Page 46 of Trick

The headstone we’re hiding behind explodes. Chunks of stone fly into the air around us like mini projectiles, and I curl tighter around her as they land.

Lifting my head slightly, I try to pinpoint where the attack is coming from. A group of men, all wearing long, dark coats, all pointing guns in our direction, are running towards us from the top of the hill.

Fucking Pioneers.

It has to be.

I envelop Heidi, ignoring the way her little whimpers and yelps of fear turn my gut into a knot of anxiety.

When the bullets stop, I know we only have a few seconds to run before they start firing again. We have to be quick and make every second count before they reload.

It feels as if it takes an eternity, but in reality, it’s only a matter of seconds before the cemetery falls silent once again.

I don’t hesitate, surging to my feet. I’m not gentle as I tug Heidi up, my hand locking around hers.

I glimpse the wild, terrified look in her eyes, but there isn’t time to comfort her. If we’re going to survive this, we have to run.

Dragging her through the maze of headstones, I move at a brutal pace as the gunfire restarts. She stumbles, barely keeping up with my long strides, but I don’t slow as bullets whiz around us.

My ears are ringing and my heart is thudding in my chest. The irony that I might die in a graveyard is not lost on me. The universe sure as fuck has a warped sense of humour.

“Keep moving,” I rasp as Heidi stumbles, almost falling over her feet.

She doesn’t answer, but her ragged breaths are answer enough.

My bike is parked up where I left it, but as we approach that direction, I see other men in dark coats coming towards us.

Fuck.

Getting trapped is a death sentence, but I’m not sure we can reach my bike before them. My decision here is going to determine whether we live or die, and that’s terrifying. Once again, I’m surrounded by death.

In a split second, I make my decision. I turn in a different direction, one that leads away from our attackers. I know there is a fence that surrounds the cemetery, but if we can scale it, we may be able to escape into the housing estate behind.

It’s our only chance.

I ignore everything except for the small hand gripping mine so tightly that my bones ache.

As we pass a headstone, I glimpse an old woman ducked down behind it, trying to protect herself from the hail of bullets raining down around us.

I want to help her, but it’s not her these men are after. I change direction, leading the bullets away from her, hoping like hell she survives this. I don’t need anyone else’s death on my hands.

My lungs are on fire as we cut across the grass until I can see the fence, can taste freedom.

We’re going to make it.

As soon as we’re close, I interlace my fingers together, creating a step to hoist Heidi over the fence. Her fingers grip the top of it as she scrambles over, dropping onto the grass on the other side.

A quick glance behind me costs precious seconds, but I use it to pinpoint where our enemies are coming from. I can’t count exactly how many are out there, but at a guess, it’s at least seven or eight.

“Trick!”

The panic in her voice has me spinning around. She looks terrified, so I don’t waste any time. I heave myself up, flipping my body over the top of the fence, and drop onto the grass next to her.

I grab her hand again, and we take off at a sprint. Ahead of us is a row of garages, single-storey, with rusty-looking doors. I pull her down the side of them and into a narrow alley that opens out onto the street.

Terraced houses run either side of the road, each one looking identical to its neighbour, the only differences are the doors on the front. Cars are crammed into every space, making the road narrow, but it is perfect for us to hide.

We rush across the street, using the cars on the other side as cover until another alley opens up between the houses.

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