CHAPTER 8

.         The quiet was history as the bullets blasted freely into Alice's apartment, shards of glass, flying in the air, the dishes, the cabinets, the walls, all came crashing down as the metals shot right through them, this was completely different from how the movies made it seem, it was relentless, brutal, thirsty, one wrong move could mean sudden death, she was right to be scared, they were ready to kill anyone and everyone.

       The gunshots stopped, but the room was in chaos, Alice was still too shaken to get up, until the sound of Mike's voice brought her back to the reality they were in.

     " Alice ? Alice ? are you okay ? "his voice oozed with more concern for her life than his.

    " I'm fine " she responded, with a tone of voice that could have passed for a whisper.

       Her eyes scanned the room, which had suddenly become a pile of debris, the holes made by the bullets couldn't be anymore real, this was happening, death had come to her doorstep, and he wasn't a fan of small talks, again she felt Mike shake her back to reality.

    " We have to go Alice, on your feet " her shock was yet to pass, and her legs staggered for balance, there was glass everywhere, Fasting's men had found them, they were dangerous, armed, and would kill without hesitation, as they had just proven.

       With their hearts crossed, Mike guided her out of the kitchen, they stayed as low as they could to avoid being shot by anymore bullets, but escape would mean a miracle, both exits had been blocked and the front door was only minutes away from being hammered down, they were cornered, trapped, vulnerable, the goons hadn't given them a chance to make a run for it, everything happened so fast.

      Nothing compared to the feeling of vulnerability she faced as they tore down her door, Mike had sustained a cut when they fell,  he could barely defend himself, coupled with the fact that he was still recovering from his wounds, and she was hardly a match, the only thing separating them from the killers would be the door that was currently being hacked to pieces. In situations like this the options were limited, it was run, or die. With a solid blow the front door gave way, splinters flew across the living room, they were inside the house. 

      They gave a demeanor that reflected indifference, they were obviously acquainted with the kill, It was another one of those days, to them this was another job, Alice peered from where she hid, there were four of them, all muscular men, armed, fierce, ugly, one look and you would know these were the hounds of the alleys, their eyes were blood red, probably the after effect of so much coke. She hid under the dinning table, while Mike hid behind the library door, it was a tough situation, one sound and they would be discovered, the assassin's weren't going to leave without accomplishing their mission, and they sounded as bad as they looked. The one with the army green jacket and jungle boots seemed like the leader of the operation, as he gave instructions to the others to search the house, one went to the kitchen, another, the bathroom, and one headed for the bedroom, while he stayed in the living room, he exuded a disturbing amount of comfort and confidence, the numbers were obviously in their favour, and their targets were hardly a match. If not for anything, the guns would guarantee their success.

      Alice fixed her eyes on him as he paraded the room like he owned the place, her heart skipped a beat when he moved closer to the table where she was hiding, but for some reason turned and dropped on the sofa, from his pocket he pulled out a lighter, and with it lit his cigar, the smoke came out from both his mouth and nostrils, then a deep breath and he relaxed himself, one by one they all came, the complete pack, and even though they didn't say a word, he got the message, he remained calm regardless, and only sucked on his cigar.

    " It's a small house, they have to be here somewhere, " he finally said.

    " What if they somehow found a way to escape ? " another one suggested.

    " That won't make any difference, they can't have gone far, in the mean time, bring the fuel, we'll light it up on our way out, yellow was never my colour " he said referring to the colour of the paint, then a wild, bizarre, cunning grin shot across his face.

       They were planning to burn the house down, only demented animals would think of such a cruel act, Alice thought to herself, but as bad as that sounded, there was an even bigger problem, " Mike " he had hurt himself, and the wound was leaving a trail of blood that would lead right to him, she had seen it, and it would only be a matter of time before they do too.

       They didn't hesitate to bring the fuel, and poured it round the house, the situation went from bad to worse in a heartbeat, as the harsh liquid flowed in the same direction of Mike's blood, and just as he was about to drop the lighter and set the house ablaze, he saw it, red, fresh, jackpot. He raised an eyebrow, the grin shot across his face again, and in less than a minute, he was by the door, Alice could only feel her chest pounding furiously as they got even closer to Mike, they would definitely kill him, no doubt was in her mind, with a cocky smile and a gentle pull, he pushed the door open,  but the look on his face didn't suggest what she would have expected him to feel upon realising his target, instead, disappointment and anger enveloped his face, he had seen the blood, but Mike wasn't there, and regardless of the very much present threat, that one thing brought her some ease, then she noticed they were three men in the room, one must've left while she had her eyes fixed on the boss with big boots, but where could he had gone ? she thought to herself, a thought she was yet to respond to when a sudden pull sent her rolling on the floor,  that explained the missing hound, she had been brought out of safe haven, and into the mine field, there was no escape and no negotiation, she was still in a daze from the sudden push, her hands stiffened from the  one on one collision with glass and splinters, and the next thing that resonated in her ears was the sound of the men laughing at her, they found her pain and fear amusing, it gave them a kind of excitement only their kind could explain, she felt the sharp pain of the splinters even more when they grabbed her by the hair and dropped her on her knees in front of their boss, he maintained the grin he had when he saw Mike's blood, and all her life she had seen nothing more disturbing.

       

     With her hair still wrapped around his fingers, he jecked her head backwards, leaving her in a helpless situation, as she knelt facing their supposed boss, his demeanor remained the same, stoic, and he didn't even blink as he squated down in front of her, maintaining eye contact, he looked at her like an irrelevant character in a movie scene, and for some reason she imagined him slitting her throat, that had been layed bare before him, whether the stench of his breath, or the unnatural redness of his eyes, she wasn't sure, but she felt immerced in gallons of cold water, as he trickled his fingers down her right cheek, still maintaining eye contact, then he signaled that they let go of her hair, and raised her chin to meet his.

   " Where is he ? we know you were together, tell us where he is , and we will let you go " 

      His voiced echoed everything but truth, they would kill her the moment they found Mike, and they would kill her regardless of what she would say.

    " Where is he ? " he questioned again.

         This time raising an eyebrow to show just how serious he was, but she wouldn't answer, whether the fear or shock of the past three minutes and her present situation, or the fact that she had no idea where he was, something held back her words, and before she could regain herself, a solid hand landed on her face, these were criminals, not gentlemen, they would torture her to get the answer, it would just be another casualty in their game of murder and excitement, with the same hand that hit her face, he lifted her head again, there were tears in her eyes, but that didn't matter, and after a 10 second long stare he stretched his hand past her shoulder, and what came with it was a 10 inch long dagger.

       " Tell me where he is, or I will kill you, I'll count to three, one, two, ... "

          A third count without an answer would mean a dead actress, she would die anyways, Alice closed her eyes to prepare herself for the impending stab that would most likely end her life, but instead of a sting, or the feel of her flesh being ripped by the dagger, she heard a loud roar, like that of a crazed man, and what followed was the sound of wood colliding against her attacker's tempo, it was in the nick of time, he dropped down, groaning in pain, her shock seemed to match that of the others because for a minute they hesitated to attack, that was all he needed, without a second to waste he grabbed a gun and fixed it in between their boss's ears.

        " Put your guns down, or I will kill him, " he said, as serious as he could ever be, and even though still dazed as she was, Alice saw a glimpse of hope, but that was all it was, a glimpse, that faded almost as fast as it appeared, then the unexpected happened, Mike's assault bought them time, yes, but it made his attackers even more mad, his attempt to battle them backfired as they took advantage of his weakness, one press on his open wound and he lost his balance, with what followed being a punch that sent him reeling back, Alice was by his side as he fell, his wounds bleeding, he was in pain, and anything but a likely contender for the four men that had him at gun point. 

        What would happen next ? find out in the next chapter, you do not want to miss it.👍

       

    Hey guys 😁, thanks for reading, don't forget to  RATE, SHARE AND COMMENT.