Chapter 10: Out
I had never tried robbing a bank before, but if I were to do it? Man. . . This, right here, would be the feeling somehow as we were about to escape.
The four of us were extremely quiet that night, as we crept to the door to find our luck. Alright, I wasn't creeping like them, so to speak. It was more of me being assisted by Audra, Hanz leading the way. As for Neil, it wasn't new that he would go barking orders even when he was on the rear. What did I expect?
"You're being too loud," Hanz complained as Neil, once more gave us instructions of what to do. Being on the front, Hanz had almost obstructed the view of the whole door, his massive frame not leaving room for anything else.
"I'll quiet when you do this right, Peterson," Neil replied.
"Shh!" Audra said. "Are you guys ready?"
Hanz squared his shoulders, took a brief look at us, lifted his weapon, the same one us the other's. "Keep in the shadows. Mash anyone's head who gets in our way. I get it already." He glanced forward again before anyone could agree. "Here we go." He paused, then opened the door.
Everyone's breath was held when the entryway to the alley was finally revealed. It was dark outside, almost pitch black due to the time. Being in the back alley, it was hard to tell if the streetlights were on, or if it was off like in this area's case. But one thing was for sure. It would be easier for whoever were chasing us to spot us if we used a flashlight. So we didn't dare open one.
"Ready?" Hanz asked, moving an inch forward. "This is our chance to escape. Audra, on your signal. I don't see anyone on the alley outside."
"Go."
Audra lifted me on her back the moment Hanz was out of the way, brought the two of us forward too.
I felt a little bit guilty when this was suggested. After all, why couldn't anyone else had lifted me instead? Why Audra? But the boys each had their own duties; I just had to lessen the load for everyone else. As such, I remained perfectly still on Audra's back while we filed outside the store's office, but it was hard to do so, seeing how cold it was.
I shivered when the wind blew over.
Audra pulled me closer to her. "It's okay," she whispered. "Just hold on to me."
I would have given her a short reply if it wasn't for the fact that my heart was racing; both at the thought of being caught by those tracers, and at being too close to her. I could smell the shampoo Audra had used days before. After all that had happened, she was still smelling good. Like fine wine. Or dark chocolate like I'd love to compare her to.
My inconvenient thoughts were brought back to the present, when Neil cleared his throat behind us. "Well?" he whispered. "Is the coast clear?"
"Just a second," Hanz said, his voice barely audible. "My eyes are still trying to adjust."
As with mine. I shook my head a little gently. Need I remind myself that this was not the time to think of strange thoughts towards Audra? I had to focus. I wanted to help us too.
I squinted forward, then to the corners where people could be hiding. Where tracers could be lurking to catch us. "There's no one further," I whispered. "There's only a big trash bin and a broken bicycle."
"No one speaks from here on out," Neil said. "You want something, you tap somebody's shoulder like we've gone through."
"Copy." All of us said.
Hanz gave us a nod and started moving forward again. Audra, who was holding me on her back tightly, followed right after him. Neil was right behind us. Everything was going according to plan, for a few steps at the back alley at least, until we hit our first roadblock.
"Crap, here it is," Hanz whispered, though he needn't tell us what it was. Everyone saw it because it was staring us right on the face. The wooden fence we'd come across was too damn high.
One of the many we'd had to go over to get to a working manhole.
"Like planned, you go over first, Hanz," Audra directed. "And then, when the coast is clear, I'll lift Pax to you. You catch her from the other side, right?"
"Right." Yet Hanz gave us all a worried look. "I just don't like being separated with you guys for a few seconds though. Even with just a damn wooden wall."
"Deal with it, Peterson." Neil's voice was strangely cut off from behind us. "You know that the only way we can get to the manhole is we cut through fences like this. The main streets are no good. This is the only way to get out of here."
"Alright." Hanz looked forward to the wall again, positioned his weapon between his teeth. "Up I go then," he mumbled.
Hanz moved upward on the fence, with the speed I hadn't seen him make in a few days—the last one being in school. No wonder he was our district's wrestling champion with his momentum. Even Audra had to whistle under breath.
We waited for a few seconds.
And another one or two.
I was beginning to get worried when something knocked on the other side of the fence.
"I'm okay," Hanz said, eliciting relieved breaths on our end. If it was not okay, and we had our trouble this early in the journey, we would be caught in the streets, maybe shot and killed. We didn't know what would happen, really.
Another knock on the other side of the fence. "Audra, you can lift Pax up now. Don't worry, I'll catch her."
"Thanks," Audra said, though in truth, it should be me who should be thanking Hanz, or her for that matter.
I knew it wasn't my fault; those tracers did a number on me. But still, I was a little bit guilty. If I wasn't shot— if I wasn't this weak, then maybe it would be so much easier for us to do this. To escape. But I was shot, and here we were. A small part of me was mimicking Neil in my head, wrecking my ego from head to toe.
"Don't think about anything." Audra halted my thoughts. For someone who was going to do this more than a dozen times today, she looked mighty cheerful as she turned her head to me. "I don't," she whispered, "when it gets hard. . . I don't think. I just do. Now don't be scared, Pax."
"O-okay." Which still wasn't a thank you. Either way, we both braced ourselves for the task. Behind us, I could see Neil surveying the alley where we'd come from. And to think we'd have to do this lifting and surveying over and over again until we reach the manhole.
Another strong gust of autumn wind ripped through us as Audra's hands finally positioned me in front of her. "Here we go," she grunted. Both of us readied. "Up you go, Pax."
It was suddenly so much higher than I remembered. One moment, I was being lifted by Audra, my calf throbbing in pain with the motion. And the next, I could see most of the neighborhood. For a short while anyway, before another set of strong hands from the other side of the fence was taking me.
"There," Hanz said, accepting me like I weighted like rag doll. "You good, Pax?"
"No. . . I mean, yes."
"Great then." Hanz turned to the fence. "We should probably call Audra up. It's in our protocol not to cross until the one on the other side gives a go."
"I know," I muttered.
Hanz was about to knock on the wood again. But something— something. . . I barely heard it myself, gave a loud sound before he could.
Both of us froze when the growl behind us inched closer.
Looking behind me, I saw the source of the sound foaming at the mouth.
Shit!
That was an understatement. If I could invent a new word for the situation where we were in right now, I would have gladly made up some kind of thing that would trump shit by a mile, except I wasn't offered that luxury.
A Rottweiler. A big ass one was currently watching us with its dark, menacing eyes, its matching black fur almost invisible in the dark.
Hanz raised his hand nervously as if to thwart it off. "Nice doggie," he whispered, his voice shaking along with his whole body. I would have asked him to calm down, except I was too focused on the dog, whose steps were too great to call it an inch or two. They were a lot. "Nice, nice, doggie. . ."
"Arf!"
"Hanz, calm down. . ."
"Guys? What's going on out there?" Audra sounded impatient. I would be too. I mean, she didn't know what was happening from her side. She probably though we had an accident.
The dog continued going forward.
"Pax, we need to run," Hanz whispered.
"No, we can't."
"But. . . It's coming towards us. It has rabies."
No it didn't.
Okay, maybe it did. But who was I to tell him that? I was too shaken up myself.
Hanz squeaked when the dog opened its jaw wide, showing us more saliva than I'd ever seen before in my life.
Calm down, I wanted to tell Hanz again. Calm down. And maybe the freaking dog would calm down too. But I was a second too late as the animal suddenly sprang on us. Hanz dropped me in shock.
"Aah!" he screamed, as he ran and the dog ran after him.
"Hanz!"
"Guys! What the hell is going on?!"
"Audra, come back here!"
There were too many voices in the night. Too many whispers. Too many yells. It wouldn't take long now until the homeowner of the God-forsaken house opens his light and catches us trespassing, calls on the police.
And then what?
I was only beginning to massage my aching backside when I heard another growl.
"H-Hanz?"
Nope.
I turned.
It wasn't Hanz and his dog. It was a new one altogether. A different collar on its neck.
Uh-oh!
"Nice doggie. . ." Now it was turn. Because I wasn't Hanz, was I? I couldn't even run if I wanted to. "Nice doggie. . . Nice doggie. . ."
"Pax, I'm coming over."
"No, Audra!" Neil said.
The dog was coming nearer and nearer, and on the background, Neil and Audra were still bickering at each other.
I tried to look for a weapon for myself, yet sadly everything I would need was probably on the other end of the yard. And my companions here didn't think of giving me my own weapon. Neil said it was pointless.
"Nice doggie. . ." I squeaked.
"Grr. . ."
It was far too close to me now. I could see its fur going on its end. Its powerful legs were about to stretch forward. To make matters worse, someone was going on a u-turn. Hanz, with his new best friend, was coming full circle.
"Get away, Pax!" he warned, waving his hands. "Get away!"
"How?!" I said. I think he was forgetting one important fact.
Above me, there was a subtle gasp. "Shit!" Audra said, as she saw the situation.
Shit, indeed. Shituation. Yet, what could I do? Hanz was about to crash onto me, a couple of seconds now. That is, of course, if my own spiderpig of a dog didn't lunge on me first, which I think it was raring to do.
Any second now. I counted.
Three. . .
Two. . .
Hanz's hysteria was infectious. My eyes were beginning to widen. I covered my face.
Here they all come.
"Pax!" Audra yelled, before everyone rammed on me.
It was a blend of fur, saliva, and nudging. On the other side, I turned, only to see Hanz rolling on the ground, twitching to himself like he was trying to put out a fire. "I have rabies!" he screamed. "I'm rabid!"
But before I could even tell him that he was not, in fact, that, another lick on my face made me giggle out loud. The Rottweiler was slurping me.
I caught a sight of Audra's face as she finally jumped down from the fence. It was pure of surprise. "How?" she asked, "Were you able to do that?"
"Do what?" I asked, giggling again.
Audra stared from me to the dog, which was too dangerous for its own good, attacking me with its paws relentlessly, trying to hug me. "I thought. . ." Audra shook her head, then went on her knee, just beside me.
"You thought what?" I asked.
The dog was interested in Audra now, trying to lick her face.
"Never mind," Audra said, brushing the dogs fur. "You're amazing, you know that, Pax?"
For what? But this pleasing sensation spread in my stomach. Unbelievable.
Yet I couldn't fully enjoy it, because another second and it was Neil's turn to jump down. "The hell is Peterson doing?" he asked. We all turned to Hanz.
While his dog was sitting beside him, its tail wagging, its mouth wide open, dripping more saliva, Hanz was still rolling on the floor, singing the school anthem now, at the same time mumbling to himself whenever he had the chance.
Audra and I just shook our heads when Neil went to the other guy, kicked him straight on the side.
"Hey, Peterson," Neil said. "You're alive. Get on your feet. You're embarrassing us. You're just like Leighton here."
"So you like animals, Pax?" Audra's question drew me back to her.
"Err, yeah. . ." I said. "We used to have a dog. A Pit Bull named Pipa."
"What happened to her?"
My stomach gave a dip. This was one of the areas in my life I didn't want to talk about. But I guess, with Audra, it was safe. "We had to give her away. We were too. . . busy to take care of her," I said.
"I see. . ." But Audra's face had straightened once more. I didn't know what she was thinking. "Anyway," she murmured. "I'm afraid the four of us must go."
"Do you think the neighbors were alerted?" Hanz was sitting properly down now, his face flushed under the newly emerged moonlight on the sky.
Neil shook his head in disgust, shifted each of the bag he was bringing on his shoulders. "If they were, then we'd probably be dead by now. No thanks to the two of you." Neil shook his head again. "Say goodbye to your beastly friends," he said. "We don't know if the tracers are on their way. We need to scram. Now."
I turned to the dog once more while my companions dusted themselves off. Hanz, who had recovered, was coming back to us.
"I'm sorry about that, Pax," he said. "Really, I shouldn't have dropped you."
But I was more focused on the Rottweiler now. It had been a while since I played with a dog. Some things you couldn't let go of, even if you tried.
Audra, leaning down to me, whispered under her breath. "I know. . ."
Know what?
I looked at her to ask, but saw the understanding on her eyes. An acceptance somehow. A welcome. And though she didn't say it to me out loud, somehow she knew. . . That deep inside, I was keeping something too.