Chapter 22d07
Chapter 22 (Draft 07)
The street outside Sally's apartment was quiet, but the rain was heavy due to an unexpected storm. The lamp posts lining the walk moved in unison with the rhythm of the wind, their shadows ebbing and flowing back and forth across on the wet street under an invisible moon. A car slowly moved down the street and then stopped next to an empty slot outside of Sally's front window. The Chevy thumped into reverse and then quickly fell into place on the first try. The door opened just as a bolt of lightning flashed overhead and the driver inside ducked in response. He got out, slammed the door, and heard the lock click as he jogged across the street toward his front door. A woman was standing in the opening, waving him in under a dimly lit porch.
"Oh, I was about to call you," she said, looking relieved. "The weather is really turning bad."
The man ran up the short walk, up the steps, and smiled as he kissed his wife.
"Sorry, I should have called but it's both hands on the wheel tonight," he said, looking up at the black sky.
He began removing his wet coat to the sound of screeching tires behind him. The two on the porch looked down a see a black police van sliding to a stop in front of their house. Two more police cars halted, their flashing lights throwing a palette of strange colors up and down the wet street. The doors on the van swung open and six men in black uniforms and helmets jumped out. One of the men stopped when he saw the couple standing on their porch.
"Police department — please go back inside," he said, waving them back animatedly as the other members of the Seattle SWAT team took up positions behind several parked cars. They had rifles pointed at the apartment house across the street. The neighbors obeyed without question, quickly darting inside their home and closing the door. A few seconds later they could be seen peering out the window.
"Unit-one is in position. Unit-two copy?" said one of the officers on his radio.
"Copy that-one. Unit-two is in the ally. The back is covered; we are in position-one."
"Roger that-two. We're going in!" The officer signaled his men and they all ran forward toward the apartment's entranceway. They opened the door and quickly moved inside.
"Seattle Police Department — we have a warrant!"
There was the unmistakable sound of another door being smashed and the neighbors could see several flashing lights inside the apartment nearest the street.
Three minutes later, one of the men emerged from the apartment and waved to the other police officers outside. "All clear! We're calling in a 10-49, 55."
Two plain clothed police officers stood and holstered their guns. One of them yelled back, "Is it the woman?"
A few minutes later, the other officers came out of the building looking disappointed as they shouldered their rifles. One of them stopped in front of the two detectives. "Looks like an old man. Found him wrapped up in some garbage bags in the tub, bullet to the forehead. Must have been a while ago 'cause it's really starting to stink in there."
"Any sign of the woman…" the detective looked at his notepad, "this… ah… Sally Carmichael?"
"Nope, only the DB in the tub."
"Okay. Thanks, Steve. Good work."
Ben Wright, Captain of Detectives in the Seattle Police Department, looked around and then ambled up the sloping walk toward the building. He was putting on some latex gloved as he entered the apartment to find a number of other officers and two detectives looking around Sally's apartment.
"Why's it so cold in here?"
He made his way to the kitchen and saw one of his men leaning over the stove to look at the spice rack hanging on the wall.
"Whatcha got, Mack?"
The man turned and smiled. "My grandmother has a rooster set exactly like this one."
The captain rolled his eyes. "Whatdaya got for me, Mack?"
The detective turned around and looked at his notes. "Other than the dead guy in the tub?"
"Come on, Mack, I'm not in the mood."
"Yeah, okay. So far we got zip. Looks like somebody went through the old lady's things, all her dresser draws were open and half the clothes removed. Her medicine cabinet in the bathroom was empty too. There was a list of prescriptions taped to the wall, but we can't find anything in the apartment… looks like they took all of it."
"Think it might be the local baller?"
"Doubt it. They'd've cleaned the place out, but they only took the clothes and scripts and left everything else."
"Including a dead guy in the tub."
"Yeah, and that too."
"Do we know who he is yet?"
"Found his wallet in his back pocket. Looks like a neighbor. Lives in the apartment downstairs. Name is… ah… George… Hirch. We're running his name now. Probably heard them looting the place while the old lady was away and surprised them. Strange they took the time to wrap him up though."
The captain walked into the back of the apartment and into the bathroom. He looked down into the tub. Mr. Hirch's body was bagged and lying in a fetal position under the water. Another detective was leaning over to inspect him.
"Whatdaya think?" the captain asked him, arching over to take a closer look.
The detective looked up at him. "Won't know until the M.E. gets here, but I'd say he's been here for a couple of weeks. Put one in his forehead in the bedroom, wrapped him up in garbage bags, and then weighed the body down after the tub was filled with water. Looks like they used a bottle of Pine-Sol from under the sink to keep the smell down. I'd say at least a couple of weeks."
"Why didn't anybody call it in? The stink is pretty bad."
"They turned the air conditioner on full before they left," another detective answered. "The apartment sits next to the street. The woman in the apartment on the other side is almost deaf, and the guy downstairs is here in the tub. There's nobody upstairs in the three apartments above her. They're all vacant."
The captain heaved. "Okay, thanks. Make sure they check the drain and the toilet too, will you? Handles on the drawers and cabinets?"
The captain returned to the kitchen and found an old book sitting on the table. "What's this?"
Mack looked over. "Some chick-book thing the old lady must have been reading. I was gonna make a call over to the local library to see when she checked it out. Maybe get a timeline on her."
The captain opened the front cover and turned a few pages. Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf. "I don't think she got this out of the library."
"Yeah, why's that?"
"Looks like a first edition — it's dated 1922."
The other detective suddenly looked interested. "You think it might be worth something?"
The captain turned the book over to look at the back. "Maybe… twenty grand."
"You're shitin' me?"
The captained looked over at him and grinned. "Probably more." A piece of paper fell to the floor.
"What's that?"
The captain bent over to pick it up. "Looks like a note."
Sally, I look forward to your thoughts on Adeline's progression into this experimental form and how it compares to her earlier writings. Ethan.
"Seems she had a book-buddy," the captain said, showing him the note.
"Probably the same Ethan Dodge from the hospital," Mack replied. "He owns a bookstore around the corner. The girl who works there told us she hasn't seen him for two weeks. She assumed he was on another business trip."
Mack looked over. "Twenty big ones, huh? Maybe I'll take up chick-books as a hobby." He smiled at the captain who handed him the book.
"You'd have to learn how to read first, you moron. Bag it."
An hour later, the captain was standing in the living room with three other men in suits.
"Captain Wright, the Bureau is all over me on this thing. We've got one agent dead and another missing, and the last time they were seen alive was when they were with your man at the hospital."
"Hey, our guy is missing too." Mack replied heatedly. "Robert Coleman hasn't been seen since he was with your guys,"
"What was Coleman working on at the hospital?"
"As far as we know he was just visiting a friend, although he did take a call a few months back about a burglary in this very same apartment. It may or may not be related, we don't know." Wright answered. "Why was the FBI at the hospital?"
The men in suits looked at each other and then back at the captain. "As far as we know, they shouldn't have been there. They were supposed to be working another case. Special Agent Koslov's last report didn't say anything about the hospital or your guy."
"But we know they were there, so something isn't right on your side."
The FBI agent looked frustrated. "Let's start over with what we do know."
The captain heaved. "Detective Coleman is missing, FBI Agent Ramirez is dead, Koslov is missing. Coleman's girlfriend is also missing and her apartment looks much the same as this place — some of her clothes and bags were taken. Now we find the woman they were seeing at the hospital is missing too and there's a dead body in her tub. Her book-buddy Ethan Dodge might be missing as well. It would seem anybody connected to his Sally Carmichael is either missing or dead. Even her doctor…" the captain looked at his detective, "What was his name again?"
"Doctor Gladwin Howard," Mack replied. "We already know he wasn't a permanent resident at Mercy Center; he was brought in for a consult by the hospital staff about Mrs. Carmichael's case."
The FBI agent nodded. "Yeah, we have a separate case on Howard as well."
The captain frowned. "What case?"
The agent looked at one of his men and nodded, "Go ahead."
"We're working another case in Rochester. Seems Howard's son was kidnapped off the Eastman University campus some months back. We haven't been able to locate him and there haven't been any ransom demands yet."
"And now the father is gone too?" Mack replied. "What the hell is going on here?"
The agent paused. "We heard this Carmichael woman was something of a local celebrity. What's that about?"
The captain shrugged. "Apparently she has some kind of strange condition that made her look younger. There's already been a retraction in the local paper saying the whole thing was a hoax."
"So where does that leave us?"
The body of Mr. Hirch was wheeled passed them and they all turned away from the smell.
"Right back where we started, I'm afraid."
The days following Tiago's murder were some of the most difficult for the hostages. Certainly the horror of the act was traumatic enough, but their failure to escape left them with very few options other than to accept whatever fate awaited them. To Robert, the dreadful consequences of their action only validated his belief that all of them would eventually be killed. His mind was swimming in Tiago's blood, together with the dreadful anxiety that came with knowing he had failed Kari and his friends. Their future was just a death sentence waiting to be carried out.
To make matters worse, their attempt to escape had left the remaining guards enraged. Bezuhov's punishments were indeed great; they had all witnessed this fact first hand. This reality was validated again when two of the guards watching over them that day disappeared entirely, and Robert was left only to imagine what manner of death they were forced to endure.
This left the remaining guards seething with anger toward the hostages. They were verbally and physically abusive, determined never to allow even the remote possibility of the hostages trying something more. Even while eating at the dining room table, no more than two of them were allowed to share a whispered conversation together.
A few days later, Doctor Howard formally reported to them that Tiago never did recover from his so-called second death. The boy was monitored in the lab around the clock, but after the fourth day it was clear: The boy who was a man was finally living his life in heaven equal to Sally's expectations and God's promise.
There was more terrible news: Howard also told them that Tiago's puppy had died as well. Not satisfied with just the knowledge gained from Tiago's death, apparently Bezuhov wanted to see the results of a slow kill, and it would seem the dog was used to deliver those answers as well. Kari's uncle would not describe the manner of torture that resulted in the puppy's death and the hostages didn't ask. It was all too much to bear, and over the next two days their lives were slowly transformed into something resembling a never ending wake.
The only positive turn in the endless days that followed was that Sally was granted something of a reprieve from the experiments done to her person as they monitored Tiago and the dog. It would seem even a man as heartless and cruel as Bezuhov didn't want Sally to endure her given trials with dead bodies lying around her. Her parole, however, was short-lived. On the day following the puppy's death, Sally was escorted downstairs again and into the hands of the jackals to continue her ordeal.
Sally was led down to the lab by one of the guards where she was asked to lie on an examination table in preparation for another series of tests. Howard seemed remorseful as he eyed the woman. He couldn't help noticing how beautiful she was both in spirit and body. He leaned over to her.
"How are you feeling today, Sally?"
She glared back at him. "I'm just dandy, doctor," she replied, clearly annoyed. She looked over at the only other doctor in the room with them, "I guess I should be looking forward to my slow and painful death."
"There won't be any pain today," Howard replied knowingly. "I guarantee it."
She looked at him and frowned. It wasn't what he said, but how he had said it. His eyes peering over his surgical mask were not looking at her but at the other doctor in black. She could see he was already sweating. Sally reached up to take Howard's hand and he was suddenly surprised by her gentleness.
"Doctor Howard, I want you to know that I don't blame you for any of this."
He looked down at her and could plainly see she was afraid. His eyes started to fill with tears. "My dear, dear lady, how could you not? All of this is my fault. I knew what Bezuhov was the first night I met him and still… here I am."
Sally tried to smile. "I don't believe that, doctor. How could you have possibly known they would take your son and compel you to do these things? No, doctor, like the rest of us… you're a prisoner too."
The man gripped her hand tight, "I hope God is as forgiving as you, Mrs. Carmichael."
"I know he is, you'll see."
He smiled under his mask. "I hope you're right, madam. I pray each and every day that you're right." Howard looked back at the other doctor who was preparing a number of syringes and Sally could see his wrath forming under his brow. She squeezed his hand tight and he looked down at her again.
"No," she whispered. "Don't."
His eyes softened. "Don't worry, Mrs. Carmichael, I'm well-prepared today and I'm going to make sure you get everything you need toward your comfort," he replied in a much louder voice. She suddenly looked terrified.
Howard let go of her hand and, as Sally tried to reach out to stop him, he walked around the table behind the other doctor. She quickly looked back at the armed guard who was busy watching a newly installed screen monitoring the other hostages in the dining room.
Howard put on some rubber gloves and then took hold of a tool placed under the table. He tapped the other doctor on the shoulder. "Here, can you hold this for me?"
The doctor looked down and then questioningly reached out. There was a loud pop, a flash of blue light, and the doctor in black started to shake and jerk violently.
Howard quickly backed away, "Oh my God!" he yelled out, looking now at the armed guard. Howard grabbed the other doctor and then suddenly began to thrash around as well. The guard rushed forward, hesitated, as if trying to decide what to do, and then shoved the two men violently to the floor. There was another loud pop, a crash of equipment, and then the two men were finally still. The guard hesitated again and then came forward once more. He slapped Howard on the leg and as he leaned over to check his pulse, Howard rose up to stab him in the side of the neck with a thick needle and syringe. The man jerked back holding his throat in shock. He turned and then stumbled backward. He tried to raise his rifle and then toppled over a set of drawers with a deafening crash.
Sally was sitting upright on the table, completely dumbstruck at what she had just witnessed. Howard was on his feet again. He ripped off the mask, tapped the unconscious guard several times with his foot, and then rushed forward to inspect the monitor's screen. He then turned to her.
"Excellent! No alarms. So far, so good!"
"Doctor Howard — what have you done? They're going to kill you for this!" Sally looked around, half expecting another army of guards to storm into the room. Howard was stripping off his surgical gown.
"You're probably right, but I'm getting you out of here right now! Come on." He grabbed a zipped bag from under the table and then moved to the guard. He stripped him of his pistol and threw it into the bag and then took the man's rifle. He then reached over to grab Sally by the arm. His strength surprised her.
"No! You can't… they'll kill the others too. We can't do this."
Howard looked at her and frowned. "I said you're leaving right now, and you're taking my son and the rest with you. Come on." He pulled her toward the door but she pulled back. He looked back at her again. "Right now, I said!" She looked down at the floor behind them and at the two men lying there unconscious. She finally nodded; it was too late anyway.
Howard slowly cracked the door to look out. The hallway was clear. He opened the door and quickly walked down the corridor, pulling Sally by the hand behind him.
He stopped at another closed door and then handed her the bag. "Hold this," he whispered softly, placing a finger to his lips to quiet her.
She took the bag as he unzipped its flap. He removed a thin, surgical hammer within and then turned toward the door once more. She grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him, but he only shook his head and warned her again to be quiet. He grimaced at the sound as the latch clicked. As the door was slowly opened, he could see the back of another guard sitting in a chair and watching a number of screens set in front of him. Howard quickly moved in, raised the hammer, and smashed the man in the back of the head. Sally gasped.
Howard rolled the chair with the man to the side and then leaned in to check the monitors above him. He could see the rest of the jackals attending to Bezuhov in a bed somewhere in another part of warehouse and another three guards watching over the hostages in the dining room. Howard's eyes moved over the screens until he could see the monitors outside. He studied the images closely. There were woods surrounding their location, but nobody around in which to help them. Howard's heart sank as Sally came forward.
"Doctor — look at this." Sally was pointing down at the panel to his left.
There were several switches with labeled monitor locations, a joy stick, and a key. She motioned his attention to a bank of switches labeled 'Outside Locks'. He began flipping the switches to the off position and watched as the monitors above them began to blink off one by one. He then removed the key and stuffed it into his pocket. He had no idea what the key was used for, but he wanted it anyway. He took a deep breath and then looked at Sally.
"Let's get the others."
They headed down the corridor once again and into the elevator at the end of the hallway. Howard pushed the button for the second level floor and then watched the door close. As the elevator started to rise, Howard looked up at the camera in the upper corner. The little red light near the lens was off. The door opened and Sally peeked out. Nobody was in sight. They quickly moved down the hallway to another door with a card access pad attached to the wall near its knob. The normally green blinking light on the pad was off. They pushed on the door, which clicked and opened easily. They could see their bedroom doors to the left and right running down another long hallway and the open door to the dining room on the opposite end.
Howard adjusted the rifle on his shoulder. "Let's put you in your room until I can get the others to join us," he whispered.
Sally frowned at him. "No… I'm coming with you!"
"It might alert them that something is wrong if they saw you coming back with me. It's better this way," he said, as he opened her bedroom door.
"Do Ethan and the others know what you're doing?"
Howard looked at her and shook his head.
"Then — I'm coming with you."
"Please, I have to keep you safe."
She glared back at him. "Young man — live or die, I'm not going to hide in my room while my friends are put in danger, I'll warrant you that!"
Howard stared at her, smiled, and then stooped down to open his bag. He pulled out two syringes and handed them to her.
"What's this?"
Howard removed two more syringes, the pistol, and then tossed the bag to the side. "Various drugs; a mixture of things I don't have time to explain. Just stab any of the guards if you have to." He handed her the pistol, but she hesitated.
"I… I don't know how…"
"Neither do I, but you won't have to shoot it. Just point it at one of the guards until Robert takes it from you." Howard removed the rifle from his shoulder and began inspecting the side of the weapon. He looked confused by its complexity and then shook his head before glancing up at Sally again. "I have no idea how to make this stupid thing work." Sally only smiled.
He took a calming breath. "You ready?"
Sally looked at the open doorway at the end of the hall and nodded. She was going to get Ethan.
Howard entered the dining room quickly and pointing his weapon. Luckily, the guards gathered together on the opposite side of the room were taken completely by surprise.
"Don't move!" Howard yelled. He moved forward quickly to aim the rifle at Bezuhov's men. The guards went for their rifles, but then Sally ran in pointing the pistol.
"DON'T!" she yelled at them.
"Sally, what are you doing?" She could hear Ethan's frightened voice behind them. Sally never took her eyes off the guards. One move, one flinch she didn't like, and she would pull the trigger. For the sake of her friends, she knew this above anything else.
"Robert — get over here!" Howard yelled.
Robert came forward quickly to stand next to him.
"Robert, I have no idea how to use this weapon. Do you?" he whispered.
Robert looked at the guards and then at the rifle Howard had trained on them. He reached up to click the safety off. "Give it to me quickly."
Without waiting a reply, Robert grabbed the rifle out of Howard's hands. He slid the bolt back to chamber a round and then pointed the weapon at the guards again. The guards moved back slightly, convinced by his sudden actions that Robert Coleman knew how to handle the weapon.
"Sally, do you know if that weapon you're holding will fire or not."
Sally, the pistol now visibly shaking in her hand, replied honestly, "No."
"Bring it here." Sally walked sideways over to him, never lowering her gun.
("If we don't try and stop them we're dead anyway,") one of the guards whispered in Russian to the others.
"Shut the hell up!" Robert yelled back, aiming the rifle at them once again.
The whispering guard only smiled. "You… American, cop. You think you can go out?" he asked in very broken English. "You think you leave? I no think."
Howard came forward quickly and stabbed the guard in the shoulder with a syringe. The guard looked shocked, stumbled back, and then toppled to the floor.
Robert smiled as Howard reached down to remove the man's rifle and pistol.
"Nice job, doctor.
"Sally, where are you?" Sally came forward quickly to show him her firearm. Still aiming his rifle, Robert glanced quickly down at her weapon.
"You've seen enough movies in your long life to know you have to pull the slide on the top back, right? That will load the gun. Do it!"
With a shaking hand, Sally struggled and then pulled the pistol's slide back. The hammer set and she saw the safety switch on the side. She pushed it to off and then pointed it at the guards again.
"Good, girl. You're all set. If one of them moves, don't hesitate. You fire that weapon, hear me?" There was another round chambered across the room and they both looked over to see Benny pointing another pistol at the guards. Without saying a word, Howard moved forward and quickly stabbed another guard in the leg.
Robert smiled as the second man fell to the floor. "Jesus, doc, you're lethal with those things."
Howard was already removing the guard's weapons. He looked up at the unconscious guard's face and sneered. "I certainly hope so."
Robert waved the rifle at the remaining guard. "You go!" he commanded, motioning him toward the open hallway. "We're leaving and you're leading the way!" The guard raised his hands over this head and then turned to leave. They were almost near the hallway again when Howard stabbed the man in the back of the neck. The guard stumbled forward and then reached out to slam the panic button on the wall. The room remained quiet as the man crumbled to the floor.
Robert lowered his rifle and took a relieved breath. "Collect all the weapons you can, people. I'm going to give you a quick class in firearms."
Five minutes later, the hostages were leaving their make-shift prison and entering the warehouse. Robert looked around and then motioned the others toward a door with a red exit sign. He could see they were all terrified, but they were almost there. The group moved together, hiding behind a number of cars and then a large generator sitting a few feet away. Robert quietly made his way around to the back o fthe machine and within a few yards of the exit. Ducking behind a large transformer, Robert waved at the rest to follow.
"We're almost there, guys," he whispered. "The problem is… I don't know if an alarm will sound when we open that door." He pointed to the exit and the red and white sign in the center of the door that read, 'EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY – ALARM WILL SOUND'.
"It looks like a standard exit alarm, so we'll have to assume it's going to sound off on us." He looked at Howard. "Doctor, you said you saw what it looked like on the outside when you were in the control room. Tell me what you saw."
Howard looked around and then leaned in, gripping his rifle tight. "There's a large parking lot, maybe… a hundred yards wide on all four sides of the building and beyond that we're surrounded by woods."
Robert smiled. "Woods, ay? What did it look like on the other side of this door?"
Howard frowned. "I'm not sure. The monitors were marked north, east, south, and west, but I don't know how we're situated here." He looked around worriedly and then back at Robert again. "I'm sorry; I should have paid more attention."
"You did fine, doc. Great, in fact." Robert flipped his rifle over and to a compass embedded in the stock. He pointed at the door again. "That way is east." He looked at Howard again. "Ring any bells?"
Howard thought and then looked at Sally. "I think I remember seeing some hills on the east side."
Sally agreed. "Yes, that's right. There were a lot of trees and a big hill.
Robert smiled. "Good, excellent. Okay, so when we get out… our first priority will be to get into the woods for cover, then we'll make our way into the hills as quickly as possible. That should give us a better position if we're forced to fight." He looked down in his jacket pockets and at the extra magazines there.
"Now listen to me, all of you… it's really important to understand that we're all depending on each other if we expect to make it out of here alive. If you think you should fire your weapon for the sake of the others — then do it. Don't hesitate to think about it, just point and fire, got it?"
He looked over the transformer again and then back at the group. They all looked scared. He tried to reassure them. "You're all doing great, but remember what I said — if you think you should fire then do it, and if I tell you to run, then you run like hell and don't look back, okay?"
"Эй! Заложники отсутствуют!"
They all ducked down again.
"Тут же, тут же!"
Robert peered over the transformer and could see one of the guards yelling and pointing at them. He ducked down again.
"Shit! They see us!" He suddenly stood up. "But they don't know we're armed yet!"
"Осторожно!"
Robert sent a blast of rifle fire at the men and then ducked down again. "They do now!"
Several blasts of gunfire answered back and several bullets began to ping and ricochet around them. Some of the rounds tore through the metal siding on the wall behind them and circles of white light from the day outside began to brighten their hiding spot.
"We have to get to the door right now before more guards come. I'll stay here and keep their heads down while you guys run for the door."
"Robert!" Kari replied.
"Not another word, Kari. You go right now!" He stood, fired a blast, and then yelled down at them. "RIGHT NOW!" He aimed and fired again and again.
Howard stood and fired his weapon as well. The recoil surprised him and he toppled backward to the floor. Benny grabbed Kari's hand and ran for the door. Ethan grabbed Sally and followed them, ducking low. Ethan pointed his pistol to the right and, without bothering to look at where he was aiming, he fired several rounds. The four of them hit the bar across the exit door at almost the same time; it flew open and an alarm bell began to wail. Robert was still standing erect, blasting at anything he saw moving within the warehouse. Howard was lying over the transformer, firing his weapon next to him.
"Robert, come on!" Ethan's voice cried out.
Robert looked over and could see the others lying on the ground outside the door. They were waving at him to follow.
"Just go!" Robert yelled back, as he ducked down to eject an empty magazine. He locked another in place just as a storm of bullets crashed in around him.
"I think my gun is jammed." Howard said, ducking to avoid being killed.
Robert looked over to see the side of Howard's weapon stuck open. "Here take this one." They traded rifles and Robert ejected another empty magazine from Howard's weapon. He slapped another in place and yanked the bolt back. He looked at Howard again. "You should have gone with the rest, doctor."
Howard looked at him and then ducked again as another volley of bullets blasted the space around them.
"Они - снаружи. Вы и Вы, доберитесь там!"
"I'll cover you while you run for the door," Robert said, as he readied himself to fire once more.
"You're closer. You go first!"
"God damn it, doctor, don't argue with me! If your gun jams again, you'll be killed."
"I'm the reason you're all here. You go!"
Robert ducked down again as more bullets hit the wall behind him. Suddenly they heard several other bells ringing from the other side of the warehouse. Robert peeked over the transformer and then ducked down again.
"Shit! They're going outside. Doctor, we've got to go now!"
Howard looked at Robert. "Then go! They'll need you outside more than me. Go on!"
The cop looked over at the door again. It was full of bullet holes and hanging on one hinge, the alarm bell still blaring. He looked at Howard again.
"Okay, I'll get out and then cover you so you can follow, all right?"
"Yeah, okay… just go!" Howard brought his rifle up and began to fire again and Robert started running for the door. He could hear more alarm bells going off on the other side of the warehouse. He dove into the light outside and immediate looked around for the others. He could see them running across the expansive parking lot, heading for the woods on the other side. Robert turned and crawled back to the open door and began firing his weapon into the warehouse again.
"Come on, doctor, let's go!"
Howard looked back at Robert lying on the ground outside. The detective looked like he was a mile away. Howard rose up, fired again, and then began running for the door. Robert couldn't believe how slow the man was moving, as the gunfire from the other side of the warehouse increased ten-fold. Robert saw Howard's legs crumble as pieces of flesh and bone were torn from his body.
"Doctor!"
Howard screamed in pain as he fell to the floor as more bullets began pinging against the concrete around him.
"Doctor, stay down — stay down!"
Howard looked at Robert who was still firing into the warehouse. He looked down at his badly broken legs and smiled. After all his fear of pain and death, he was surprised at how little his wounds really hurt him. Eight months in rehab and I'll be fine, his analytical reasoned. He reached over to grab hold of his weapon once more and then dragged it across the floor around his body.
"Doctor!"
"Убейте его!"
Howard saw several guards rising up to fire at him. Perhaps God would forgive me now, he thought. He smiled again as he pulled the trigger and watched in amusement as the sparks from his ricocheting bullets filled the space in front of him.
"Убейте его!"
"Doctor!"
Robert watched in horror as Howard's body was suddenly ripped apart by their murderous response. He closed his eyes when he saw the sparks from the bullets hitting the concrete under his head.
"Shit!"
("Don't move — drop the weapon!") a voice screamed from behind and Robert looked around to see one of the guards running around the building toward him. The detective thought about Tiago.
"Bull shit!" he yelled back. He raised his weapon and pulled the trigger. It was empty. The guard raised his weapon to fire and was suddenly spinning even before Robert could hear the gunfire coming from the woods to his left. The guard fell to the ground and was still.
"Robert, come on!" Benny yelled at him.
Robert tossed his rifle, got to his feet, and started running.
"Come on, come on," Benny yelled. A number of loud pops began to explode behind Robert as he ran past the boy and into the woods. Benny began to fire back, hitting at least two more guard as they rounded the corner of the warehouse. Robert fell to the ground near Ethan's feet. He looked back as Benny cut down a third guard.
"That kid's deadly with that God-damned thing," Robert wheezed, trying to catch his breath.
Kari fell down to hug him. "Oh Robert, thank God, thank God!"
"Benny!" Robert yelled through the trees. "That's enough, we have to go."
The boy looked back. "What about dad?" He started firing again at the warehouse, even though there were no other guards in sight.
"Benny, no! You're dad…" Robert hesitated as Benny looked around at him. "Come on, son. We have to go now."
Benny frowned and then Robert could see the comprehension filling the boy's face. His expression suddenly turned angry.
"I'm not leaving without Dad." Benny yelled back, and he began firing wildly at the warehouse again.
"Damn it, kid… your dad is dead!" Robert screamed at him, but Benny couldn't hear. He kept firing until his rifle stopped.
"Robert?" Kari said. She looked horrified. "Uncle Glad?"
Robert looked at her and shook his head. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." Kari suddenly looked appalled. She fell into Robert's arms and burst into tears.
Sally fell into Ethan's arms. "He was so brave."
"Там они! В лесу — там!"
Six more guards suddenly appeared from around both sides of the building and Robert quickly got to his feet.
"Benny. We're leaving!" Robert yelled. He grabbed Kari's hand and pulled her with him as they started running deeper into the woods. Ethan and Sally followed him, as Benny pulled out a pistol and began firing angrily at the approaching guards.
"Sons of bitches, God damn sons of bitches!"
195
