Chapter Seven: Trapped
You're an idiot, you know that, Shinji? Now come on. I'm going to take you back to the apartment. Hopefully there you can sober up enough before we have to leave
Shinji stumbled down the streets, ignoring the looks he gained from people as he did so. He wasn't sure how he had managed to get away from Toshi due to the amount of alcohol that he had already consumed that day but at this point he was in such a state that he didn't care. Shinji had just wanted the pain to stop and for all the anger and hurt that he was feeling inside of go away and this seemed like the best solution to him.
"He took you away from me. I became obsolete in your eyes. Because of my leg I couldn't protect you anymore but you'd already found someone else for that hadn't you? Even now you'd choose him over me any day. I can see it in your eyes. You'd rather be with him right now than have this conversation with me!"
"Shinji, please--"
"The truth's hard to hear isn't it? Well let me tell you something else. Do you think I haven't noticed the way you look at him? It's very obvious that you're in love with him and that sickens me. I'm leaving and you can't stop me. In fact, I don't want anything more to do with either of you. Ever."
In truth, Shinji hated himself for his outburst. The memory of his brother's crushed expression was almost too much to bear and Shinji didn't even know why he had said such things. Granted they were true and were very much how felt but all he had wanted was to open Sho's eyes and for him to see Kei for the monster that he really was. They had been a family, him, Sho and Toshi, before Kei had come into their lives and Shinji had missed that. He had missed his brother and now he hated himself for what he had done and the situation that he had created.
It was his fault. His debts with Chan had caused all this and now Chan wanted Sho dead. Shinji knew that he had to put this right somehow but he didn't know where to begin and so he had done what he always did. He had lashed out at all around him and left, getting himself wasted and thus taking long strides down the road to self-destruction.
The sad truth was that Shinji couldn't see any way to end this. Even if, by some miracle, they made it through this, he knew that he would go back to the drugs. There was nothing else for him. Getting high was simply the easier option.
Moving down the street now, Shinji wasn't even sure where he was going. A part of him had wanted to go with Toshi and another part, the part that had won out, had resisted it. No doubt Sho would have told Kei of his brother's outburst and Shinji just couldn't face going back. He had lost Sho this time, that much was for sure.
Shinji was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he almost jumped out of his skin when he bumped into someone. Uttering a half-hearted apology, he attempted to side step whoever was blocking his way but he walked straight into another person.
Looking up, Shinji took in the two smartly dressed Chinese men with an equal amount of fear and acceptance. He knew without a doubt that these were high-ranking members of Chan's gang – only his most trusted associates wore suits. The casually dressed punks that they had, had to deal with in the past were nothing in comparison to these guys.
They obviously wanted Shinji to go with them without a fuss and, for a moment, he contemplated making a break for it, but what was the point? He had nothing to go back to. Sho probably wouldn't even care if he was dead.
You'd rather be with him right now than have this conversation with me!
Kei… this was all down to him… Shinji felt hatred surge through him again at the thought of the vampire and how he had come between him and Sho. If Kei weren't around then perhaps he and Sho could start again, become proper brothers again.
Shinji offered no resistance to the men that flanked him and then led him away.
He had nothing left to lose now.
Jian observed, in silence, the Japanese man knelt on the ground before him. His face was bowed and blood dripped from a gash over his right eye and splashed onto the wooden floor. Jian's lip curled a little in disgust and irritation at this and he had to remind himself that he was carrying out his father's wishes, no matter what his feelings to contrary were.
Jian was not distraught and out for revenge as Chan was. If the truth were known, Jian was actually glad that this had happened. Being the younger son, he would never have inherited his father's position and power; that would have gone to Xiong. Xiong had been the favourite, he always had been and Jian was the failure. Jian was not as smart or strong as his older brother and therefore had always been sidelined. At twenty-two, all he had to show from his life was a failed relationship and a child that he couldn't see. His ex-partner had immigrated back to Japan and had taken their daughter with her.
Even Jian's small empire that he had carved out for himself was in ruins; the Japanese kids had seen to that. His men weren't planners and didn't have the intelligence to hit back against the raids and Chan, furious at how this was going to be perceived, had taken control from Jian and again he was sidelined. Still, Chan had fared little better and the raids had continued and the death toll had continued to rise. This had pleased Jian for he wanted to see his father fail. Then he had gotten the call about Xiong.
This was Jian's chance to prove himself. With Xiong's condition not likely to improve, Jian had a chance to surpass him, to take his place as the favourite and heir to everything that their father had accomplished. Everyone would look to him to lead them in future and it all hinged upon the Japanese man at his feet, the Japanese man who had, so far, refused to utter a word as to the whereabouts of his comrades.
Brotherly affection was something that Jian could understand, although he did not feel any towards Xiong, but he had to force Shinji to talk. The others had to be dealt with or else his father would look unfavourably upon Jian yet again.
Furiously, he had ordered that his men leave him and he had been trying to coax the man into divulging any kind of information. He had offered him pain, wealth, and power, but nothing had loosened his tongue.
Kneeling down before him now, Jian grabbed a fistful of dark hair and wrenched his head back, forcing Shinji to look at him once more. Jian could feel his father's gaze upon him and knew that he could not afford to make any mistakes, not this time.
"My men could have you begging for death," he growled in Chinese, knowing that Shinji could understand him. "They could take you apart piece by piece with such skill that would leave you conscious until the end."
Shinji spat at this statement and Jian bit back rage as he felt a mixture of blood and salvia wet his face.
"Tell us where your friends are and we'll let you go. We'll even call off your debt. Think about it, you could still get out of this alive."
"And betray my brother?" Shinji shot back in Japanese, "Never."
"Your brother has caused suffering to my own. Surely if you were in my place would want revenge? I won't ask you again.
Shinji chuckled at this, although it came out as a low rasping sound and he spat again, this time to rid blood from his mouth.
"You'll never get near Sho," he answered through gritted teeth as Jian grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him roughly. "Your revenge will end in slaughter."
Jian raised a hand and struck him, knocking Shinji back down onto the tiled floor. "What do you mean by that?" He demanded in a low voice that made the underlying threat in his tone crystal clear.
"Exactly that," Shinji met Jian's gaze and the vicious look he gave him almost caused the Chinese to shiver. "You try to hurt Sho and you'll die."
"You are in no position to make such threats."
Shinji laughed again at this and shook his head. "Not me…"
"Who?"
"It doesn't matter who he is, it's what he is that should concern you."
Jian was growing tired of Shinji's tirade and, with further impatience, he called his men back into the room as he knelt down before the Japanese man. "You will talk," he hissed dangerously. "You will talk before I have you screaming and begging for death."
Toshi had, very reluctantly, headed back to the apartment where he found that the situation between Sho and Kei hadn't improved; in fact things were decidedly worse.
Toshi found Sho in the front room, brooding and smoking cigarette after cigarette. He barely reacted to the news that Toshi had been unsuccessful in finding Shinji. Kei was in the bedroom, sleeping, Toshi had found when he had looked in on him.
The rest of the day had passed painfully slowly. Toshi was filled with worry for all of them and that Shinji had somehow been caught. Of course, had this been true then Chan's men would have already been at their door. Still this brought him little comfort. He had tried to make Sho understand that they had to leave, now, but the younger man seemed to have gone into complete shut down and wasn't responding to much of what Toshi was trying to tell him.
"What's wrong with you?" Toshi had demanded finally, feeling exasperated and more than a little afraid. Sho had shouted back, telling Toshi to mind his own business before lapsing into silence again.
Unable to settle, Toshi spent the next couple of hours pacing up and down and attempting to make conversation with Sho. His friend, however, was not interested in small talk and Toshi finally slumped down in a chair and fell into an uneasy sleep.
It was dark when he awoke.
"How many?" Sho was asking, his tone deadly serious and it was this that immediately drew Toshi into complete wakefulness.
"Hard to tell. Twenty perhaps more," Kei answered from his position by the window.
The vampire was looking out down to the street below. Behind him, Sho was already gathering up weapons.
"We've dealt with that many before," he stated quietly. "We can take them."
"No," Kei said to this, "it's too risky."
"Why not?"
"You and Toshi need to get out of here. I'll take care of things."
"Not this again," Sho's tone immediately switched to one of anger. "We're a team, Kei."
"This isn't a local gang we're dealing with, these men are Chan's best and they want you dead."
"I know that," Sho snapped back. "But you're weak… how can you fight them all?"
"I can keep them distracted long enough for you to get clear."
Sho threw up his hands in frustration and stalked back towards Kei's position by the window. Concerned, Toshi followed him. Whatever they were going to do, they were wasting time and, as much as Toshi didn't want to leave Kei behind anymore than Sho did, the vampire's plan made sense. In any case, Sho was forgetting that Kei was immortal but they weren't.
"Any minute now they're going to have the building surrounded," Toshi pointed out. "We need to go. Now."
As he said this, a man looked up and spotted them. A shout went up and Toshi jumped back from the window as a spray of bullets showered around them.
He hit the floor landing painfully on his right shoulder. Wincing at the shooting pain that accompanied this fall, Toshi forced himself to roll to the side of the window nearest the door.
Looking up as silence fell upon the room, Toshi saw Kei and Sho crouched down the other side of the window. He also saw blood on the carpet.
"Sho?" Toshi gasped when he saw his friend clutching at his left arm.
"It's okay…" Sho tried to brush Kei aside when the vampire hurriedly tore off a strip from the bottom of his white shirt. Leaning forward as much as he dared, Kei wrapped the strips of cloth tightly around the wound. Toshi didn't like the way that Kei's gaze stayed on the blood for a little too long but before he could comment on it, Kei tore himself away.
"We need to move," he said quietly, taking the lead. "Keep low and follow me. Sho, keep pressure on that wound or you'll bleed to death."
"Stop being so dramatic," Sho answered, rolling his eyes, "it's just a scratch."
Toshi wasn't sure. It seemed to be bleeding an awful lot for a scratch, but he didn't say anything.
Kei reached out and slipped a gun and clip of bullets from Sho's holster and led the way to the door. Sho went after him, managing to somehow crawl without putting pressure on his injured arm. It was leaking a slow trail of blood after them and this would make them easy to follow, Toshi realised with a chill.
Kei came to a pause by the closed door. "Why are we stopping?" Toshi demanded, fear threatening to get the better of him now.
"There's men on the stairs two floors down," Kei answered in a low voice.
"How many?" Sho asked, automatically reaching for his other gun with his right hand.
"Five, six," Kei frowned, "they're too far away for me to be more accurate."
Kei's enhanced senses never failed to amaze Toshi and, right now, he was very grateful for them.
"They're moving up this way," Kei continued. "When we get out onto the stairwell start going up. I'll keep them off of us long enough for you to get clear."
"What about Nii-chan?" Sho asked, clearly having come to the same conclusion as Toshi about how exactly the men had found them.
"I can't sense him, and you can't worry about him now."
Sho didn't like this but he knew that Kei was right and did not argue.
"Kei?" It was Toshi's turn to question now. "If we go up then we'll be trapped."
"We don't know for certain how many men are in the street," Kei answered, but it was clear that he was at a loss, too.
"Then we'll fight our way out," Sho said with as much determination as ever.
"With you injured? No," Kei shook his head, "just get to the sixth floor."
They were on the forth at the moment.
The vampire very quietly opened the door and ushered them out into the corridor. As they did so the first of the men appeared at the other end. He yelled out something in Chinese but had barely time to draw his gun before Kei was on him.
Toshi had only ever seen Kei fight like this a couple of times before and the sheer power that was demonstrated never failed to shock him. One moment Kei was at their side and the next he had landed on top of the man, pinning him down and knocking the gun from his hand. The man screamed and it was then that Toshi looked away. He had a fair idea of what would happen next and he was sure that it wouldn't be pretty.
Sho hesitated but Toshi, upon hearing gunfire behind them, pushed the younger man ahead of them as they started to climb the stairs. Casting one last glance over his shoulder, Toshi saw six men approaching the cornered vampire. There were a lot more of them that they had anticipated. Kei was right; escape was their only hope now.
Shinji sagged between the two men, feeling hardly able to hold his head up as Jian addressed him again. A mixture of shame and agony coursed through his battered body. Agony caused by the many wounds that Jian's men had inflicted upon him and shame that he had betrayed his only brother. The pain had been too much and Jian had been unable to listen to reason. He had even ignored his warnings about Kei.
A dark part of Shinji had hoped that perhaps the vampire would be killed in the battle although he knew deep down that such a thing was impossible. The only way that Kei's life could end was by suicide.
Jian had, had his men bring Shinji here to witness the revenge that he intended to exact upon the three men hiding inside although, from the furious expression on the Jian's face, Shinji could tell that things weren't going to plan. They must have met Kei, he thought with a dark humour and it gave him a strange sense of satisfaction to know this and to hear the screams coming from inside the apartment block. It was a bloodied night and more would die before it was over, that Shinji was certain of.
Kei's stomach churned as he surveyed his handiwork. The remaining two men had retreated, sheer terror etched across their features as they did so. Kei had let them go. As it was, he could feel himself growing weaker and he was forced to lean back against the wall of the stairwell for support.
He could feed, he found himself reasoning. These men were trying to kill Sho so this made it okay and yet he felt unable to bring himself to do it, not when Sho and Toshi were only two floors up waiting for him.
What use am I in this state? I can't protect them for long like this…Kei had withheld the vampire that lurked just below the surface for, when it finally came out and consumed him, he knew that he would kill anyone who got in his way, even Sho. He had to get his two friends away from the apartment and then he could come back and finish the job.
Taking only a few extra seconds to compose himself, Kei broke into run in order to catch up with Sho and Toshi.
To his dismay, they had only made it up one flight of stairs. Sho was leaning against the railing and his face was almost drained of all colour.
Without saying a word, Kei unwrapped the strips of cloth to get a closer look at the wound. Luckily the bullet had exited but had torn through muscle and quite possibly shattered the bone. The blood flow was slower but still coming forth. Sho had been shot before but never a direct hit and Kei was starting to feel frightened.
He shrugged off his red jacket and pulled the remains of his shirt off, wrapping it as tightly as he could around Sho's arm. "Keep pressure on it," he said firmly and Sho nodded weakly, fear reflecting itself in his blue eyes.
Slipping his jacket back around his shoulders, Kei could already hear more men gathering. Evidently the two that he had let escape hadn't had their warnings of a monster heeded. Even if they had, Kei knew that Chan would not care how many men he had to send to their deaths. He wanted revenge and human emotions, especially love and hate, were a powerful thing. In short, Kei knew that Chan would never let this go.
He could now also smell a familiar scent; Shinji. He was hurt although Kei couldn't tell how badly. There was little love lost between Kei and Sho's older brother. Shinji had hated Kei from the beginning and the feeling was more than mutual, still, had it been safe to, Kei would have gone back for the other man. Shinji meant little to him but he meant a great deal to Sho. As it was, Kei couldn't risk it. He had to get Sho and Toshi clear first. Only then could he consider going back for Shinji.
Kei took the few moments pause to reload his gun with the last of the clips. Sho had a fully loaded gun of his own and Kei wanted him to hang onto it for protection. Toshi also had a gun. Their other weapons were back in their apartment. Kei didn't need them but, unknown to the other two, his fangs hadn't retracted after the fight and for someone who was usually in control of his vampire self this was very concerning. Kei didn't know how much longer he could keep it at bay for now.
"Come on," he said, his anxiety creeping into his voice now. "We need to keep moving."
The apartment block had eight floors but Kei didn't intend on taking them to the top. He was hoping that they could double back using the stairs at the rear of the building.
Sho was forced to lean against Toshi for support as they moved. He had protested at first but he was getting weaker and the flow of blood from his wound had not stopped completely. Kei, in truth, wanted to put more distance between them and the remaining men but their pace couldn't be helped. As long as they kept moving, he told himself. That would be enough.
Once they reached the seventh floor, Kei led them along the corridor, now taking the lead as they went towards the back set of stairs. Kei reached the stairwell first and his heart sank. Already he could hear more men below.
"We're trapped," Toshi muttered behind him.
"No," Kei answered, more to try and convince himself than Toshi. Thinking swiftly, Kei tore a piece of the bloodied cloth from Sho's arm and walked quickly over to the stairs leading to the eighth floor. He climbed two steps and carefully let the tattered material fall from his hand and onto the step.
Then, doubling back, he ushered them along the corridor to the first door leading into one of the apartments. Kei forced the door open and stepped into the room. Sho and Toshi followed him but it was clear that both of them had doubts now.
"Go through into there," Kei nodded towards the door leading to the bedroom. "When I hear them all go up to the eighth floor we're going to make a break for it."
"What if there's more men outside?" Toshi questioned. "Shouldn't we hide out until they're gone?"
"They won't give up," Sho answered for Kei. "This is all my fault…" he added in a lower voice.
No, Kei wanted to say, this is Shinji's mess, but he knew that this wouldn't comfort Sho any so instead he reached out with the intention of squeezing Sho's good shoulder reassuringly. However, his hand hovered just above its destination as he recalled their kiss and then his cold words afterwards. Guilt flooded Kei and he let his arm drop back down to his side.
Sho held Kei's gaze and it was only when the footsteps outside grew nearer that Kei was forced to break it. He could now hear voices and they were getting closer and, after a few minutes, they died down again.
Kei, cautiously, opened the door and looked out into the corridor. He could hear the men above them now moving about and searching the remaining floor.
He motioned for Sho and Toshi to follow him and they did so in silence. Doubling back the way that they had come, Kei's mind was now flooded with thoughts of what they would do now. There would be men on the ground floor and outside and they didn't have any transport for means of escape. Kei had vaguely decided upon them trying for the next nearest apartment block and losing the Chinese among the concrete jungle that was outside but this all hinged on them getting clear without being spotted. Kei wasn't sure if this was going to happen.
Then somewhere in his subconscious, he heard the sound of a gun being cocked.
Kei raised his own weapon as the two men came round the corner and he fired quickly, his aim fatal each time. Sho had seen Kei's accuracy many times but for Toshi this kind of callous and cold execution was completely new and he looked, if anything, stunned.
Yet there was no time to comment for the gunfire had attracted the attention of the men above them. There was a yell and then a spray of bullets erupted around them.
They ran, Kei occasionally turning to fire his gun until the bullets were spent. The stairs were narrow and spiralled and these were the only things that stopped the men from having a clean shot. The bullets, so far, only ricocheted around them, some striking the floor in front and others going wild and hitting the walls. Still it was only a matter of seconds before one of them was hit.
They had reached the forth floor now and Kei motioned to the two ahead of him to get off the stairs. The men hadn't yet rounded the corner above them and this gave them a chance.
"Kei!" Sho yelled when the vampire did not follow them. Instead he kept going, down the next flight and, as anticipated, the men followed him, thinking that Sho and Toshi were still ahead of him.
Without his human charges, Kei was able to move faster, although he took enough care to make sure that he was still followed. Once he had gotten clear of the building, Kei intended to kill them all but for now he had to lead them away from Sho and Toshi.
It was then that it happened. Kei was nearly down the next flight of stairs when his previous weariness chose to return. His vision swam and, for a moment, he must have blacked out for, when he became aware of his surroundings again, he was pinned up against the wall and a gun was pressed to his head.
Kei instantly stilled, feeling a rare stab of fear spark through him for he wasn't sure if he could muster the strength to throw the man off of him before the trigger was pulled. Luka had once told Kei that they could even survive a bullet in the brain but in his current state, Kei wasn't keen to find out if his mentor had been right.
The man holding him smirked and Kei flinched as a shot rang out and he braced himself for the pain. Then the pressure of the gun against Kei's temple relaxed and the man slumped forward against the vampire. He was dead.
"See, I'm still a pretty good shot," Sho smirked as he jogged down the couple of steps to join the blonde. "Lucky for you," he added cockily when Kei failed to reply.
As he said this, they both heard more footsteps on the stairs, even as shots rung out, and moments later Toshi rejoined them.
"I couldn't hold them off," he said a little breathlessly as he discarded his now empty gun.
"Go," Kei ordered them both as he forced himself to gather what remained of his strength.
"I can fight, too," Sho snapped defensively but he staggered a little as he said these words. Kei turned sharply to his friend and noted the fresh blood on his shirt.
"You have to keep pressure on that wound," Kei shot back before turning away lest his instincts get the better of him.
For once, Sho did not argue and Kei was glad of this. Still he felt the hopelessness of their situation and, in the back of his mind, he darkly wondered if he would be able to protect his friends after all.