Page 38 of Clean Hack
Stupid move.
Yep.
Couldn’t argue with that if I wanted to. But I was at a loss at this point and rapidly running out of steam as well as strength. If anything, I could call someone and maybe they could tell that something was going on by all the commotion.
Again, I mentally shook my finger at myself for not alerting anyone to what I was up to. See, shit like this happened and I shouldn’t have been shocked at all that it happened tome.
But he was on me before I had a chance to even unlock the damn thing.
His body crushed my back, the carpet unforgiving against my front and I felt my lungs grasp for air. I tried to wriggle free but I felt more like a cockroach twitching as it was dying. My vision went more black than not. I couldn’t hear over the sound of my heartbeat drumming in my ears. My hand blindly reached out in search of something I could use as a weapon. Then my fingers made contact with the thick cord of the charge cable for my laptop. I pulled, hoping that it landed close enough for me to grab it. It bounced off of my shoulder and clanked to he ground, coming to rest next to my head. The asshole was either too busy trying to hold me down to notice or he thought this game was fun. I didn’t want to know. I hoped it was the former because then I’d have the element of surprise on my side. I needed all the advantages I could get right now.
I wrapped my numb fingers around the edge of the laptop and flung my arm back as much as possible. I didn’t have a lot of range in this position and it was awkward to say the least.
Stunned, he wobbled and leaned his weight to one side. I used that to my advantage and bumped my back up, throwing him off balance even further. Then I flipped over and wasted no time beating his head in with my laptop.
A shot went off but he was shooting blindly and it missed me by a mile. Another shot, the sound echoing off the walls. Another slam to the face with the laptop. Blood started to splatter and run down his face. His eyes, cold and sinister, looked more dazed now. With a shake of his head, he tried to regain himself. I swung again, not giving him the chance to. His head whipped to the side with that one. Then I got to my knees as I raised my arms over my head. My breath hitched and caught in my throat as I brought my arms down with more force than I thought I had left in me. I made contact with the top of his head, the laptop cracking nearly in half. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body slumped against the wall.
Was he dead?
What was I supposed to do now?
Did I dare check for a pulse?
I sure as hell didn’t want to get any closer to him but I also wasn’t a complete idiot. I didn’t think I even blinked as I scooted closer, one knee shuffling along the rough carpet slowly, then the other. I barely registered the burn above the fear that had a tight grip on me.
His fingers twitched at his sides. I nearly jumped and screamed but somehow managed to not freak out. Then I saw his chest rise and fall slowly. He wasn’t dead, just knocked out. That wasn’t good enough. And as his shoulders started to move, I knew I had to act quickly. But how the hell was I supposed to kill someone? I mean, I got that I had already killed two people. Well, mostly. I was pretty sure the one I stabbed would have bled out soon enough even if this guy hadn’t of shot him. However, I wasn’t thinking when I killed them. I was fighting for my life and reacting strictly on instinct. Now, this guy, I’d had time to think of something. Time to plan. Which, somehow felt so wrong and strange. I could get up. I could run. But I had a feeling I wouldn’t get far.
However, the overactive, I’m-still-on-a-mission part of my brain started tossing out ideas. If I tied this guy up, then I could get information out of him. I could get him to tell me how to get into the compound. He could tell me where Allison was and the best way to get to her. So, I reached for the laptop cable with all intents and purposes of using it to tie him up. Or at least part of him.
His maniacal laugh rang out before I could even snatch the cord up. So I abandoned my stupid plan and changed tactics because there was no other way. I shouldn’t have even felt bad about it. I had no choice, or so I led myself to believe.
With shaky fingers, I gripped the top of his head, his hair feeling thick and slick against my skin. I screwed my eyes closed tight and prayed that my aim was as good as I saw it in my mind. There was a wet crunch as the side of his head collided with the sharp corner of the bedside table. I didn’t hesitate to do it again. His body lost its struggle and suddenly it felt like I was holding all of his weight by his head even though he was still sitting.
A strange squeak-squeal hybrid escaped me as I released his hair and fell on my ass, my back hitting the side of the mattress as his body flopped to the floor with a thud. I scrambled across the room and tucked myself into the far corner, reaching for the baseball bat along the way. I knew there was a freak out coming and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I just wanted to be as far away from the bodies as possible. I knew I should get up and get the hell away from this room. But I also knew myself well enough that I wouldn’t be able to just yet.
Three dead bodies.
I didn’t have the first clue what to do now. Not with the bodies. Not with the blood that was splattered all around the room. And not even with myself.
After I was able to collect myself enough to close the door and find my phone, I called the one person that would know what to do with a situation like this. I was about to talk to him unfiltered and unhidden. There would no longer be that veiled disguise I could hide behind. I knew I’d be face-to-face with him soon enough. There would be no going back after this but I didn’t have any other choice. I was about to meet the man that had been such a mystery to me for so many years. That only added to my anxiety and panic.
He was about to see me.
I was a wreck of a mess on a good day.
And with all that was around me, you could have just said that I was completely broken now.
