I picked up the baseball bat with confidence. This is fun. Why? Because I like hitting people and I'm sure they won't hit me back. I smirked as I stepped out of the bathroom and began my walk down the hall to the last door. "Boys..." I called in a sing-song tone just before I reached the door. Har stepped out first and without even thinking about it, I used all the energy in my body to swing the bat, and it collided with his head violently. Har slumped to the ground and I smiled at that. I raised the bat to hit him again, just so he wouldn't wake up and grab me by my ankles. But just as I was about to do that, the piercing sound of a bullet erupted throughout the house. Oh Fuck!
I looked down, I wasn't dead.
When I looked back up I found Boris, his face twisted into pure anger and rage, and his arm stretched out horizontally, with his gun to my face. I stared at the nozzle of the gun and swallowed hard. This was not my plan. Yes, I could've had a more thought-out plan than hitting one while the other carried a weapon, but in my defense, I was too overcome by fear to even think clearly.
I dropped the bat just as Boris reached for me by my collar and pulled me along into the room, not caring that I almost tripped on his knocked-out friend. I really hope he stays knocked out for a while. At this moment, it's two against one. Well, one and a half against one.
I cringed slightly when I spotted Kol. He was tied up to a chair, the rope being the only thing keeping him from completely tumbling over. His face bore the cruel marks of a merciless beating, every inch of it marred with bruises and wounds. Blood trickled from a gash on his forehead, matting his hair. His eyes, swollen nearly shut, only screamed a silent plea for help. I was momentarily distracted by everything that was going on when I looked at Kol, but I came right back when I remembered the gun that was being pointed straight at me.
"Daniel, what the fuck are you doing?" he sounded angry--the word 'fuck' was emphasized in his sentence. I smiled at him and then blinked at the gun in front of my face. "You uh you gonna use that? On on on me?" I asked him with furrowed eyebrows.
"You knocked out Har?" he glanced behind me and chuckled. "What do you plan to accomplish? You came to save your boyfriend? Is that it? He's going to die. And so are you."
"Okay, okay, I get it, I screwed up and I sort of deserve to die, and I will, cuz like someone else wants me dead and it won't really be fair to them if you get to kill me instead, right? You could even call him up and both of you kill me together." What the actual fuck am I saying? Shit is just spewing out of my mouth without even getting to my brain first. I groaned inwardly. God, I should die. I talk too much. "Or! Or or or or I could join you, you know. I could be like... Your little errand boy."
Boris glared at me for a moment then a wicked smile appeared on his face. He took out another gun from his back and then passed it to me. With the first gun still facing me, he said, "Kill him and you live." I grasped the gun and stared at it for a while. Kill Kol and I would be spared. My life would be spared if I took one. I bit my bottom lip and then glanced up at Kol. He's already knocked out, he probably won't even feel it. He'll die in peace, right? There'll be little to no pain. Right?
"And don't try anything, because I'll kill you before you could even think about it," Boris said to me. I breathed in, then out, and my eyes went back to the gun. I can't shoot, Kol. I'll be a murderer. I do a lot of shit in my life, but I've never killed someone. I'm not cut out for that if I'm being frank. I might put up a tough exterior, but I was far from being the biggest or baddest; it was all an act, a facade I'd built to survive.
My hand shook as I held the gun, its icy touch weighing me down. The room felt suffocating, like it was closing in on us. Kol's eyes, a desperate blend of fear and hope, bore into mine, silently begging for a miracle. My heart raced, the thumping sound overwhelming my senses.
I raised the gun, my fingers trembling, and aimed it at Kol. My breath hitched in my throat as I grappled with the enormity of the decision before me. Everything blurred, and in that split second, the idea of taking a life felt inconceivable.
Summoning my courage, I shifted the gun slightly to the side, nothing that was recognizable by Boris - who had his weapon pointed straight at me - altering its deadly trajectory away from Kol. I pulled the trigger and the gunshot pierced the silence, making me flinch at the loud report. I didn't even have time to look at what the bullet hit before I turned and pulled the trigger once more, my aim deadset on Boris.
"Fuck!" Boris shouted in anger, "You fucking shot me!"
"I'm sorry! I panicked!"
"I'm going to kill you!" he exclaimed. I finally glanced at the wound on Boris' shoulder, the result of my actions, and I froze for a moment. He held the gun in his other hand, his dominant one, I assumed, since he seemed unfazed by the injury. He aimed the weapon at me without hesitation, and I braced myself for the impending danger, shutting my eyes tightly.
But nothing touched me. He missed.
I opened my eyes just in time to duck as another bullet came right to me. It all unfolded so rapidly, the deafening gunshots drowning out all other sounds. My body moved instinctively, but I had no time to even understand what I was doing. I found myself outside the room, Boris in close pursuit. His aim seemed erratic, most likely due to the pain from his shoulder wound. Without conscious thought, I gripped the gun still in my hand and fired at him once more. Boris cried out in agony but retaliated with another shot. I instinctively ducked, but in doing so, I inadvertently dropped the weapon. Panic surged through me as I hesitated, torn between the urge to retrieve the gun and the risk of being shot while doing so. Now I'm definitely screwed. If I took the time to scramble for the weapon on the ground, I would surely be shot. But, of course, I tried anyway.
As I sprawled on the ground, my trembling hand brushed against the baseball bat I'd dropped earlier—a lifeline in this nightmare. With swift desperation, I swung it low, connecting with Boris's shin. His pained cry pierced the room as he dropped to his knees. Seizing the moment, I regained my footing and delivered two heavy blows to his head, each resonating with a dull thud. Boris crumpled to the ground with a resounding thump, the gun slipping from his grasp. I kicked the weapon away and raised the bat, poised to strike again if he stirred. I remained vigilant for what felt like an eternity before allowing myself to exhale. The bat remained firmly in my grip as I cautiously made my way to Har, delivering a similar thwack to ensure he stayed down.
After ensuring that Boris and Har were incapacitated, I knew I needed to act quickly. My heart was still racing from the intense encounter, but I couldn't afford to waste any more time. I grabbed the gun that had fallen from Boris's hand and checked the chamber to confirm it was empty.
With the gun in one hand and the baseball bat in the other, I made my way back to Kol, who was still tied to the chair, battered and bruised as ever. Panic gnawed at the edges of my mind as I knelt beside him, unsure of what to do next. My instincts pushed me to check if he was still breathing. I leaned in closer, placing my ear above his slightly bruised lips, and felt the faint warmth of his breath against my skin. Relief washed over me as I confirmed he was alive.
With shaky hands, I began to work on untying the ropes that bound him. Kol's body slumped against mine as I removed the final restraint, and I had to push him gently to keep him from falling over. "Kol," I said urgently, giving his cheek a light tap. "Come on, wake up."
I repeated his name, this time a bit louder, and gently shook his shoulders.
My attempts remained unsuccessful.
My hands shook as I grabbed the rope, determined to tie Boris and Har together. Fear still gnawed at the edges of my mind, making me anxious that they might suddenly spring back to up and attack me. Wrangling their limp bodies into position and securing them proved to be a tough job, requiring a fair amount of grunting, huffing, and tugging. After a bit of a struggle, I managed to get them bound together.
Behind me, I heard a low groan and I spun around quickly, "Shit.." I muttered as a small grin appeared on my face. Kol was just getting up, looking puzzled and in pain. I didn't care. I was just happy that he was getting up. "Hey, you okay?"
"What did you do?" he managed to get out with that same puzzled look. I chuckled. "I beat them to a pulp."
"That's a lie..." He was literally dying and he still found it necessary to discredit me.
I examined Kol's battered form, my gaze sweeping from his bruised face to the gunshot wound, and finally to the alarming amount of blood oozing from his injuries. It was no wonder he hadn't regained consciousness when I was trying to get him up.
"Yeah, well you didn't do anything much so.." I stated and he chuckled softly. He struggled to raise his middle finger and I only rolled my eyes. I stared at him. He really looks horrible. My heart went out to him. I wish he didn't have to endure any of this -- but then again, he dug his grave.
After a moment, I decided to finally help him up. He hooked on to me for his life, which sort of brought me down because he was ten times my size. I struggled for a while and somehow made it to the stairs. Holding him up was horrible. I couldn't stand the blood on my skin, and I didn't like his soaked clothes touching mine. But I knew I needed to get him at least to a hospital.
"You're fucking huge," I complained.
"No..shit..." He mustered up with a weak smile. I loosened my grip, and he nearly stumbled down the stairs, but I managed to catch him just in time. I stopped, to take a moment to breathe. I cannot carry him down these stairs, no way. An idea, albeit a bad one, came to me, and a small smirk played on my lips.
Once he was seated on the top step, I crouched down.
"Slide down," I instructed.
"How am I supposed to—" I cut him off with an eye roll, then gave him a gentle kick, sending him tumbling down. It wouldn't hurt him much, but it sure made things easier. I know, not the best thing to do to a wounded guy, but him and I struggling down the staircase was definitely not the vibe. Kolton groaned and cried all the way down. I went down after him.
"Wasn't that fun?"
"I hate you. Just get me the fuck out of here." I helped him up, and he leaned on me for support. My plan was to get him to the car before anything else. I needed to make sure he was safe from any attackers. At the back of my mind, I couldn't help but fear that Boris and Har were coming down any minute for us. We trudged back through the tall grass, finally reaching the car. I settled him inside. "I need to go back for something."
"For what? Danny, I'm sorta dying here.."
"Just hang tight for a bit. I'll be right back." I didn't wait for his response; instead, I hurried back toward the house. Bursting through the door, I entered the living room and knelt in front of the black trunk. I retrieved the key from my back pocket and prayed it wasn't just a collection of antique magazines. Inserting the key, I twisted it, and the trunk creaked open.
"Oh, shit..."
The trunk was divided into two halves—on one side, it was stacked to the brim with bags of white powder, and on the other, bundles of cash. I couldn't decide which was more astonishing—the coke or the money. I pushed aside the drugs, focusing on grabbing as much cash as my puny body could carry
I knew it was wiser to take the cash. The police often confiscate drugs and sometimes even use them, so why let them get their hands on the money too? Besides, no one would notice that what I took was missing amidst the massive stash in that trunk. A thought occurred to me, and I realized my pockets couldn't hold much more. I dashed back up the stairs. In the last bedroom, inside the final dresser, I found a duffel bag filled with counterfeit money. Glancing at the unconscious boys, I grabbed the duffel and raced back downstairs. I emptied the real cash from the trunk and replaced it with the counterfeit money from the duffel bag. Once everything was packed away nicely, I picked up my prize and dashed to the door. This might land me in trouble with the law—charges of theft, perhaps—but I didn't care. At least I wouldn't be dead.
I sprinted out of the house and reached the car, tossing the bag onto the floor of the back seat before jumping into the driver's seat. Could I even drive? I'd never owned a car, but I figured I could figure it out. If not, then we were both doomed. Just as I started the car, the blaring sirens of a police car pierced the air. I cursed under my breath. The cops were never on time. Just as I was about to speed away, my phone began to ring. Seriously, Lukas?
"What is it? Why were you calling me-"
"Anna is on her way, okay, don't go anywhere," he said to me.
"What?" The car door suddenly swung open, and I nearly had a heart attack. For a moment, I thought it might be Boris or Har, coming to haunt me. But it wasn't them; it was their sister, Anna. A sigh of relief escaped me. Anna glanced at me before her gaze landed on Kol. She gasped.
"He needs to get to the hospital, Boris and Har are in there. And I'm leaving." I said quickly, not really caring for her response, or about anything at all. My only thought was to get out of there.
"You can't-"
"See you around, sister-in-law," I smirked at her then winked. She still had an annoyed scowl on her face, but then she softened. "Go to Lukas." I could see in her eyes she was worried about Kolton. She kept shifting her glances between us, and every time she looked at him she seemed to be pained.
"What?"
"You should thank him. He deserves that much." Anna said to me. "I'll meet you at the home?" Her soft tone was a bit shocking to me. I don't think I have ever heard this voice from her -- not even when it was Lukas lying in a hospital bed.
Beside me, Kol was being ushered out by the paramedics. I didn't even notice when they opened the passenger side of the door. I turned and then nodded my head to Anna. She patted my arm and then moved away from the car. I started the car and once Kolton was completely out, I sped off, not wanting to spend another second at that scene.