Face to face (1)

I broke out in a cold sweat. I was like one of those victims who realize that they have just drunk poison and now it’s too late. My stupefaction was even greater when I looked around to see the extent of my mistake.

Firstly, I no longer have my tranquilizer dart in hand.
Secondly, I am sinking halfway into the bed, completely exposed.
Thirdly, he is awake.

The outcome would be determined in a matter of seconds. The good news is that I had the advantage.

Without further ado, I repositioned myself over his body, awkwardly floundering in the sheets. To immobilize him, I adopted a four-point tackling position. His hip was locked without me needing to use my arms. With shins turned outward, I compressed his thighs like the straps of a harness. My first hand applied pressure to his brachial plexus on the right shoulder, while my second hand crushed his trachea forcefully enough to empty his lungs of air. Hardly did he try to straighten up that my elbow sank into his other shoulder.

Wrapped tightly in his blanket, the target had no chance of escaping my grasp. His pupils narrowed as he widened his eyes. There were at least ten distinct emotions trying to express themselves at once on his face. After that, he had the bad idea to flail around and try to speak.

“U-urk Cough cough!”

With our faces just inches apart, I took the full force of his spittle. Thankfully, my neck gaiter spared me from the worst of it. Seizing on my slight recoil, the prince freed himself and pushed me backward. Off balance, I toppled over the edge of the bed and found myself landing flat on the carpet that had caused my stumble.

"Little bastard...!" I cursed as I straightened up.

I wanted to flee and wash myself from head to toe. There was nothing worse than making physical contact with a piece of trash. Actually, there was. I could have landed on his lips, just inches away. Kissing him, now that would be a thousand times worse!

A new syringe in hand, I returned to my target this time with much less patience. Each of my steps made him retreat until he bumped into his headboard. Realizing he was trapped, he opened his mouth and took a deep breath.

Fuck. He's going to scream.

I lunged at the boy to stifle any sound. He tried to moan, bite me, and kick under his blanket. Full of energy, he thrashed about, not hesitating to scratch me like a wild animal. I finally forced him to tilt his chin up and swiftly injected the needle tip into his jugular. He flinched and intensified his struggle in a panic. At that moment, my communicator started vibrating. Perplexed, I removed immediately the needle and checked the pocket of my leggings. It was the alert signal. It meant the countdown had started. I had five minutes to regroup at the rendezvous point before the guards stormed the area.

Five minutes left... I really didn’t need that!

I could never carry a dead weight in such a short time! Even less so if I had to avoid guards along the way! I could have dragged his unconscious body through the hallways, if only I hadn't wasted so much time making a decision!

When I released the prince, he slumped weakly into the sheets, mumbling I-don't-know-what. Head down, he struggled to catch his breath. I quickly ran through my list of options. We had backup plans, of course, but never for evacuating a civilian. Without magic, the only way to get out of here was to run to Justine's window. For that, I needed to force the prince to calm down and then follow me, but it wasn't as simple as it sounded.

If he resisted too much or turned against me, we would be spotted because of the noise... I finally decided to intimidate him and go for a broke, hoping he could still stand. Determined, I retrieved my weapons that had fallen on the carpet while the prince continued to ramble. I aimed my gun at his chest, and we could distinctly hear the safety click off.

My move had the instant effect of calming him down. Our gazes met, followed by a transcendent silence. I didn't need to say a word for him to understand exactly what I had in mind.

I won't hesitate to shoot, take it seriously.

His green irises froze, and his entire body stopped functioning for a few seconds. Like a wary animal caught in the predator's grasp, the boy tensed up. I was sure he would never forget me, just as I never forget the last look of my victims. He understood from the finger placed on my lips that he better obey me without making a sound.

The prince was in a trance whose impulsiveness I couldn't predict, but luckily, he was doing nothing for fear of upsetting me. The fact is, I had never administered such a small dose of tranquilizer to anyone, so I didn't know how much it was affecting him. When I pulled him out of bed, he could barely stand on his own.

Oh no, now is not the time to faint...

I held onto him with one hand and waved my weapon with the other. He stared at me as if I were a ghost. Was I real? Did I have enough nerve to shoot? The hood of dark fabric I hid under didn't help him decide:
“Follow me. Step out of line and I'll shoot.”

“Who arrr you? You want m-me dead, huh?”

“Move.”

He started making unpleasant mouth noises before continuing to harass me with questions.

“Why did you just wak’ me up, huh? I hav’ the right to know, I have all the rights! I'm the k-king!”

Seizing with grandiose zeal, he broke free from my grip and spread his arms as if he held all the powers of the world. How could anyone take him seriously even for a moment? He looked more like a drunkard than a king with his clumsy gestures! To extinguishing any fervor within him, I fired with my silencer into the wall just inches from his head.

“I won’t repeat myself.”

I took a step forward, causing him to startle back a step. In his surprise, he bumped into his bedside table and let out a nervous laugh. His hands clumsily gripped the furniture, causing everything on top to tumble down. A lampshade rolled slowly between us. I sighed and nodded towards the large door.

“Lead the way. We don't have time to waste.”