Page 96 of Twisted Obsession

Aaron and I pointed weapons into the darkness below as D slung the thick metal door open. A gust of cold air flew from the darkness and washed over us. My night goggles adjusted to the thicker darkness that enveloped a steep set of stairs that descended into nothingness. A chilling gust of wind flew past us, alerting us that there was movement somewhere in the darkness. The sound of approaching footsteps didn’t stop me from stepping down.

The approaching man triggered a motion-light that lit the stairwell. The sudden light blinded me before I slung my goggles off my face, but not before I sent hot slugs towards the man’s head and heart.

Eleven.

It hadn’t occurred right away that Aaron had sent slugs of his own into the unlucky bastard. We paused all movement, listening for more to approach. When no sound met us, we proceeded down.

The stairs led to a sharp right turn into a dim, cement entryway that presented two huge metal doors.

“It’s operated by key-card,” D announced. “I’ll see if I can find one on the stiff you two pumped full of holes.”

Aaron and I waited at the door, guns at the ready as D turned and searched the man for the access card that would get us through the doors. We had no idea what waited for us on the other side of those doors, but we were ready to face it. This place was heavily secured and guarded. Were we at one of DG6’s safe houses?

D returned with his weapon ready and aimed in one hand as he waved the card in front of the doors with the other. One of the doors popped open about a foot wide, making light spill into the dim space we stood in. The strong odor of chemicals greeted us, seeping through the crack.

The sound of machinery being operated threw me off. What in the hell was this place?

I eased the door open with the toe of my boot and stepped through. Aaron followed, aiming in the opposite direction as me. D let us move a good distance in before he approached the door.

There were industrial-sized mixing instruments. Glass and rubber tubing ran like veins around the area. Boxes of supplies were stacked floor to ceiling. My attention was drawn to the large barrels of volatile chemicals and propane tanks that lined the walls and hinted that this was one of DG6’s dope making facilities.

“Who the fuck are you?” came a voice, followed by an eruption of hot slugs. We dived for cover as more voices sounded and more bullets chased us. I knew enough about drug labs to know that shooting inside one could kill us all.

I’d taken cover behind the engine area of a large metal device. Aaron dived behind a wall of thick wooden crates that I was willing to bet was a stack of their finished product. D dived back out of the door into the hall. Quick glances and the fact that bullets were flying from at least three different directions let me know that there were at least three men in this area.

Although it was only minutes, we traded fire for what seemed like an hour. I didn’t have time to play shootout when someone could have been hurting or getting away with Regina again.

My desperate eyes searched for any advantage I could get over these assholes. When my gaze fell on the big green oxygen canister a few feet away from one of the assholes shooting at us, I took aim and fired at it.

One clean shot was all it took. The loud explosion rocked the building around us and sent the man’s body parts in about five different directions.

Ten.

A few areas flickered with fire, but the smoke the explosion left behind aided me in seeking out the others. The silent tap of a weapon on the other side of the room let me know that Aaron had killed another.

Nine.

The thump of Nine’s body hitting the floor sounded as I chased the fleeting footsteps of the other guy.

I didn’t notice the set up until it was too late. A hard and heavy object came down over my head, disorienting me. The object collided with my hand next, and my gun clinked to the floor. A foot came at me, but I stopped it from striking the side of my head. Although my vision was blurred from the hit on my head, it didn’t stop me from fighting back.

I blocked a superman-punch and sent my knuckles into the man’s chin. He shook off my hit and came back with more kicks. I could have gone hand to hand with this dick all night, but I had more important shit to do. I left my face open to his fist on purpose, hoping he’d make the mistake of falling into my deadly clutches.

As his hard fist knocked my head back with a sharp punch, I allowed him to believe he had the upper hand. His fatal mistake was rearing back to come at me with another punch. In my hunched position, I rushed him, colliding into him hard enough to send us against the wall.

After a straining battle for dominance, I maneuvered my body around his so that I could take his back. Once I had his back, his ass was as good as gone. With my right arm around his neck like a vise, I gripped my left arm to force his head down to cut off his air supply.

Within seconds his body went limp in my arms, but I didn’t want him all the way out. He groaned and attempted to break away from me as I lowered him onto the floor, sitting him in front of me.

My lips dipped to his ear, and I whispered to him, “You’re lucky I’m in a rush, motherfucker,” right before the loud snap of his neck vibrated against my arms. I tossed his body aside. His wide eyes peered at me as his head sat unnaturally facing the back of his body.

Eight.

Another double tap sounded in my ear—either Aaron or D taking out another.

Seven.

If D’s count had been right, there should have been five of them left plus Regina. I continued to move down the hall as I talked. “D, how many heat signatures are you picking up?”

“Six and you are the closest to them,” he informed.

“Wait for me, Ansel,” came Aaron’s voice. He knew good and well that if it were Megan down here, his ass wouldn’t wait for me.

Peeling wooden tables came into view as I approached an area surrounded by cement walls that had started to crack and crumble. The sound of her voice invigorated my body with a searing passion that settled into my bones and eased my mind before it came to rest in my chest.

“You can rape and kill me, but you are going to die much worse than me,” came Regina’s voice. As quickly as her voice had calmed me, the words she’d spoken had flipped me into a state of controlled madness.

I proceeded with caution, easing ahead in silence. When I turned into the open entryway of the break room, and my gaze landed on him, my breath hitched, and my face drew into a tight frown of confusion.

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