to see David running towards the street with a large white bag tossed over his shoulder.
Sirens filled the air, their faintness indicating that help was still some distance away.
"Come on," Hutch said, starting for the stairs. With bind faith, Starsky and April followed.