THIEF! Chapter 20
A Long Night Part 5: One Shot
Suddenly, before she had any time to react, someone had a gun to Liana's throat. He had just grabbed her, and she hadn't been ready. Instantly her cocky self-assurance evaporated. How? How had they missed that? What had gone wrong? Her mind reeled with possibilities, what-ifs, and hows. And for the first time, Liana contemplated the very real-seeming possibility of her own death.
"Dammit!" The chief gritted his teeth. This was exactly the sort of thing he was afraid would happen. Why had he been so eager to take this ring down, that he would allow a teenaged girl to risk her life so recklessly? Every officer here had to be thinking the same thing, and a chorus of voices telling the man to let her go was already beginning. But he was in charge, and it was his responsibility.
Dream's thoughts ran along the same lines as his father's, only this was at a more personal level for him. He knew Liana; he liked her, and couldn't stand the possibility of her getting hurt. Especially since he, Dream, had been the one negotiating with her. If only he could have dissuaded her, somehow, then this would not have happened. If only, if only… He counted it as a personal failure on his part.
A cold smile curved over his lips. That girl was not gloating now. Nor was she staring at him with that piercing gaze. No, she was afraid, and he took pleasure in feeling her body shake slightly against his. Those eyes would hold more fear than anything else, if he could see them. A young girl like this would make the perfect bargaining chip. Already, he heard the voices of the police, at once ordering and imploring him to let her go. They would try any means necessary, appealing to his humanity and trying to intimidate him. But they couldn't shoot, they couldn't attack. She was his shield.
His colleagues stood, shocked, around him. They had not thought him capable of this, and their expressions ranged from awed at his ability to turn around the situation to appalled at his means. He eyed them all contemptuously. Let them take the fall then, and face their punishments, while he was able to escape. Raltan though, eyed him with wary respect. Probably admiring his foresight and ruthlessness. Yes, he thought, Raltan perhaps, could still be useful. Would he though, be worth rescuing as well? Perhaps he had another weapon in his briefcase, but was unable to reach it in time, having not been so lucky as he. That could be helpful.
Abruptly his speculation was interrupted, by the sound of a megaphone. "Let the girl go, and you will not be harmed." It was that annoying chief, trying to intimidate him again. Just let her go and surrender? Waste such a valuable resource? He scoffed at that idea. "My terms are simple. I want free passage out of here, and then I will let the girl go."
Liana watched helplessly as her captor and the police bargained back and forth for her life. Her gaze wandered to Dream's face, but she had to look away quickly, for shame took hold of her. He had tried to warn her off, but she hadn't listened. This was her fault. And since it was her life, Liana felt obligated to try and do something to fix it. Flaafy had come forward with her, and was now standing near her feet, looking helpless. She could try shocking him, but it might set the gun off or something. However, Kirlia had hung back, in the dark corner to which it had first teleported, though it watched her closely, worriedly.
So afraid was she though, that she didn't think to attack with her pokemon. Using Confusion to control the gun, or Hypnosis to put Alyssa's uncle to sleep might have saved the day without casualty. Sadly though, this was not to be. Liana had regressed into her childhood, when all her Ralts-for it had been a Ralts then- could do was teleport. He pokemon's best ability of all, one they had practiced and mastered together, it was to teleportation now that Liana turned again. Turning her eyes to Kirlia, her mind implored it: Get help! Just as had always been done in the past. Invariably that help had been her brother Derek, who always knew what to do, how to save her. It was with Derek, and not the police that Liana now rested her hope. Her clever psychic pokemon shimmered once, and vanished, its departure unnoticed by anyone else. Hurry-she thought-hurry.
But her brother would not come quickly enough, despite Kirlia's magically fast mode of transport, for at that moment, things escalated too far. "If you do not comply with my demands, I shall kill the girl." Alyssa's uncle said vehemently, tired of the stagnating negotiations, desperate to get away. He jabbed the barrel of the gun deeper into Liana's neck, causing her to gasp.
Dream's blood suddenly boiled, a wave of anger coming over him. I shall kill the girl…. Without any further thought, he pushed forward, through the line of policemen, a single "No!" tearing from his throat, and rushed the man. His father called out, and tried to restrain him, but missed, and the boy hurtled forward alone.
Suddenly, with a wild cry, that boy had jumped at him. Instinctively, he pointed the gun towards the center of his chest. The boy wore no armor, as the rest of the police did, probably because he wasn't supposed to be on the front lines. But here he was charging forward. The man leaned backwards, dragging the girl with him, the gun still aiming at his assailant. After backing up enough, he could be out of range and take the boy hostage as well. But he wasn't familiar enough with guns, didn't know how much pressure it took to fire. He pulled too far back on the trigger, and-
Before the gun even fired, something, or six somethings to be exact, was on his back, throwing him off balance. The hand that held the gun jerked downwards, away from Dream's chest. Alas, it was not enough. The bullet fired, and the boy jerked, hit.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The man's hand had left her neck, pointing at Dream, who was running towards her faster than she imagined possible. Then, she was falling. There was a loud BANG! and Dream was falling too, seemingly at the same time she was. But on his leg, there was red, and it fell faster than either of them. The police, they were running, trying to catch them, but they were slow, too, and couldn't make it. They hit the ground, and by then she could see him cry out, though she could hear nothing but that same BANG in her head, as she watched, horrified.
BANG! Everyone in Alyssa's room jumped as one. Something so loud, it could only have been- They reached the same conclusion all at once, and everyone, human and pokemon, ran for the door, and thundered down the stairs, trying to find out what had happened.
"Liana? Liana, are you ok?" The voice was familiar, and it came from above her. She tore her eyes away from their terrified study of Dream, who lay moaning in pain, surrounded by the police who had rushed forward the instant they fell. Looking up, she saw six feet. Only two of them were human though, and they belonged to Derek. He had come, though not quite in time. Near his head, hovered Kirlia, who had brought him here, looking a bit tired from the effort of searching him out and teleporting them just so. The other feet belonged to his Absol. The pokemon had bent down, and ripped the gun away from Alyssa's uncle, and was now holding it gingerly in its mouth. And he? He had sprawled on top of her, but had quickly sprung up, and was trying to run while everyone concentrated on others. Most of the other men, including Raltan, were slipping out already, in the confusion of the moment.
She was the only one watching him. Liana's eyes flickered once more towards the fallen Dream, his father lifting him up, holding him still so a medic could attend the gunshot. She was reminded of what he had said to her, earlier that night, which she had ignored in hot blood. You're the leader… It's your responsibility to make sure no one gets hurt…. Well she had failed in that. And it was all his fault. Liana felt rage boiling inside her.
"You-you…" she couldn't even form a coherent sentence. Springing up with a yell, Liana started after him, angry beyond words. Noticing her pursuit, he began to run. He was nearly at the door, nearly out and away. She couldn't catch him in time. Not without help, anyway. "Flaafy!" she called out, pointing at the offender while she ran "Thunderwave!"
The electric sheep meeped shrilly, and sent an unavoidable wave of electricity towards the door. It hit a few of the other men as well, but most importantly it hit its primary target, who staggered and fell to the floor. Liana did not slow, however. Derek saw that and cried out for her to stop, beginning to run as well, but Liana did not slow. He sent Absol, aggravatingly faster than she was, to cut her off, but with a simple movement, she vaulted over the pokemon in true gymnast style. Liana was beyond reason, beyond obstacles, beyond anything but revenge.
He saw her approach him like a madwoman, and cringed away, inching away because he still could hardly move. Those eyes, they burned like hellfire, and he flinched, trapped by her gaze, unable to look away from his impending doom. She jumped on him, pummeling him with her fists, kicking with her feet, attacking with furious strength. He offered no resistance-how could he anyway?- under her assault, but the beating did not abate. Tears, hot and angry, ran down her face as she hit him, again, and again, and again.
Then, suddenly, she felt hands around her arms, holding her back, pulling her up. Unable to continue attacking, Liana's eyes traveled up from her victim, to see her friends, standing dumbfounded in the doorway, watching her with horrified fascination. Behind her, she was being held, by her brother, who whispered in her ear, and by others, the police no doubt. But her eyes were locked on Alyssa, who had watched a friend destroy her uncle, beating mindlessly, as she herself had done to that same friend. For an instant, still angry, Liana met those eyes, and those of the others, angrily refuting the horror, and the unsaid accusation that would come after. For that moment, it seemed she would stand her ground, claim righteousness for her actions. But a flash of red tore her eyes away from those watching her. Her hands. They were crimson, stained with blood. Blood she had spilt, she.
As she was pulled away from the body of the man she had beaten to death, the horror from all the eyes she had seen seeped into her soul as well, She wailed, tears spilling anew down her face. She broke away from the unseen arms that held her, and scrubbed furiously at her clothing, trying in vain to rid herself of the staining blood. "I'm sorry…" she cried, "I'M SORRY!"