Don't Scream (Complete)

Chapter 29

Eli Bensworth

Eli crept up the stairs of the complex, making his way to the third floor where he could get a bird's eye view of the area. 

Both gangs - Scorpion and Typhoon - were no doubt aware by now that two cops had accidentally crashed into the middle of their fight and got caught in the crossfire. Now, both gangs would be searching for them. This fight was between the two gangs, they didn't need two blues messing around in their business. They had to be taken out. 

Eli knew he and Rhonda were in huge danger. They had two options: 1) sneak away from the area and contact HQ, letting back-up clear up this mess or 2) try to handle the situation in their own hands. But first, he and Rhonda had to locate each other. 

An explosion sounded in the distance. Either the gangs were using grenades, or they'd just blown up a car. Eli thought of his Sedan. 

A sudden noise brought Eli back to the present. Ducking to the side of a cupboard, Eli hid as he heard about half a dozen thugs crowd into the room. 

"He's in here somewhere. Split up!" 

Eli peered around and watched as the six people who'd come into the room scatter in different directions. It didn't matter if they were Typhoons or Scorpions, Eli knew that whichever gang they were from, both would come after and try to kill him. He had to get out of the building. 

One man was slowly approaching his hiding spot. Eli waited patiently, keeping his back pressed up against the walls, blending in with the shadows. It was one of the special skills he'd learned being in with the police force: how to hide in plain sight without being seen. 

The mercenary walked right past Eli, not casting him a second glance. Eli saw the tattoo on the man's neck. They were two Chinese characters, presumably spelling out "Tai Fung", meaning this guy was a Typhoon. Either they'd come after him after seeing Eli crash his car into the building and knew he was a cop, or they'd been following the lone Scorpion that Eli had knocked out when they saw the police equipment in Eli's crashed Sedan. 

Weighing his pistol in his hand, Eli snuck around the area, slowly sneaking away downstairs, back the way he had come. There had to be some way to reunite with Rhonda. 

In the distance, to Eli's great relief, he heard the sound of police sirens approaching. Back up was arriving. Whether that had been Rhonda's doing or if some passer-by had called the cops, it didn't matter. All Eli had to do was ensure his own safety until they arrived. 

Without warning, something large and heavy thudded into the back of Eli's skull. It was so sudden that Eli hadn't even realized someone had been tailing him. Clutching the back of his head in agony, Eli's last thought was how stupid he had been as he collapsed into unconsciousness. 

* 

Eli's eyes began to flutter. 

Eventually, he'd fully regained consciousness. His surroundings were dimly lit. Eli cursed himself, realizing he was tied up to a chair with hands and legs firmly bound. 

He was in some kind of room with whitewashed walls and a swinging light bulb hanging on a wire in the ceiling. The only exit/entrance was a wooden door opposite him. 

Eli thrashed around in his seat, trying to loosen his hands from the ropes but it did nothing. His bonds wouldn't budge. All he could do was sit there and wait for someone to arrive eventually. 

Sure enough, Eli's conjuncture was proven correct. He'd figured that he'd be monitored in this room and that once whoever was monitoring him saw that he was awake, it wouldn't be long for his captor to arrive 

The door swung open and a woman stepped in. 

For a brief mad second, Eli thought it was Rhonda. But it wasn't Rhonda coming to the rescue. The woman who stood before Eli definitely resembled Rhonda in stature and hair color, but she was dressed all in black. She had a knife in her hand and her eyes flashed dangerously as she looked at Eli. 

"Who are you? Why have you brought me here?" Eli demanded. 

"You didn't really think you could just walk into the middle of a gang fight and waltz out unscathed, did you, Mr Bensworth?" the woman taunted. "You should never have come here, Eli. You won't want to know what we'll be doing to you next."