Chapter 24
Three strikes. Three strikes, that's all a player can get in a baseball game. No more than three, that's what Lucas had understood about the game, that's what he'd learned ever since a was a little boy and was told to go into the field and hit the ball. The pitcher however wasn't going to go easy on him.
He'd failed to hit the ball at all three trials.
"Strike three!" the referee had shouted, "your out!"
Lucas had felt like a failure and ever since then he'd never wanted to fail. Never again
Lucas had hit Jake right on the thigh while at the same time he pushed the gun forward such that it's barrel was pointing up from under his chin.
Three strikes is all you get and Jake Harper had already used his.
He'd managed to evade a headshot in the corridor. Strike one.
Then he'd avoided another one at the door when he rolled to the side. Strike two, even though the bullet grazed him.
Bang! Strike three. No way could Jake Harper evade a bullet when it would so clearly ripple through his chin and blast his face off. Lucas had closed his eyes when he'd pulled the trigger. He felt Jake's blood splatter part of his face and he was positive that his fight was over.
Lucas was about to rest him left arm and let go of the gun but the gun was ramming into his direction. His eyes shot open.
That's not possible, Lucas thought as shock clouded his mind.
How? Was he hallucinating?
A grunt made him decide he was not.
Jake Harper was very much alive but his chin was solden with blood. Jake pushed the gun in his direction.
"You persistent son of_," he never finished the sentence. Jake's free left hand was attacking frantically, hit anything it could find.
Jake was no longer using his logic to fight but his body's instinct to survive–probably activated by the near death experience–was taking over. Jake's attacks were so unorthodox yet they were catching Lucas off-guard.
Lucas had received a punch to the face then the gut. Jake's fist landed in the middle of his sternum which caused him to lose his breath. For a second Lucas thought he was going to blackout. He fought back the reflex and pushed his right hand to fight back. He punched Jake on the shoulder and then the chest. Lucas' body was battling to survive the same way that Jake was.
He rammed his fist wherever it could land and he was satisfied to see that it was getting the desired effect. On of them was going to walk out of the alive and Lucas would make sure that it wasn't Jake but the guy was sure as hell not going out without a fight. He felt pain shoot up his leg as Jake rammed his knee into his upper thigh.
With a groan, Lucas hit him back on his ribcage area. The gun changed direction and was pointing towards Jake once more. Lucas could feel a smile creeping up on his face.
All he needed to do was give Harper one last push and he'd have the liberty of making sure that Jake Harper remained dead this time.
He slammed his fist on Jake's exposed cheek. Jake yelped and Lucas pushed the gun further into his face but the movement was only slight as Jake still had some resistance in him.
Lucas withdrew his fist and slammed it again. The gun jerked further into Jake's face. Lucas was about to withdraw his fist but Jake had other things in mind.
Lucas couldn't move his hand as sets of teeth bit down and held his hand in place. With an animal like howl, he tried to yank his hand free but Jake's teeth had locked down tight to the point that blood was seeping out from the bitten area but Jake wouldn't let go.
Lucas screamed and pulled but Jake wouldn't barge. His hand was held in place and when he saw Jake using his right hand to assist his left in pushing the gun away from himself but towards Lucas, he realized he had to do something and fast. Jake pushed and bit even harder, Lucas screamed and struggled to get free.
This was a fight to the death. If it was portrayed in a Hollywood movie it probably would have been shown as an epic battle but the truth of reality is that those fights are anything but epic or pretty.
"You're a prick Harper!" Lucas yelled as the gun was pointed directly at his throat. Jake responded by biting down harder.
"Mother_" Lucas couldn't finish the sentence as Jake pulled the trigger and the bullet burst through Lucas' throat with a fury like no other. The floor behind him was painted crimson red. Lucas was gagging on his own blood as it spilled through the crater in his neck. Jake had released his hand from his mouth and he spat his blood out.