Backstab
Chapter 7: Familiar Evils
A/N: I'm back! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but with school and a budding I Am Number Four fanfic idea, I have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it… And yet, I write on tirelessly. :S
Oo0oO
I was still sitting outside when I first became aware of them. They were swift and near silent, so I didn't hear them coming until they were just around the corner, when one of them made the mistake of bumping into a nearby trashcan. At that moment, I felt myself freeze, my breath stopping short as I listened further. Now that it had gained my full attention, I was aware of small, human-like movements coming from an adjacent alleyway. There were no voices, but I swore I could hear the faint rustle of a pant leg, the scraping of shoes against gravel that gave away the presence of human life.
Sudden anxiety overcame me; my hands trembling with the thought that one of our pursuers had found us. True, there was a slight possibility that the sound I was hearing was that of a random pedestrian, but my mind refused to believe it. Somewhere, deep inside me, I could feel the danger presented by their presence, and my mind began an internal battle of whether or not I should make a move or sit in silence. Making noise might startle them; prompt whoever it was into action and the possible discovery of my presence within the city. However, silence would leave me vulnerable, give them more time to think and plan their course of action, while SweetPea and Tyler sat unknowingly inside the hollow.
I have to make a move, I convinced myself, inching towards the hole and trying to make as little noise as humanly possible. Heart hammering in my chest, I slowly approached the entrance, my ears alert for any sign of movement. Then, fast as lightening, I dove inside our base, receiving a good scratch on my left forearm as I did so. As I stumbled to the ground, I cursed slightly, looking up at the other two with whom I currently shared my home. SweetPea was careful to avoid my gaze, but-recognizing my anxiety-Tyler stopped short.
"What is it?" he asked quickly, rising to his feet in alarm.
"It's them," I said breathlessly, my voice a barely controlled whisper. "The people looking for us. They're here."
At this, SweetPea turned her full attention towards me, our previous quarrel forgotten. "What? You mean the cops?"
Contemplating it for a moment, I shook my head, "No, cops wouldn't bother to be so silent about it. Whoever I heard knew we were here and had intended on sneaking up on us."
"Then who is it?"
I hesitated, confusion and fear making it hard to form a logical response. Why would someone besides the cops be after us? Was it because of those posters? Sure, they inspired the neighborhood to be on the lookout, but it wasn't like anyone actually took finding criminals into their own hands. We were just a couple of kids, what would anyone want with us?
As I sifted through my thoughts, Tyler frowned grimly, placing a hand under his chin. "I had a feeling this was going to happen sooner or later," he said quietly, and then began crawling over to the far corner of our hideout. His movement capturing my attention, I watched as he began tugging at an old dog bed, struggling with the weight of it. After a few good heaves, the mattress had been shoved a few feet to the side, revealing a small hole in the floor.
"An escape tunnel?" SweetPea thought aloud, looking between Tyler and the hole curiously.
He shrugged, dry humor managing to find its way into his voice. "Let's just say I like to take precautions." However, not more than a moment later his smile vanished, and he motioned to SweetPea and I. "Clear the camp of what you can. It's best we leave as little evidence of life here as possible."
SweetPea nodded instantly, and I was about to go about the task when I heard a noise from the wall to my left.
"It's too late to cover our tracks" I said in a loud whisper, noting the increasing number of loud thumps the building around us was making. "They already know we're here, our best bet now is to run."
Exchanging a glance, Tyler and SweetPea immediately dropped their items, moving over to the tunnel with renewed haste. After a few moments, they had both disappeared from sight, swallowed by the black pit beyond.
The moment SweetPea's head had disappeared I followed after her, easing myself into the narrow passage. The hole was a bit tight around the shoulders, but after a bit of squirming I managed to slip through. Saying a silent goodbye to our previous hideout, I ducked down into the dark tunnel.
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The burrow wasn't long, and after less than a minute of crawling we emerged in a new alleyway only a few hundred feet from where we went in. The exit had been carefully concealed by a collection of discarded building materials, and we had to move them aside in order to gain access to the outside world. Despite the inconvenience, however, we had managed to slip us past our pursers, and as soon as we could find shelter we were in the clear.
Or so we thought.
"It's them!" came a voice from behind us, and we spun around to face a large black man staring us down from the end of the alley. He was surprisingly well dressed, adorned in a simple black suit and dress shoes, and had it not been for the agitated look in his face he could have easily passed for a casual businessman on his way to work.
Though, most businessmen didn't carry a pistol strapped to their left hip.
"Run," Tyler said quickly, but he had no need, for we had already began dashing before the command had been issued.
Behind me, I heard the man snicker, before he was joined by two more men in suits. "We only need the girls," he commanded quickly, motioning to where we were about to round the corner out of the alley. "The boy's expendable."
Tyler, his name flashed in my head, and surge of guilt rattled my bones. However, I managed to ignore it, focusing on the road ahead. Tyler didn't matter, and despite any friendliness SweetPea or I held toward him, it did not change the fact that he was a stranger to us. If it came down to it, and I had the choice between his safety and our escape… I would not hesitate.
By now, our pursuers had scattered, and soon backroads of the city were alive with shouts. Moving quickly, we struggled to escape the barrage of men, weaving in and out of buildings in a blind rush. We had no destination but away, no plan but to run. It was eerily similar to SweetPea and my first night out of the Lennox house, though the situation felt incredibly more dire now. For the cops we had faced then were at least a familiar evil; they were just doing their job and attempting to uphold public safety. However, these men were definitely not cops, for no law enforcement would call a living being expendable.
To further reinforce this thought, I heard a small boom rattle through the air, less than a second before something bounced off the brick wall beside me.
"What was that?" SweetPea reeled, glancing back and forth between me and the wall.
"They've issued an open fire," Tyler announced, and for the first time since our introduction I saw true shock on his face.
"Open fire?" I echoed, a moment before another bullet collided with a trashcan to my right.
Baby!" cried SweetPea, grabbing my arm and pulling me forward. Gasping, I stumbled slightly, easing myself back to a full sprint.
"Whatever you do don't slow down," Tyler cried, turning down another alley. "We can still outrun them!" He did his best to sound confident, though not even he could fully cover the fear in his tone.
Unarmed and outnumbered, we zigzagged through the city streets, barely avoiding getting hit by cars on multiple occasions. All the while, the men relentlessly kept on us, though as time went by their numbers seemed to be dwindling. However, that did nothing to tame the raging fire in my chest, and I knew that I couldn't maintain this speed for much longer before collapsing.
"I… can't…"
"Just… a little further," Tyler wheezed, noting my exhaustion.
He turned out to be right, for after rounding a corner and ducking into an abandoned building, we'd lost them. Exhausted and beyond relieved, SweetPea and I collapsed on the floor, struggling to control our breathing until we were positive of our safety. Tyler was also gasping for air, but I caught a triumphant smile spreading across his face.
Then something happened. Without warning, Tyler's eyes grew wide, flicking between me, SweetPea and something behind us. I turned around, and caught a glimpse of one of our pursuers pulling his trigger while the gun pointed at my head. Before my brain could register fear or the action to move, Tyler was diving in front of me. There was a click. A boom. And then Tyler fell to the floor.
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A/N: Haha cliffhanger I'm so mean. Anyways sorry about all the running, but they're just a couple of scared, unarmed kids… for now. Please comment and review, and thanks again to all the readers.