Nocturnal assault

 “Samuel!” Ewa hissed and shook Samuel’s shoulder. He jerked awake but knew not to make any noise. With a nod he let her know he was ready for action. They had been lying in ambush for more than an hour awaiting the perfect moment as the evenfall became the night. It was obvious to all of them such a moment would never come so they managed with whatever they got. Samuel looked around the gang. Some were sitting down, others trying to observe the situation, Jarek was whispering something into Leon’s ear, and Kamil was playing rock, paper, scissors with Anna.

The motors of several bikes whirred to life. Samuel and the others ducked lower into the bushes as some of the headlights shone their bright lights across their hiding places. As they left the old warehouse stood in silence broken only by occasional yowls of a cat that brought forth unsettling images of screaming children.

“This is it,” Jarek said and motioned everyone to come closer. He brought out a small pendant from the chain around his neck and held it out towards the rest of them. “May the primordial shadows and spectres guide us and help us in our battle.” His chant was no more than a whisper.

An inward sigh was all that Samuel dared as a response. It was hard for him to understand how after all these years, Jarek still insisted upon their occultic games. Most of the others were performing their parts in those rituals ironically, or at least that was what he hoped as they seemed to be looking towards Jarek in an intense way. The one positive thing he could say above that make-believe nonsense was the fact that it managed to keep them all together for such a long time despite their differences. Their delinquent gang now ruled over several streets in their small part of the town of Jastria under the leadership of Jarek.

“These bastards will see what happens when they try and barge in on our turf,” Jarek continued. He had conceived of most of the plan by himself along with the information gathered by Leon on one of his several scouting missions. The majority of the gang’s fighting force had just departed and would not return until the next day.

He motioned towards the warehouse and picked up his cane. The entire gang followed suit. With their canes as weapons they had ruled the mean streets for over two years and had even gone toe to toe against knife wielding bandits that had crossed their path in the past. Samuel brushed his hand over the familiar grip and thought it was about time to replace his trusted companion before it broke during one of their confrontations.

Instead of going straight to the main entrance of the warehouse, they circled around the back to a smaller door. The walls were covered in strange graffiti in intricate patterns. Leon started picking the lock with two of the guys by his side, two more on the corners of the building and the rest of them waiting for the action to start. After a quiet click Leon turned around and gave a thumbs up. Jarek signalled the main part of the group to approach. Only the two lookouts at the edges of the building remained in their positions. Leon took hold of the doorknob and moved out of the way to make space for entry. Jarek took point, with the rest of the gang waiting behind him. Despite all of Samuel’s misgivings about him, he had to concede that as a leader Jarek would never ask something of them that he was not willing to do himself. Samuel was more than happy to let other people think about the hard decisions and simply did what was asked of him.

Jarek gave a nod and lifted his cane for a quick strike. Leon opened the door for him, taking care to make as little noise as possible. After nothing happened, Jarek peeked inside then gave the all clear sign and entered the room. Samuel and Leon followed at his heels. As soon as they entered, Samuel took the left flank and Leon the right and together they cleared the room. As they had expected, there was nobody there. Samuel was thankful he had sided with Leon when he suggested to Jarek that he should scout out the place over the past weeks. The more hotheaded members of their gang had wanted to just walk in and attack without any preparation.

The inside of the room was lit only by the dim yet ever shining emergency lights. There was a fain but distinguishable scent of incense in the air mixed with a stronger metallic smell. After the others entered the first room, they all paired up and got ready to advance. There was only a single way to go from the room which led them to a long hallway. Nobody was waiting for them there either.

“They won’t know what hit them,” Kamil whispered and earned himself a shushing gesture from Anna and glares from all the others. He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

They crept down the corridor, trying to make as little noise as possible as even a footstep would echo throughout the eerie silence. Jarek and Leon checked the first door to the right. It turned out to be a janitor’s closet. Kamil and Ewa went to check the next door and were met with nothing but darkness. Samuel and Anna headed for the third door, when a click sounded from Anna’s direction. Everybody stopped and readied their weapons. She looked down and as Samuel followed her gaze, he noticed a dim red circle on the ground below her foot.

Before he was able to voice his question, a bright flash of light filled the room and blinded his darkness adjusted eyes. Kamil’s scream echoed through the hallway followed by Ewa’s just moments later. Samuel was regaining the vision in his eyes and saw Jarek and the others run past him in terror, some of them even losing their canes in the process. The exit behind them was obscured by some sort of thick smoke or fog. Samuel turned back and dashed towards the room with Kamil and Ewa despite almost falling over as his legs didn’t want to obey him. Leon’s scream was the next to resound followed by heavy clanging footsteps coming from the room with Kamil and Ewa. It was hard to tell, but there seemed to be a dark silhouette moving through the fog. Samuel stumbled and to his great shame he turned around and ran after Jarek and what remained of their gang. His breath was ragged and tears stung his eyes but he ran.

He managed to catch up to the group as they slammed open the doors to the next room and bolted through. In a bizarre way it was almost a relief when a group of people was waiting for them on the other side. They were all dressed in dark coats so long that they almost looked like robes. Jarek only froze for a moment before he shouted and charged the men.

“Attack!”

His bravado was enough to rouse the entire gang into action. They shouted and ran behind him. Even those who had lost their canes ran with raised fists. Jarek was fast enough to get a drop on their enemies and managed to slam his cane over one of their arms. The man growled with pain and dropped something. A moment later Anna let out a yelp as she was knocked down by another one. Samuel was still running towards the men when he noticed what the first one had dropped. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He threw himself to the ground and took hold of the pistol and aimed it at the men.

His breaths were ragged and his mind was racing. Despite all that they had done as a gang on the streets of Jastria, they had never used firearms or any other weapon more dangerous than the sticks they carried at that moment. It was a difficult thing to come to terms with what he was holding and the power it gave him. At the same time he had a grim understanding that this same weapon could be what would save all of their lives. Still, the gun trembled in his hands. They were about to use it on us. He reminded himself. They will back down. There will be no need to use it. He wet his lips and wanted to start talking, but his voice didn’t come out.

Instead, one of the men began laughing. It began as a snicker, but grew into amused howling. He was joined by the rest of them. The sight filled Samuel with such despair that he had almost dropped the gun from his hand. He didn’t dare look back at the rest of his gang and only saw Jarek scowling from their enemies and back to him. At last one of the men spoke.

“What are you waiting for, boy? Use it or give up.” Samuel opened his mouth to respond but it was too dry to let out anything more than a croak, revitalising the evil laughter. “Do it! Shoot me!” the man yelled.

“Sam!” Jarek hissed. It was hard to understand what exactly he wanted to tell Samuel from his expression, but it was enough to snap him back to his senses.

“Stop!” Samuel squawked, his voice breaking part way through the word. He cleared his throat and tried to ignore their mocking stares. “Let us go and nobody else has to get hurt.”

“I don’t think so,” one of them responded and Samuels heart sank.

“I’m serious. I will shoot if necessary.”

“Good. Do it!”

Samuel didn’t know what to do. He was certain the men were bluffing and trying to disorient him. But he would shoot if they made him. He had to tell himself that.

“It looks like our hero is hesitant,” a man said in a mocking tone. “Perhaps we need to offer some encouragement?” He walked towards Anna, who was still sprawled on the ground and picked up the cane she had dropped.

“Don’t come any closer,” Samuel warned.

“Stop me,” the man replied. He looked down at the girl and lifted the cane above his head.

“Stop you bastard!” Samuel wailed. As the cane began its descent Samuel continued screaming and pulled the trigger. There was a small click. And then nothing happened. Samuel stared at the gun, the man and Anna in turn, unable to comprehend what had just happened and what he had decided to do. The man stopped mid swing and began chuckling. Some of the others even began cheering and whooping, though it was not obvious for whom.

In his mental anguish Samuel dropped the gun to the ground. At the same time a hand grabbed him by the shoulder. As he turned around he saw the fist moments before it connected with his face. The last thought before he passed out were spent wondering whether he was hearing some sort of chanting coming from the next room.