Cornered

I limped with Mana’s support to our car. I didn’t feel the trickle of blood, and the pain wasn’t that bad. When we neared the car, voices were coming from it, and we took cover behind a concrete wall. The police had secured the car and was searching it, rummaging inside, and looking through the glove compartment where the bullets were.

We retreated from the scene and turned the other way. Throughout the neighborhood, police chattering, and heavy footsteps echoed around us. We ducked behind a bush as a small patrol passed by, rifles in hand. After waiting for them to round another corner and disappear from view, we snuck through the streets, desperate to get out of the neighborhood. There was a train station near here that would be the perfect getaway.

The street that should’ve led out of the neighborhood was blocked by police cruisers and officers. Voices were behind us, and we turned onto a new street. We snuck through the street for a while before we saw a patrol in front. As we turned around, there was another one coming from where we had just entered. I eyed the houses surrounding us, looking for one that didn’t have a car parked in their lot. A house that didn’t have a car was a few meters from us. If we moved now, we’d be able to barely pass by unnoticed from the police on both sides.

We kneeled down to a crouch and speeded through the other side, passing the fence, and taking cover behind the walls. The two patrols met up.

“Did you find them?”

“No. They might’ve taken another house hostage. Did you see what they did to that poor family?”

“God, I rather not think about it.”

The two patrols joined up with one another and disappeared down the street. We sighed a breathe of relief, our backs resting against the wall. The door in front of the house opened, and a woman looked at us. She had brown, curled hair, and looked to be in her forties.

“Who are you?” She said.

My voice was stuck in my throat. I looked at Mana, wondering her next move if she wasn’t incapacitated like I was. To my surprise, she answered.

“We saw the criminal, and he shot us. My friend here—” she put a hand on my shoulder, “—he got hit.” I faked a grimace, to pretend that the pain was greater than it actually was.

The woman nodded. “Quickly, bring him in.”

With the support of the woman and Mana, I was brought inside the house and seated on the couch. The interior looked identical to the crime scene’s house. The woman went to the cupboard and pulled out some bandages. I stuck my hand into the pocket to take out my phone, only to realize that it was shattered. There was a hole in the middle, and the screen was cracked. Near my hip was a large bruise where the phone had been shot. Some blood was oozing from where the shards of the phone had punctured my skin. I bandaged myself up and thanked the woman.

“I’ve never seen you two around here before.”

“We’re just tourists stopping by a relative’s,” said Mana. “Do you have a phone I can use?”

From outside, an officer spoke through a megaphone again.

“We have reasons to believe that the suspects who had taken a house hostage to be hiding among you! They may be pretending to be innocent, but please do not believe them! They are extremely dangerous individual who will do great harm to you.”

Heavy knocking was at the door. I looked through the window to see that the officers were knocking on all of the doors on the street. We looked at the woman, shaking our heads. I felt the pistol behind my back and reached for it, but Mana grasped my shoulder. She turned her back to us, but Mana remained her firm grip on me. The woman turned her back to us and opened the door. From the living room, we could hear their conversation.

“Ma’am, have you seen anyone suspicious recently?”

“No, officers, I have not.”

“Are you sure? These people are very dangerous. They may be feigning innocence to deceive you.”

The woman’s voice raised. “The only dangerous people here are you, running through this peaceful neighborhood with guns. Think of the children! So why don’t you just get out of here, and leave us alone?”

“We’re here until tomorrow morning, ma’am, protecting the people’s safety.”

She slammed the door on the police and reentered the living room, facing us.

“You two should be safe for now. My name’s Mariko.”

“Thank you so much, Mariko.” said Mana, introducing herself and me.

“You two should stay the night.”

“You’d do so much for two suspected murderers?”

She laughed. “You guys don’t look like killers.”

“Someone might come home.”

“My husband is sleeping at work again today. It’s fine.”

“Why are you going this far?”

“Everyone around here knows how corrupt the cops are. Besides, I got a grudge against them myself.”

“A grudge?”

“Yeah. My brother got killed, and the police refused to investigate for god knows why.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Well, that idiot got what was coming to him for working such a dangerous job. He was the head security or something at the wharf. Really good at his work from what I heard, but he disappeared one day with his wife. I’m sure they’re dead now, but I still want to know what happened.”

Something fell within the depths of my stomach. My heart tightened, and the pain on my leg burned. I closed my eyes, wishing it away. Mana changed the subject and asked for a phone. She went to the kitchen countertop and dialed the number. She spoke in a hush voice as I kept my eyes closed, thoughts away from the dead woman, and my last target. I forced the saliva flooding into my mouth back down while the woman went upstairs to fetch some bedding.

Mana returned and informed me of her conversation with Matsumoto. The Gold Stars was preparing another assault on one of Kamiko’s bases tonight. She didn’t know if a single police precinct was after us or if it was the entire police force. Either way, it was sure that Kamiko had bribed the police into catching us. How did the police know where to catch us? We were at the scene of a horrible crime too. Without a doubt, Kamiko’s men were tailing us, and they called the police after we witness their handiwork. For now, Matsumoto was going to the precinct station responsible for this area. They’ll try to convince them to drop the case, but it wasn’t like the Gold Stars were of a higher rank, so they didn’t have much authority in doing so.

Mariko returned with the beddings and laid it on the floor. We thanked her, and she even made food for us as we rested, waiting for another phone call from Matsumoto. I’d avert her gaze whenever she looked at me. She noticed this, and Mana excused it as me being shy.

A few hours passed, and the phone rang. Mana rushed towards it and picked it up. Her face looked grave as she received the information from Matsumoto. Hanging up, she headed back to me and explained the situation. Negotiations at the precinct station had failed. The officers there had played dumb, and they kicked the Gold Stars detectives out. Matsumoto and her detectives were outside the neighborhood. According to her, it was locked down completely. They allowed no one in or out and even had eyes on the local train station. The only way out was to jump off the balcony of one of the house and over the concrete wall.

Our only option out of here was to escape at night. Matsumoto said that she’d leave two detectives at the nearby abandoned warehouse. At 10:00PM, we’d escape the neighborhood and make our way there where we would be safe. They’ll probably take us back to the Gold Stars headquarters and lock us up out of concern for our safety.

We spent the time conversing with Mariko who told us about her personal life. Her brother had left two children behind who she had taken under her wing. She was unable to conceive children of her own, so she treated them as if they were her own. They were sleeping over at a friend’s house and wouldn’t return today. Even if they could, they wouldn’t even be able to step inside the neighborhood.

At 9:00PM, there was a knock at the door. I peered through the window and saw that the police were doing another routine check. I noticed something odd across the street at the other house. A couple armed officers were taking cover around the house as one knocked on the door. When they opened, the officer kicked open the door, causing them to fall onto the ground as officers rushed inside, ignoring his shouts of anger.

I looked around Mariko’s house, noticing that there were also multiple armed officers surrounding us. There was a knock at the door again, this time louder.

“We need to go. They’re breaking in,” I said.

“What? They can’t do that!” said Mana.

“I should’ve guessed something like this would happen. Upstairs, you two.” Mariko beckoned us to the stairs as she approached the door.

“Mariko,” I said. She craned her head and looked at me, halfway up the stairs. I looked her in the eyes for the first time.

“About your brother, I’m sorry.”

She looked at me, her surprise turned into a smile. “Thanks.”

We ran without looking back. From downstairs, the door creaked opened then a loud bang resounded through the house. Mariko shouted at the police as they stormed the house, some rushing into the kitchen, some going upstairs. I threw open the balcony door, and the midnight full moon loomed over us like a helicopter searchlight. We climbed over the wooden railings and jumped onto the concrete wall. I ignored the pain in my leg as we land on the pavement and dashed towards the warehouse. We snuck through the darkness, in the shadows of the buildings away from the moonlight.

The police had formed a perimeter around the entire neighborhood, putting up concrete barriers with officers keeping an eye on the houses. In a cruiser, I saw two men with their heads down, eyes closed. We vaulted over the barrier and snuck passed the car. When we were sure that we were out of earshot from them, we ran in the general direction of the abandoned warehouse.

The streets were black and empty. The local businesses had shut off their lights. In the distance, I could barely see the illuminated train station. Sirens screeched and blared, but it was distanced. We entered a cramped alleyway and sat on the ground, gasping for breath. My body was sticky with sweat, and the pain in my leg was dulled with adrenaline. We sat there for some time, basking in the night breeze. The warehouse wasn’t much further.

The silhouette of a large building loomed over us. This was where we were supposed to meet up with the Gold Stars, but they were nowhere to be found. I peered inside the warehouse, but there was only darkness. We went to the back, and there was something in the dark. We slowly closed the distance, and it was revealed to be a car. As I got closer, I spotted two men inside, their heads down. I knocked on the driver’s window. They didn’t move. I knocked again. They still didn’t move. I reached for the handle and swung open the door. The man fell onto the pavement, his head hitting the asphalt, and he remained unmoving.

I swore under my breath. Mana opened the door from the passenger side, and the man also fell out lifelessly. I grabbed the steering wheel and reached for the ignition, trying to feel for the key, but there was none. I crouched down and felt the dead man’s pockets. It was empty besides a hefty flashlight. There was a holster on his right hip, but no gun was there. I looked through the glovebox but found nothing. There was also nothing in the other man’s pocket. I pulled the trunk open, but it too was empty. Nothing was in the backseats either.

Something whizzed past my ears and hit the trunk with a clang, sparks flying from the metal.

“Take cover!” I said, running to the other side of the car.

Bullets continued hitting the car and whistling past our heads. I couldn’t make out the shooter in the dark, but he somehow knew where we were. I reached for my gun and flashlight, aiming it at the dark. I still couldn’t see the shooter. A magazine clattered to the ground, and I fired once in its general direction, the muzzle flash illuminating the car for a split second. The footsteps receded back into the night. I beckoned Mana towards the warehouse behind us. There would be better cover there.

Mana ran while I aimed the revolver, firing twice. There was no reaction from the enemy. I ran inside the warehouse, darkness enveloping us. There were only two entrances, one at the back, and another one at the front. We could rush out the front gate, but there was no guarantee that we would be able to escape our pursuers. I didn’t even know if it was one or many.

Bullets pierced the walls, punching holes into them. We laid prone on the icy, dust-layered floor as the walls were penetrated. We crawled closer to the center, keeping our heads down. Mana watched the front gate while I kept eyes at the back. My heart was racing, and my hands shook. I strained my eyes, trying to find any sign of our shooter. Footsteps grew closer to us, outside the back gate. I readied my revolver. I thought I saw the silhouette of a person standing in the gateway, and I pulled the trigger. The bullet only hit the wall with a clang. The gunshot echoed throughout the warehouse, intensifying the sound, and hurting my ears. Only one left. I had to make the next shot count. A man’s voice spoke, echoing, and I couldn’t tell where he was.

“Assassin and detective, an unlikely pair,” said the man. We froze and held our breathes.

“No need to be concerned with hiding your whereabouts. After all, I’m already seeing you clear as day.” From his aim earlier, he probably wasn’t bluffing. “Just drop the gun and flashlight, and we’re good.”

“You haven’t shot us yet. What do you want?” I said, straining my voice and sliding the revolver a bit to my right and the flashlight to my left as we rose from the floor.

“Other than that Madam wants you dead, I can’t help but be moved to see two people from different lifestyles work together! Not to mention, two people of different gender!” He gave a gleeful laugh.

“Get to the point.”

“You see, I’ve always been a lover of all things tragedy, the kind where everyone dies at the end. It’s quite exciting. I love it when the hero and heroine are forcibly ripped apart, their fate together shattered!” He coughed. “What I’m saying is, I’m going to have some fun with you two. You’ll be my masterpiece, better than how I did that family!”

I felt something scalding rising from the pits of my stomach. A promise came to my mind, and I knew I was going to fulfill one of them at this moment.

“Have to say, I’ve never seen such a theatrical killer before.”

“Unfortunately, many in our line of work prefer the quicker way of doing things.”

“Would you mind if we say our goodbyes?”

“Go ahead! Make it as dazzling and tragic as possible!”

I turned to face Mana and hugged her, whispering my plan into her ear. She nodded, her fingers curling into fists.

We faced the enemy, hands in the air. My eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness, and I could see his figure, slim and aiming a gun at my torso. There was a large device on his head covering his eyes, and his pistol had a suppressor attached. I swallowed my saliva and forced myself to breathe normally.

“Before you go, you should know that the Gold Stars are no more.”

His finger inched towards the trigger.

“Go!” I said, my voice reverberating throughout the warehouse. I dove for the gun to my right while Mana dove to the left, switching on the flashlight and aiming it at the assassin’s face. He shouted in pain and anger as he whipped his head away from the beam. The pistol went off, hitting the cold, dusty floor near us. I grabbed the pistol and with my back to the floor, fired. The bullet pierced his night vision goggles, and he pulled it off, screaming in pain.

I charged towards the man and tackled him onto the ground, readying the revolver to slam into his head. He caught my hand just as the gun was about to smash his head in and fulfill a promise. In the darkness of my shadow on the assassin, I didn’t notice him readying his fist, and he dug it into my cheeks. I fell off him, the side of my head hitting the icy floor. My vision blackened and whitened, confused at what had just happened. The light behind me was swaying back and forth, from us to the ground adjacent.

I felt a heavy pressure on my abdomen as he got on top of me, and even in the shadow, I could see blood leaking from where his left eye should’ve been. He grabbed my throat with one hand, and the other he pulled into the air. I light behind him grew closer to us. Before he could slam it down, the light flickered from the wall behind to us. There was a thwack, and his head fell near mine. He craned his neck, seeing Mana who had just hit him. He got up from me, his legs shaky. She readied the flashlight and swung it at the assassin, but he grabbed her arm. She pulled herself into him and knocked him over the head with her elbow. An incomprehensible scream escaped his lips as he readied his fists, hanging onto Mana.

I used my legs, pulling myself to them. I curled my legs around his right foot, pulling them towards me. He lost his balance, hitting his body onto the ground. With outstretched hands, he managed to grab the foot of the girl who had hit him, but when he looked up, she was already mid-swing with the flashlight, and it hit his temple before he finally stopped moving.

I rested my head on the hard floor, feeling the coarse dust collect on my hair, face, and clothes. The pain around my head, cheek, and legs stung. Mana hurried to my side, her footsteps echoing throughout. The flashlight was in her hand, and she pointed it up where the light dimly illuminated the warehouse.

“Are you alright?” she said, her shoulders and legs shaking.

“I’m alive. What about you?” I groaned out the words.

“I’m not hurt.”

The tension on my body left me after I heard that. Mana gave me a hand and pulled me up. The assassin was lying face down. I picked up the suppressed pistol and unbuckled the holster off his leg for my own use. I twisted off the suppressor and holstered the pistol, helping myself to a few of his magazines left in his pockets.

I prepared to return the revolver back to my pockets, but Mana had an outstretched hand towards it.

“You sure?”

She nodded. “It doesn’t have any ammo in it anyways.”

Mana averted her eyes from the assassin’s body, and we nodded at each other before leaving the abandoned warehouse. The sirens screeched in the distance, growing closer by the seconds. From the front gate, I could see flashes of red and blue approaching us. My mind was in the dumps. I couldn’t see anything or know where to go. Should we return to the neighborhood and try to break through the lines of officers guarding the train? Should we run through the dark without knowing which way was which? Mana tugged my arm. I couldn’t tell what expression was on her face as she pulled me into the unknown and broke into a run. The adrenaline from my body had faded and pain conquered me, but I still held onto my last shred of hope as she led me into the night.