I heard the echo of gunfire as we reached the top of the building.
"C'mon!" Hit-Girl called, sprinting at and leaping off the edge of the building, landing on the adjacent structure. I followed her, stumbling on my landing and almost crashing to the ground, we walked up to the next edge the building, watching three criminals in a dangerous shoot out with NYPD cops.
"Are we gonna help?" I asked. She nodded, handing me a gun. The firearm made me uneasy, having used one to kill people the other night.
"Relax, the third kill is always easier than the first two." She replied, "Just breathe and pull the trigger." She finished. I slid it into my waistband as we descended down the side of the building. When we finally reached the bottom after almost falling so many times I almost felt like kissing the ground. I heard a bullet whizz by my face. And I got into cover behind a car.
"Let's go Hood!" Hit Girl called as she charged into the fray. I stood up and followed,
"Hey!" one of the cops called. The center thug had a cop with his gun to his head. I drew my pistol, pointing it at the thug's ugly ass mug.
"Don't be stupid!" the thug called. "I'll blow his pig fucking brain out." He said, forcing the gun harder against his head. Lowered my aim a bit, aiming at the space between the cops shoulder and pectorals. I fired; the bullet exited the gun, hurdling through the cop and into the thug's heart. The cop was visibly in pain, but he'd live. The thug dropped, lifelessly to the ground, his head bobbing as he hit the pavement. The Hudson broke through the echo of the gunshot, lapping lightly at the sand stone. I dragged the cop over to the waiting NYPD Pig Squad, he was applying pressure to the wound.
"I'm sorry." I said, shameful a bit.
"Thank you." Was all the police officer could say, I heard Hit-Girl's fists slapping hard against the thugs cheeks. Then I heard a splash and the two thug's cackles. I turned around, Mindi was gone and the two thugs stood laughing. I pulled my club out and sprinted at them, driving it like a spear into one of their stomachs. He almost doubled over; I raised the club and smacked him across the face as hard as I could. He slammed into the chain fence, unconscious at least if not dead. The other one drove his fist into my stomach, causing me to drop onto the ground, breathless. He dragged me off the ground and dug his knuckles into my cheek, sending me tumbling back onto the ground and my club and gun skipping away. I got up, shakily at first but I gained my bearings soon. The goon drew a knife from his boot,
"This isn't stereotypical at all." I muttered. he rushed forward, thrusting the knife at me, I combat rolled out of the way, sweeping his legs out. The knife was soaring through the air and as soon as it was safely nestled in my palm, I drove it as hard as I could into his chest. The blade punctured his skin and I pulled the blade across and tore it out, leaving a deep, blood squirting cut. He dropped to the ground as I threw the blade as hard as I could into the water.
"Hood!" Hit-Girl called. She was hanging on the edge of the fence, she was soaked and freezing. I grabbed her hands and pulled her over the fence. She was weak from the water temp and the autumn air wasn't helping it at all.
"What happened to you, did you get outnumbered?" I asked.
"They had baseball bat." She said.
"But you fuck up guys who have guns!" I retorted.
"I didn't know that they had a baseball bat." I parted her hair, she was bleeding a bit, and she was shivering like a motherfucker too.
"c'mon, let's get you somewhere warm." I said. I lead her past the cop I had shot, he was a big guy, maybe six two, he was of African descent, he had a beard and moustache, he looked around mid twenties
"Hey kid." He whispered. I looked over at him.
"Yes sir." I replied. He smiled,
"What's your name?" he asked, there was a pause and I almost told him my real name.
"Bloody Hood." I said, slightly proud of my brainless name.
"Well Bloody Hood and Hit-Girl, I'm Officer Mason." He said, "I want to thank you both." He finished. I smiled,
"Don't worry 'bout it bro." Hit-Girl replied. I picked my gun up off the ground, along with my club.
"We're just here to help." I stated. The cop put his hand out to shake; we did, smiling while we did.
"Did someone call 911 for you?" I asked, the cop nodded,
"It's all taken care of." He replied, "Thanks again." He said.
"Anytime sir." I said.
We finally reached her "Warehouse", she entered the code on the keypad, opening the door and we walked inside.
"We need to get you some dry clothes." I said, "Here, lay down and get under the covers, I'll get you some clothes and tea." I said.
"I don't have tea here." She said, getting under the covers in her cot.
"Do you have a heater?" I asked. She nodded, pointing to her electric heater. I picked it up and placed it down quietly next to her bed, plugging it in and flipping the switch. I went into the next room and grabbed her shirt, and a pair of pajama pants. I handed them to her,
"What, no underwear?" she asked.
"I didn't feel comfortable intruding into your underwear drawer because it might tempt me." I said, joking of course. She laughed as she got up and walked into her room to change. She returned, still wearing her mask.
"Sorry you got thrown into the Hudson, the thought of touching that water is unpleasant."I said,
"There was nothing you could have done about It." she said, walking up to me. I nodded, I knew that, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened.
"I should get going, got stuff to do tomorrow." I stated.
"Thanks Hood." She said.
"For what." I asked.
"Getting me back here." She said.
"Don't mention it Hit-Girl." I said, walking to the door.
"I mean It." she said, "and for keeping me warm on the way." She replied.
"Do you think I was gonna let you catch pneumonia?" I asked. "See you tomorrow then?" I asked.
"yeah." She replied.
"Monster, you could have saved me!" It was the thug from the first night. He had a gory bullet hole through his head, blood and brain matter dripping from the hole.
"Stupid son of a bitch! You beat me with a club; you couldn't have knocked me out so I could see my three year old again? Huh!" it was the first guy I killed the second night, he had blood dripping from his head, which was caved in and I swore I could see his brain.
"You shot me, in the heart! Why didn't you let me kill the bitch, you hated her at the beginning of the fucking night!" the second from the fateful night. He had a hole blown through his chest, blood was squirting out unrealistically, and I could see his heard beating.
"You're no hero! You're a fucking killer, just as bad as us!" the first from that night, he also had blood squirting violently from his chest.
"Yeah, you aint different!" the second one, giant gory cut across his chest. He held up his heart, which was cut in half by the cut I induced.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed.
I awoke breath fast and sweating like a hooker in church. I gripped my hair, stressed out beyond return. This nightmare was worse than the one before, more intense and painful surprisingly. I almost felt the pain I had induced, headaches, chest aches. I was shaking, the fact that one dream had induced such fear is scary enough, but having to see the dream and the people I've killed in the span of three days makes it ten times worse. Hit-Girl was wrong, the third kill wasn't easy. And I don't know how much I can take.