Couples Retreat

Anh’s eyes dart around the room looking for something to help her.

I’m in a kitchen! There has to be something.

The man grabs half the blade with his gloved hand, as though a spear.

She spies a dish cart near her left, she pushes it towards him. He effortlessly pushes it aside and swings the sword at her. She jumps back and screams. The man positions himself with his back towards the exit.

Anh is now between the counter and the stoves. The man in the pink windbreaker walks slowly towards her. As if there is no rush to take down his prey. Anh grabs a knife while still pointing the gun at him.

“Listen I don’t want to hurt you.”
Trying her best to put on a brave face and the gun from shaking.

The helmeted figure looked at the gun.

"You won't."

“What do you want, money? I can get you money.”

He’s still coming closer.

“You think money will absolve you, Babylonian Whore?”

He’s Vietnamese. Anh caught the accent in his English. She took a step towards the stove there were three pots, no one took them off the stove.

“Please. I’m not one of them. I’m from Saigon. I've been here my whole life, I grew up in District four and my father worked the docks here." She drops the knife as though it proved her point.

“Then you are an infidel, a whore, and a traitor.” The man spoke without any emotion in his voice, he continued to come closer, sword at his side.

Anh looked at him getting closer then stopped.

“Fine then”

She takes her free hand and throws the pot of boiling fluids at the man. She cries out in pain as the molten pan sears her hand. The man recoils. The man writhes at the scalding fluid, and stumbles back his sleeve catching a flame burst from the stove. The man screamed as he put himself out.

Anh runs out past the counter, back towards the swinging doors. She grabs the mobile dish cart again and pushes it towards The Man in the helmet changes position, as though he is preparing to charge with the sword.

“You’ll pay for that Saito, bitch!”
The Metallic voice distorted cracked with rage.

Anh whacks the gun against the counter again.
Work! Damn you!
Then fires two shots, the man ducks behind the counter.

Using what little energy and momentum she has left she pushes the clattering dish and pan-laden cart filled. She winces as her burnt hand sticks to the metal.

Then with all her strength she pushes it into the staggering figure until he falls over. The man struggles to gain his balance but fails. He topples over with the sound of metal and glass crashing as beer glasses and silver war ring and the table itself collapses upon him.

Anh doesn't wait to ensure he stays down. She dares to turn towards the metal door in the back of the kitchen.

“Staff exit only.”

She bolts to the exit and shoves the door open with her body. Hands clasping the gun. She hears the man shout curses at her as she escapes out the door into the rain.

The back exit took outside of the plaza to an alley leading to Le Duan street. The sounds of shouting, sirens and gunshots can be heard in the distance. The normally busy street was deserted. With the Cathedral grounds across the street covered with large trees obscuring the building.

My bike should be here, if it isn’t maybe I just hide in those trees until things calm down.

The sky was darkened from the clouds and visibility blocked by the torrents of rain and fog. The air smelled of water, filth, and smoke.

She slides the hoop of her purse on her gun arm and then fishes through it with her free hand.

Hopefully my bike wasn’t jacked or destroyed. Its in this alley. I'm home free…well will probably need some money to bribe the guard.

She stops and sees the silhouette of a woman standing in the rain. Too tall to be Vietnamese, but not tall enough to be a westerner. She is wearing a large backpack,and antenna. Like the man she is wearing a helmet, but no visor. The glint of her metallic goggles and armor reflecting in the lights.

“Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire.”

Why does she speak with a vocoder, she sounds like Mitsuki Haiku? Oh god, she’s one of them.

Anh tries to run past her, but the woman stops her with a single movement of her arm. Anh stumbles over and the figure grabs Anh, pulling her up by the neck. Anh struggles to breathe. Anh looked down at the woman strangling effortlessly strangling her. Her hands like cold steel. Her face was completely obscured by her mask and goggles. Anh could only see her own shaking form in the mirror goggles of the woman.

Anh fires at the ground. Then with one effort pushes both of her legs against the woman’s shoulders. The woman tosses her, and Anh slides and rolls on the wet pavement. Her purse, gun, and ID badge now scattered over the floor.

The back exit swings open and the Helmeted figure emerges from the exit. He turns to Anh and marches towards her, sword ready. Anh, now clothes and skin torn and battered from the day, rolls towards the gun, and feels the warmth of it in her hands again.

Just as the biker approaches, she fires several shots at him into the center of mass, in point blank range. Peter stumbles and falls over. He rips open his jacket in the light it reveals a metal icon of our lady of perpetual help with mud like bullets lodged inside.

“Thank God, you don’t use real bullets.”

“Peter, Hurry, we need to go!” The digitally masked voice called out. Anh heard the distinctive sound of a moped start.

My Moped. Bitch took my keys.

“You wanted her.”

“Forget her, we need to go.”

The woman pulls up to where Peter and Ahn are. Anh was still in a stupor. In almost perfect sync, Anh slides to the back as Peter hops onto the moped and the two drive off.

Anh tries to limp after them firing her gun until it refuses to anymore. As they speed off anh notices a faint glimmer of gold in ‘Woman’s’ backpack.

This was all just a heist?

“This is Magistrate Police, drop the weapon and put your hands up! I repeat put your hands up or we will fire.”

She hears sirens behind her and a voice on a megaphone.

No no no no no no.

The Gun clatters to the ground, she feels a sudden burst of warmth to her side as the weapon combusts.

She falls to her knees exhausted, she looks down at herself in a puddle. Her makeup was gone from the rain, her hair all over the place. Her suit tattered and body covered in dirt and bruises.

Why? Why me!

The realization of everything she did in the past hour crashed against her mind like a wave. The fights, the killing, the run for her life. The burning in her hand was raw and the injuries around her body were no longer stifled by adrenaline.

She hears the police scrambling around her as she looks out past the empty road where the two thieves drove off with her scooter. Anh breaks down into tears.

How did this happen!

"This was just a stupid lunch date."

"Keep your hands up!"

𒁖 𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓𒅓 𒆸
𒈥𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒇦
𒈥𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂 MITSUKI HAIKU | 紅E5:16-93𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒇦
𒈥𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂 ミツキ俳句 | 紅E5:16-93 𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒇦
𒈥𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂 サイトー株式会 𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒇦
𒈥𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂𒁂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒅂 ミツキは言う 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥𒅂𒅂𒅂 (≧▽≦)/ 𝙼𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚞𝚔𝚒 𝙷𝚊𝚒𝚔𝚞 𝚂𝚊𝚢𝚜 ＼(⌒▽⌒) 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𝙰𝚗𝚑’𝚜 𝚆𝚎𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚂𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚘 𝙲𝚘𝚛𝚙 𝙿𝙰𝙽 𝙶𝙸𝚂 𝟽𝟸0𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂(𝙿𝙰𝙽 𝚂𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 绿𝙲𝟸:𝟺𝟸-𝟿0) 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𝙿𝙰𝙽 𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚗𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚎𝚍 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂 𝚒𝚗 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚢 𝙸𝚗𝚍𝚘𝙲𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝙴𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎 𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚂𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚘𝚗.𒅂 𒅂𒅂𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂 𝚂𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚘 𝙴𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 ! 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚂𝚒𝚐𝚗 𝚄𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂 “𝚂𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚁𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕” 𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 ★★★(,,•𝚘•,,)★★★ 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𝙴𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎: 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒇦
𒈥 𒅂 𒀭𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝙿𝙰𝙽-𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚖 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂 𒀭𝙰 ¥𝟷𝟻,000 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥𒅂 𒀭𝙰𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝙿𝚃𝙾 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒀭𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠𝚜! 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𝚂𝚒𝚐𝚗 𝚞𝚙 𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢! 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒇦
𒈥𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎! 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 𒇦
𒈥𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂 ☆～（ゝ。∂）𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒇦
𒈥 𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒅂𒇦
𒇡𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒋧𒇧