It didn't take Alec too long to discover that something was amiss. Looking down at the balcony, two bulgy men were walking quickly in his direction. Their sizes did not bother Alec much, but what scares him is the machine guns they armed themselves with.
Alec quickly ran back to the small room and locked the half-hinged door firmly and retreated. He could hear from a distance the men threatening some of the tenants to say something.
"I swear, I didn't see anyone arrive here, I am just coming from the supermarket, please", an old man spoke fearfully in Spanish. Luckily Alec took Spanish lessons, so he was able to understand what they were saying. Then, there was a gunshot, followed by screamings.
Alec panned across the room for a place to hide, but the room was too small. There was no feasible place to hide. Then, he heard footsteps approaching the room he was staying in.
Even if these guys kill me, I would not die in real life, right? As much as Alec wanted to believe it, he didn't want to use his life and experiment. So far, this game was the most realistic game he had ever experienced.
Bang Bang!
"Open the door, now!" One of the bulgy men shouted and bang the door, which groaned on its weak hinges. Alec covered his mouth and tiptoed to the left side of the door. The idea was that if these killers finally opened the door, it would cover him, hopefully.
"Break the door", the leader ordered his subordinate. Then with only two hits, the door finally gave way. They barged into the room with guns pointed ahead of them. "He's not here", one of them said, lowering his gun. After a brief silence, Alec, who was at the back of the door, heard an outgoing call ringing.
"Sir, he escaped", the leader said. "It's not possible. I received a tip that he was here, and no one saw him leave that apartment. He hiding somewhere, so find him, and send me a picture of his severed head to confirm you've completed the job", the person on the other line concluded and disconnected the call.
"Alright, move". The two bulgy men left the room and spread out to search for him. Alec waited for more than five minutes before he was sure they were not coming back, then he slowly came out of the door. He was drenched with sweat, and his heart was beating erratically. This was the first time Alec had experienced a close encounter with death.
But all the time he cultivated his mental fortitude did not go to waste. Despite the reeling experience, his eyes were very clear. "How am I going to escape from here?"
Looking at the gun on the drawer, he hesitated as to whether he should take it or not. He has never seen a gun with his eyes, not to talk of holding them. But right now, this might save his life.
With shaking hands, he grabbed the butt of the gun and examined it. It felt slightly heavy and metallic. There might already be loaded bullets inside of the magazine.
As he was learning how to hold it, the door suddenly flew open, causing Alec's heart to leap to his mouth. He pointed the gun he held towards the intruder with very shaky hands. "Stand back!" Alec said with a shaky voice.
The man in Alec's front was not one of the bulgy men that came to his room earlier, he didn't even look like a gangster at all. He was wearing a tee-shirt covered in a jacket and jeans. He raised his hands when he saw Alec pointing the gun.
"Hey, it's me, amigo! Come on, let's get outta here", the man said in English with a heavy Mexican accent. "Wh...who are you?" alec asked warily. The man stared at Alec dumbfounded. "Are you joking at this time amigo, you want to die, come on follow me. I know of a place you will be safe", the man said and stretched out his right hands.
Alec was still hesitating as to if he should follow this man. Although the man didn't dress like a gangster, he was not sure if he was an enemy or a friend. "Come on amigo we have no time!" The man pressed on further.
With a sigh, Alec followed the man and they both walked out of the room. At this point, even if he died, it would not be his fault. The game didn't give him the list of people that were on his side.
As they both went downstairs, a gunshot rang, and the man with the jacket suddenly cried. Blood began to flow out of his shoulders. "Damn it, damn it! Santiago, run, run!" The man ran with all his might, leaving Alec, who had a weaker physique behind.
It didn't take Alec too long before he started panting. He has not run this long before. Then, another gunshot rang, but this time, it was aimed at him. Luckily Alec wasn't running in at the straight line, otherwise, his skull would have been obliterated.
However, because the bullet whizzed past his cheeks, the force it carried with tore Alec's skin a little. With gritted teeth, he pushed his body to the limit. From afar, Alec saw the man in a jacket waving at him to come inside the vehicle.
Alec turned abruptly and changed direction. Just as he did that, another bullet whizzed past his neck. If he was a step slower, he would have been shot dead. "Run quickly, don't look back", the man cried loudly. Alec kept dodging the bullet with all his might, but the distance between him and the car was still slightly far. "10... 9... 8", Alec counted in his heart as he dodged another bullet. He was already panting heavily, and his body was giving him signs of collapsing.
"7... 6... 5". A bullet went past his shoulder, burning the portion of the cloth slightly. The melted cloth dropped on his bare skin, causing him to wince in pain.
"Behind you!" The man suddenly yelled. Alec was just about to ask why he said that when he felt something smash his head. Because his body was weak, he could not recover from the impact, so he stumbled and fell, face flat.