Alex walked through the warehouse, the darkness surrounding her, the smell of damp filling her nostrils, the cold chilling her to the bone. The torch she had, cut through the air like a knife through butter, illuminating old cardboard boxes and crates and projecting dark shadows onto the empty walls. Graffiti was smeared over concrete pillars and the remains of smashed glass bottles were strewn across the floor. The floorboards creaked under her feet and cobwebs brushed against her.
She looked around slowly, her heart pounding in her chest, her stomach churning. She heard the sound of her heavy breathing echo around the room. Sweat ran down the back of her neck and covered her palms. Her hair clung to her forehead as if it had been stuck there with superglue. It felt as if the blood was boiling in her veins. She ran her tongue along the roof of her mouth but it was as dry as a desert. A burning sensation ran down her throat as if someone was dragging a knife along it.
Alex stepped forward bravely, like a pawn on a chessboard, ready to face her opponent. The shattered glass crunched under her feet. Every sound could give the game away.
A gunshot.The sound of the bullet crackle through the air. Silence. Someone knew they were here! The suspect was armed and the victim could be dead already.
The torch beam flickered and then Alex and Jayne were engulfed in darkness. Falling further into the black hole. "Shit" Alex muttered under her breath.
The sound of a distant whispering. They were getting closer, advancing to take the king. Checkmate.
A snowy white haze invaded the vicinity through the broken glass of a window. The spikes of the glass stuck up like the blades of spears. Alex could faintly see the silhouette of a man, surrounded by a blue and white glow.
She shielded her body behind a stack of wooden crates and prepared to move in for the onslaught. This is where the battle would be won or lost, a battle in which the victor took everything.
A shooting pain pulsated through her brain and a loud bell rang in her ears, rapidly getting more deafening as time passed until it possessed her. She felt her eyes begin to slowly close, the world around her seemed to float away. Part of her wanted to continue to close her eyes and drift away until the pain seized. The other half told her to keep fighting and ignore the throbbing in her skull.
She grasped her hand to her head, until the hurt slowly drifted away.
A shiny, crimson splatter on her hand caught her eye. Dried Blood. How on earth did that get there? She was certain it hadn't been moments ago.
The man pulled a mobile phone from his pocket and started dialling a number. He stared at the exact location of where Alex was crouching and she was convinced that he had noticed her. She stayed motionless, her back pressed against the wood, holding her breath. It was all she could do. And where the hell had Jayne gone?
Y' 'ave something I want and I 'ave something y' need...
I'll kill 'er and don't doubt it... Y' want to see 'er with a bullet through 'er brain? ...
The time 'as come to make things right, mate, and y' life's going down the gutter...
Alex stood up; the man was preoccupied with the conversation. They still had the element of surprise on their side. She took a few paces forward, towards the light, avoiding the crunched up alcohol cans scattered across the area. It was almost like a mine field, where one wrong move could mark the end of everything.
It was this part of the warehouse which had been damaged in a fire a couple of years ago, ash coated the floorboards and walls and the staircase was charred and broken. All that remained of the ceiling were the beams which were scorched. Nothing had been left unscathed.
Alex was the soldier on the front line. The first to begin the fight. The first to die.
The man dragged a young woman over to where Alex was standing. He held a pistol to her head, she was shaking with fear and tears streamed down her face. Her hair was short and black, very 1980's. Her clothes were torn in places and she wasn't wearing any shoes. She had cuts and bruises all over her face and hands. Her warm, soft hazel eyes pleaded with Alex to set her free, to save her from this monster.
"Stay where you are, I'm DI Alex Drake and you're under arrest for abduction and possession of a firearm. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned, something which you may later rely on in court, and anything you do say may be given in evidence." Alex stated powerfully, flicking out her warrant card in front of her. She was in-control, just how it was meant to be.
"Yeah, Right ...Copper" The man replied spitting out the words as if they were toxic.
He pushed the woman into the rubble and pointed the gun towards Alex. She kept her focus; looking him in the eye... she knew he would be less likely to fire. Alex raised her hands up in surrender.
"Look, I'm a psychologist, I can help you"
" D' y' really think I need y' 'elp."
"You feel trapped, yeah, I understand that, I can help you escape"
"Escape. Escape what? Getting done for y' murder"
Looking down the barrel brought a new feeling of fear to Alex. A thousand thoughts ran through her brain, Was this how she was going to die? Could it be possible that her last few seconds on earth were going to be spent here? In this dump.
Jayne emerged from behind the crates and edged towards the man as cautiously and quietly as possible. 'Smart move' Alex thought.
"Drop your weapon and get on your knees, now" Jayne shouted
The man turned round, realising his mistake, the fact that the cops were on either side of him. Not that it seemed to bother him at all. He turned the gun on the younger one, if the older one moved he would just shoot her too. All the power was in his hands as he rested his finger on the trigger...
"I'll get us out of this, yeah" Alex mouthed.
Jayne smiled sweetly and held her hands together as if in prayer.
"Please, just put the gun down" Jayne begged, trying to reason with him. She had chosen this job ... this life, but there was still a part of her which held the uncontrollable fear that each day may be her last.
"Look, it's better for you if you drop your weapon, if you kill one of us... it's a life sentence" Alex stated, a trace of fear tingeing her voice.
The man smiled, he had the cops begging him for mercy, there was no way he was going to stop now on his path of destruction.
"Stop messing with us... Now I don't honestly believe you are going to fire that weapon so if you put it down we can talk and I can help you out of this mess"
"Y' think this is a game, Inspector" The man said standing behind Jayne and holding the gun to her throat. "One move... One move and I'll blow 'er brains out!"
"Let her go, please, look if it's so important to you take me instead"
"I'M WARNING Y'...STEP AWAY...'ANDS IN THE AIR, NOW!"
The adrenaline rushed through Jayne and suddenly from somewhere she found some inner strength and stamped on the man's foot.
"Ow, Ow, y' bitch, this is the last time y' mess with me" he screeched pushing Jayne away.
Alex knew this was her only chance to save her friend and get them both out of here ... alive. She ran forward, stopping beside Jayne in the nick of time, just as the man looked up. He pointed the gun towards them venomously. She could feel the adrenaline storm through her. Her heart pumping and pounding so hard she was surprised it hadn't exploded out of her chest yet. With a split second decision she threw Jayne down behind her, using herself as a barrier between the man and Jayne. If she died at least Jayne would be safe, Jayne still had her whole life ahead of her ... she was so young and almost certainly would make a great copper, wasn't that enough to die for?
Bullets picked at the surroundings as the man began to fire. She couldn't see as the gold beams of light flickered before her like a camera flash, all she could hear was the bangs and crackles echoing around the vicinity. The smoke burned her eyes and clogged up her throat. Suddenly Pain, and lots of it, then the next thing she knew she was flying backwards, falling through the air. Her world slowing. After what felt like minutes Alex finally felt her body crash against the cold, solid concrete floor. She winced in pain, her body aching, her muscles burning... oh god, she'd been shot and now here she was about to die. Her eyes closed and she saw herself as if floating from above, lying on the solid ground, deep, dark, red blood staining her crisp, white shirt.
Jayne panted trying to regain some air into her lungs, she was still here ... well for now anyway. She had tried to crawl away and grab her police radio which had rolled behind a crate but it was jammed underneath the box. Damn. Where was A.... oh crap.
The gunfire stopped and the air froze with a deathly silence.
The man cupped his hands over his face and dropped to the floor on his knees. He hadn't meant to shoot that copper, just scare her a bit. Now what did that make him? A murderer? A killer? A monster?
Jayne ran over to Alex and knelt down beside her.
"Boss... Alex, it's okay ... you're alright"
The fuzzy haze which stung Alex's eyes started to fade and she managed to open her eyes. Jayne was kneeling beside her, her arms wrapped around Alex's shoulders. Alex glanced downwards, slowly, not knowing what to expect. There was no blood. Nothing. The bullet had definitely hit her; she had felt it as it knocked the air out of her lungs. How the hell? Her eyes met Jayne's and she smiled with relief and surprise, they were both still here, for another day. Phew.
"Thought I was going to die back then boss but you saved my life. Thought you were going to die too, thank god for bullet proof vests ... eh?"
She'd forgotten about that.
"So they really are bullet proof then" Alex joked with fake enthusiasm, how come she was always the one with the shit jokes.
Jayne helped Alex up, Alex only stopping to dust off her jacket before they both marched over to where the man knelt.
"You're Nicked" Alex declared, cuffing his hands behind his back and escorting him outside.