Chapter 5
The two steel-toed boots stayed there for a few moments. Evidently, the soldier must have been looking up and down the alley. Those few moments stretched to seem like hours to Heero as he lay in that cramped position with some invertebrates mating on his cheek. Yes, it was starting to get rather uncomfortable down there.
All of a sudden the dumpster creaked and Heero rapidly felt like he was being pressed into the ground.
The soldier was opening the dumpster ('and probably leaning on it, no doubt,' Heero thought painfully). By the grunts and rummaging around of the man, it was relatively obvious to Heero that the soldier wanted to see if his target was dense enough to hide inside of the dumpster.
Next, he started to shake it.
Heero shut his eyes as the jiggling caused bits and pieces of dried muck to fall from the bottom of the dumpster onto his body. His hand went protectively over his wound to shield it from the mess.
Unnerving silence followed. The man seemed to be considering what to do next. Heero's hand went from his wound to his gun which lay beside him.
Suddenly, a hand dropped to the ground. Then a body.
Two repulsive blue eyes gazed into Heero's.
"Well, well, look what we have here." The soldier Brown grinned a hideous grin as he stared at his prey. "There you are."
Heero could only stare back. He gripped his gun determinedly as the man stood to lift up the dumpster.
"Let's get you out of – AGH!" Brown stumbled back with a scream as Heero discharged a bullet into the man's ankle.
The OZ soldier let a flurry of curses fly as well as a few useless bullets as Heero scrambled out from under the dumpster to look for some cover to hide behind for his own offensive attacks. He spotted a medium-sized crate and made for it.
As he ran, Heero heard the soldier shout in frustration again as his gun ran out of ammunition. It was a short-barreled gun, probably a semi-automatic pistol or revolver, designed that it could be held in one hand, so it most likely didn't carry many bullets.
The brunette knew exactly what happened to the man as he heard the loud, yet empty clicking sounds through the rain. It was more or less comical. After all those previously careless bullets used, he finally ran out when they were needed most. That ridiculous OZ Special really thought he had him. It would be almost regretful to not say one ironic comment for Brown to hear before he died. Heero knew he'd regret not saying anything, so he turned his head to make just one sarcastic remark.
That was a critical mistake.
Heero, just for a moment, wasn't wary of how slippery the ground was because of the rain, and before he knew it, he was sprawled face first in a deep, murky puddle. The gun he was holding slipped from his grasp and dropped somewhere into said puddle as he made contact with the ground.
Quickly getting his footing, Heero immediately searched in the puddle with both hands, desperate to find his handgun. How could he have let his guard down like that? What a thoughtless thing to…
He was suddenly sprawling back into the puddle. As he tried to get up, he felt an elbow in the crook of his back, making him lie there with his face in the water. Heero struggled to get his footing, but the elbow was stronger.
Just as Heero began to wonder if he would actually drown in a puddle, he was abruptly lifted out by his hair. Then he was turned around and was face to face with the soldier he was about to mock a few seconds ago. His arms and the bottom half of his body hung limply on the ground.
They looked at each other for a moment or two. Brown's damp blond hair sent little water droplets dripping onto Heero's forehead and cheek. He seemed to be deliberating about what to do first with his detainee.
Heero knew he had to get out of this position. If only he had his gun…
'That's it!' He was only partly lifted out of the water. He decided to use this chance to discreetly feel for his gun; it might be his only chance left.
Brown waved his pistol at Heero's head and growled, "I don't care if they need you. You'll die here."
Still inconspicuously feeling for his gun, Heero blinked some of the grime out of his eyes as he wondered what the guy would do. He was out of ammo. Would he try to throttle him to death?
Without warning, his hand touched his own gun and he roughly grabbed it without delay, vaguely smirking as he hung helplessly by his hair.
"What are you gonna do with that little gun?" Heero asked, stalling for time to get a tighter grip on his weapon. "You're out of bullets."
Brown glared at him, then furiously spat on Heero's face as he responded, "Guns can do more than shoot." And with that said, he reeled back his fist, and harshly pistol-whipped Heero on the side of his forehead.
Heero grunted from the aching impact; he felt his grip on the gun loosening slightly, but still he held on.
Then the soldier pistol-whipped him again, but harder and more severe this time.
Heero shouted in pain and felt warm liquid running down the side of his face as the skin on his forehead broke. His head was pounding, and he began to see little dark spots dancing across his vision. No, he couldn't pass out. Not now!
He forced himself to concentrate, and the spots began to disappear. He could see the menacing soldier cruelly laughing, he could hear the rain falling and feel it on his body, his soaked clothes consequently sticking to his skin. And he could feel his gun still clutched in his left hand.
"You're not done, yet?!" Brown screamed, trying to pistol-whip him yet again.
Heero knew he had his chance. He shakily blocked the attack with his right arm, and lifted up his left.
"No," he answered the soldier. "I'm not." And with that, he shot the OZ soldier right in the face.
The soldier was dead before he could even scream as he let go of Heero and collapsed onto the ground.
Heero just sat there for a second, trying to catch his breath and taking in his current situation. His liberator still lay in his left hand. 'That was too close…' he thought, chiding himself in his pain. 'Way too close…'
Jadedly standing, he silently wiped the blood off his face with his jacket sleeve and was about to walk away when he felt an iron arm wring around his throat.
'What?!' Heero thought in astonishment, grabbing the man's arm with his hands. 'Didn't I get them all?!'
He smelled the strong scent of alcohol on his captor's breath. The half-nelson around Heero's throat tightened as he spoke. "Hello, there…"
