Page 77 of No Mercy
We enter another abandoned room, the glow of our masks being the only thing to be seen. There is no sign of life, not even a hint of the men we expected to find here. No Marco, No guards. Just… Silence.
“I don’t like this,” Mandy says, “Where the hell is everyone? Why would they leave the place empty?”
My grip tightens around the gun, ready for whatever may come after we round this corner. “I don’t know, but I don’t trust it.”
Ant stops, his fingers moving the screen in his hand. His eyes flicker up at the others before handing it up for us to see.
Carter moves forward, examining it. “There’s no activity nearby. It’s a decoy.”
“No.” Flynn shouts, moving towards a door on the other side, he pushes it open examining the area before throwing his fist against the wall.
“Fuck!”
He isn’t here.
We stand facing each other, waiting for someone to say something. Our whole plan revolved in Axel being here.
Flynn turns to walk back to us but when he does, he stops. Angling his head towards the door he just opened.
“Did you hear that?” He asks.
Nobody talks, waiting for whatever Flynn heard to happen again.
A scream.
Carter's head snaps towards the direction of the noise, “It’s coming from the other warehouse. Move. Now!”
Everyone follows Carter as he heads back into the direction we just came in. The sound of our running footsteps echoing off the walls around us.
We exit the door, ending up back where we started, we listen carefully, waiting for the scream and then it happens.
“This way!” Carter shouts as he leads the way to a warehouse further down. When we approach, two of Marco’s men spot us and raise their weapons. Gunnar pulls the trigger from behind us causing a gush of wind from the bullet as it whips past our heads and into the body of one, sending them to the ground, while Carter takes out the second.
Flynn turns, facing both me and Mandy, “Stay close, both of you.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice as I stand frozen to the spot, I’ve never seen a dead person before. Never mind witnessing a murder. I try to breathe, but the smell of blood and gunpowder choke me. I want to look away, but I can’t. I raise my trembling hand to my mouth, as sickness swims inside of my stomach.
This is not the time Eva.
I didn’t imagine that this is what would happen, I knew it wouldn’t be good but I thought I’d be stronger than this. How can anyone be ready for something like this?
The sound of gunshots echoes through the warehouse an my body flinches, waiting to be hit. Every instinct in me screams to run, to escape but I can’t. I can’t leave them behind. I can’t leave Axel.
I look up, seeing that Flynn and Carter have already opened the door and are shooting inside. I glance at Mandy, her face pale from the side of her mask.
We’ve been thrown into a war zone, unprepared for what is surrounding us.
“You have to keep moving.” Gunnar commands from behind us.
I blink, snapping out of my paralysed state. Gunnar locks eyes with me and I see the urgency under his mask.
Mandy exhales sharply, shaking herself and for the first time, she meets my eyes with a different look. A look of pure determination I’ve never seen from her before. She nods once, before pulling me towards the door.
Everything is moving so fast, but I force my feet to keep moving forward. The others are already in the warehouse, their guns raised as the sound of bullets flying fills the air. In the distance the faint shouts of people calling for backup as we move deeper inside.
I listen, waiting for any indication that Axel is inside but there is too much going on that I can’t think.
Flynn’’s voice cuts through the chaos unfolding in front of us, “Eva! Mandy! Get in here now!”
