(2013) Shooter (13 page)
"Just irritates me." He grunted. I looked up at him, and couldn't restrain a bit of a smile. He was getting all indignant on my behalf. Aww. I feel loved.
"Relax. We have a concrete direction to go in, now."
"This is true." He was back to business. And rather quickly, I must add. That's Dai for you.
"So. Let's pay Lucky a visit, shall we?" I grinned, almost ecstatic that we were close to solving the mystery.
And I nearly allowed myself to hope. Maybe I had a chance at survival?
Well, most of that hope kinda vanished when I heard the first gunshot.
Bang.
A small whizzing noise by my left ear.
Time instantly slowed to a crawl as I dropped into a crouch and whirled to-and-fro, searching for the source of the shot.
Pandemonium reigned, as the people on the street scrambled in alarm, screams shrill in my ears.
I think Daisuke grabbed me by the jacket and pulled me toward a car, just as the window shattered above us from another bullet that I never heard.
"Fuck!" I heard Dai hiss.
My head was spinning, as it had left a just decent dent in the car's door. But I momentarily regained my composure and focus and drew one of my pistols. My hands were shaking violently.
Damn adrenaline.
Bang.
My head jerked to the direction of the source of the sound. Above me… to the left?
Sniper. There's not much I can do from here with a semiautomatic handgun. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, help me out here.
My free hand clasped the two crucifixes around my neck, seemingly of it's own accord.
I peeped my head up over the edge of our makeshift bunker, trying to find the sniper when a bullet nearly removed my brain from my skull. Dai pulled me back down just in time, and kept a hand on my shoulder. Probably to suppress any psychotic urges on my part to move out of the safe zone. Thanks, Dai.
"Stay here." He muttered so quietly, I wasn't sure I heard it. But I sure as hell followed that particular directive; I wasn't planning on moving anytime soon.
My hands shook more, and my heart rate jumped. I was sweating.
Wait… I was sweating? That hadn't happened in a while.
Then I realized that if you looked me in the eye right now, you'd probably think I was about to piss myself. I probably was.
I was
afraid.
How long had it been since the last time I was truly scared? How long even, since I had not been able to do anything about a situation?
I was completely helpless, and that scared the hell out of me.
Where'd Daisuke go?
I cast around, staying behind the car. Looking for Dai. Looking for a way out of here. Something hit the side of the car I was sitting by, making me jump.
Nearly leaped out of my skin when I saw the dead guy flop over beside me. His neck was snapped. Actually screamed when Dai skidded to a halt on my other side, grabbed my hand, hauled me upright and dragged me away from the car.
"Just follow me, Grace," Sure thing, Daisuke. Anything you say, because you're the one in control of yourself right now.
Unfortunately, I wasn't scanning my surroundings as I subconsciously knew that I should, and that tended to get people killed.
So it surprised me greatly when a large black clad figure blind-sighted Dai, throwing them both to the ground; and Daisuke didn't get up. The other guy did.
I scrambled backward, raising my gun to fire at him, but he kicked upward quickly before my panicked mind could react; connecting with my wrist and sending the weapon clattering off to my side somewhere. I thought I felt a
crack
as I recoiled in pain and alarm, holding my arm to myself.
He dropped into an easy stance and pulled a knife from his belt.
Crap.
Before I could do much more than blink, he swiped with the blade. I dodged it neatly. Good. I was still a little bit faster than he was.
Another swing, this time the knife nicked the shoulder of my coat and he added a sweeping kick to my knees, which I knew was a distraction, but it made me look down just long enough that he could come back with a vicious uppercut.
I'd barely thrown my left arm upward to protect my throat when the blade caught on my elbow and dragged upward to my wrist, ripping through the canvas of my coat and the skin of my arm as though it were gauze.
I backpedaled frantically, holding my mangled limb to my stomach, and he followed. I chanced a glance at Daisuke, who was finally stirring, there on the sidewalk. Come on, Dai. Get up. Please.
I was dripping blood on the pavement, and things were starting to blur around the edges. I swayed from pain and disorientation. But I'd stare down my assailant and fight back until one of us was dead.
We stared at one another for a moment, but I caught movement in the corner of my eye. Dai was stirring.
Lo and behold, Daisuke shook his head and rocketed to his feet, faster than I would have thought possible. He looked
pissed
.
Next thing I knew, Daisuke'd seized the man by the shoulders and run him into the concrete wall that made up the face of the building on one side of us. He hit it with a good meaty
thump
and fell still in a heap.
Dai seized my uninjured arm again and pulled me away. I couldn't really see where we were going, nor did I much care, actually. I trusted Daisuke.
I trusted him with my life.
At some point, I nearly passed out and fell over, but Dai threw an arm around my waist and half-carried me the rest of the way.
I think I saw some people on the street that shot odd glances at us or just plain stared. I guess we were a bit of a sight, too.
"We've got to get home." I vaguely remembered muttering. After all, this "Lucky" that we were supposed to be talking to was based not far from our place. Oddly convenient.
"No… if we don't get you bandaged up, you will bleed to death, Grace." He told me frankly, panting with effort.
That was roughly when my legs decided to give up altogether, and I blacked out. I vaguely remember being lifted and actually carried. Not sure what happened after that.
Waking up… I could sort of hear some background noise, a shuffling sound, and a… sigh of relief?
"Graaaaaaycieee…"
A slightly taunting voice that I couldn't quite identify cut through the haze that was my mind. And I was met with a face that I couldn't quite identify, either.
"Hi there, sleepyhead." The face got clearer, more distinct. Olive complexion, grinning face, chocolate brown eyes. That all too familiar lightly accented Hispanic voice.
"Well, since you're here, I suppose I'm not dead." I managed to croak.
"Not quite. Welcome back, Ghostie." Her smile widened.
"So… why are you here, Julie?" my eyes were dry and didn't want to open, but I got them wide and alert with a little effort.
"What are you
on
, Grace? I
live
here." Julia snickered with mild amusement, giving me time to look around.
Holy hell, I was lying in my bed. Under my covers, and… in different clothes. Hm. Interesting.
"How long have I been out?" I asked with mild curiosity. "Because I really don't know how I got here…"
"About a day or so…funny story, actually." Julia laughed again, but this time, it was forced. She looked off into the distance, in the general direction of my door.
"I don't recall it being that funny, to be honest," I mumbled. I noticed something odd in Julia's expression. What was that?
She didn't say anything for a while. "You know… I thought you were dead, when Dai walked through the door… both of you covered in blood, and all of it yours… and I thought about something." She turned her head back toward me slowly, and I saw… tears. Threatening to well up in her eyes.
Had I ever seen Julia cry?
She continued, her voice distant, sad. "You were always the stronger of the two of us… you know that? You were the one who actually… did it, when Kendall was going to kill us. You were the one who helped me adapt when we needed to. I wouldn't have survived, if not for you, Grace."
"I was just too much of a coward to die." I spat.
"Doesn't matter. I always depended on you. Always." Julia just barely smiled, a little rueful quirk to one corner of her mouth. "And I started thinking, when you couldn't leave the little girl… I thought, you know… she's still human. She still feels something. Not like me. I'm just numb… there's only really one person that I care about in this entire world… and I feel so empty, you know?"
Julia blinked, and one single tear fell down a dusky cheek. She wiped it away impatiently. "You feel something, and I guess… you help me feel a little more human, too. And then I thought… you were slipping, not able to do your job… something was bothering you. And when we can't function anymore, we're tossed aside. Forgotten."
"Julia…" I started, but she continued, her voice stronger, more convicted.
"When Daisuke walked in that door with my only real friend bloody and broken in his arms, my one thought was; If they've killed my Gracie, how long will
I
last? When I'm not strong enough to do this by myself."
"But I'm not dead yet." I quietly pointed out.
"You're not. But you were really close. And that scared me like nothing else has in my life." She straightened in her seat. "That's twice, now."
"Two close shaves…" I mused. Was it luck? Divine intervention? I truthfully doubted it. In both cases, there had been someone I cared about to bail me out when I couldn't crawl out of a hairy situation myself. And Julie called
me
the stronger one?
Right.
Julia was quiet, leaving me to my thoughts.
I can't do anything right; and I have another injury to prove it. What if I had been just a little faster… less afraid? Would any of this crazy shit happened? Why hadn't I noticed the sniper before? Why hadn't I been looking out the way I should have been?
"You don't need to worry about me, Julie. I'm fine." I muttered.
"You know… you say that, but you're the one lying there with a sliced open arm and half-dead from blood loss." She said in a slightly sarcastic tone. "Can't take my eyes off you for a second, can I?"
"Guess not." My voice got a little stronger.
She waited a few moments before continuing. "Well… Dai asked me to tell him when you woke up, so I'll be right back, okay?"
"Alright." I mumbled, watching her disappear through my door.
Only then, when she was gone, did I even notice the throbbing pain in my left arm. Since there was nothing else for my mind to focus on, it snapped to that. I wished it wouldn't.
I'll tell you one thing, too; it stung like a bitch.
Which reminded me; I tried to move my mutilated limb. It wouldn't, because it was wrapped tightly in several layers of gauze and Ace bandages, bent at a ninety-degree angle. So I could put it in a sling easily when I got up. Chances were, my arm would be useless for quite a while.
I didn't want to get up, either. I was feeling rather lethargic at the time.
Julia padded back in, Daisuke in tow. Dai was still in his clothes from before.
Apparently, I was a bleeder.
The front and side of his white t-shirt were splashed with great dark spots of crimson, and blotches of it stained his jeans, as well.
