Against Hope

[08] bomb

The sun is setting fast as we stand by the open door of the yellow house.Blondie is freed from his bonds with Ringer aiming her gun at him.Nash and I take our positions by the garden wheelbarrow, ready to play dead.The plan was for Blondie to drag our bodies across the gravel and it proved that although he would immensely enjoy dragging us on everything sharp, he would rather exert less force and use the wheelbarrow.

Blondie holds the wheelbarrow steady by the handles and motions for Nash to climb in first.Nash tucks the pistol he had between the waist band of his pants and lays himself into the red wheelbarrow, his limbs hanging loosely out the sides.His face is painted in 'blood' and his shirt is soaked with it.Hopefully they won't know it's tomato juice.I lie down flat on Nash, my back against his stomach and rest my head on his shoulder.I am equally soaked in fake blood. There was disgruntle over who would lie on who as Nash refused to let me be the human barrier in case they shot us.I would be protecting Nash's whole body.

"I'll try to tip you over painfully when I get the chance.Preferably on a thorn bush," Blondie says mockingly, a sneer twisting his lips.None of us say anything.I close my eyes and still my breathing, trying to think about dead things to help me play dead better.

We don't waste time with goodbyes with Ringer.Blondie struggles with our weight but pushes off, down the gravelly path and on the street.I'm expecting gunfire to hit me , bombs to fly into the air but it's silent.

I'm starting to devise plans in my head to kill every single alien in that house and reunite with Ben when Blondie opens his mouth. "So when does the alarm go off?"

I feel Nash's muscles tense beneath me as we both freeze in shock.He knows we've fooled him with the alarm clock.It really didn't stand a chance anyway.Any thoughts of reuniting with Ben fly out the window.My life and Nash's rests in the hands of this guy who has nothing left to lose.

"Ah ah, wouldn't want to blow your cover would you?" Blondie says, his voice surprisingly in high spirits.There's something he's trying to say.

"Did you really think I was that stupid?" Blondie slows his pace, walking slowly.

Nash doesn't make an attempt to move so I stay in my position.I hold my ground.

"That house was my house.Sure you invaded it and fooled me with an alarm clock that my daughter bought for me," he says, anger evident in his voice, Nash is growing tense again, ready to launch into a code red.

"But on the bright side, I've been held at gun point, molested and starved for the past 59 hours and you murdered that fucking cunt.It's a miracle I'm even alive," his voice turns softer, more resigned.

"And I think there's a reason why I woke up with my daughter's only gift strapped to my chest," he continues. I find it hard to comprehend but if Blondie's crazy theory is the only thing holding him back from killing the both of us I wasn't about to correct him.

"You guys are either really brave or fucking crazy.But I'm going to stick around to find out," Blondie says with determination in his voice as he pushes us faster, gaining momentum.

I risk a peek and see that we're approaching the house and two men stand guarded in the doorway.They would've shot us by now.They bought what we were offering them.

Blondie approaches them and my heart is beating wildly in my chest.It's whether we die or we survive, there's no in between.

With a war cry, something unplanned for, Blondie digs his hand into the wheel barrow with his one hand and yanks the M16 we've hidden beneath our limp bodies.He heaves the wheelbarrow with a grunt and we swerve off course to the side of the house our attackers are in.Everything happens so fast.Gunfire breaks out as Blondie returns it, gunning for the two guards out front.