'Gordon's? I think I have heard this name. If I remember correctly, they are a very influential family but… taking risk over some assumptions…'
She gave it a serious thought while working at the same time.
"No one is going anywhere, if you want to live just follow me quietly," she placed her finger over her lips and looked around.
The old man clicked his tongue and gestured Leigh through his eyes, 'See, I told you she would not help us!'.
That's what he meant by those gesturing when Leigh pouted feeling depressed. She didn't want to stay here, but she neither wanted to leave without her saviour.
She was in a troublesome situation when the grandpa seeing the chance held her arm and started to move between the crowd to sneak outside.
"I am telling you; we only need to reach the roof and everything will be over by that time. I will tell my grandson about this young girl, so don't worry and let's leave, he will take care of everything". With an aloof look but serious tone he succeeded in persuading her.
But their luck wasn't that good. The one together with Tia had his eyes on them from quite the beginning of this chaos and now he has caught the both of them.
His gun moved from Leigh to the old man and then reversed. Everyone stopped their movement and moved away from the three.
As Tia realized that something was weird and that the crowd was pushing to a certain side, she moved out of the crowd and reached the centre. The two of them were on their knees and hand folded behind their head while the soldier has his wide grin and eyes scanning them.
"What's up?" Tia asked after swallowing.
The man lifted his eyes and smirked, "You were so near, did you not realize their running intentions?".
Tia threw a look at those two's back. She felt irritated for a moment since they did what she has forbidden them to.
"Let them go. We should focus more on taking all of them out from here," she said.
But she wasn't his superior and his hostility showed, he was waiting for this chance.
He scoffed at her. how can she even think that he will do what she asks! "Leave them? Yo dreaming girl? Taking all of them out from here is not possible…" he agitated and started counting on his fingers, "There are more than fifty of them and we haven't counted the one from other room yet".
Tia took a deep breath, while she was feeling hot out of anxiety, her eyes only for once met Leigh who was glancing back at her.
"Its survival of the fittest for us and obedience for them. They die if they use their mind!" he grinned and was about to shoot those two.
Tia mind was in a total chaos, she didn't really understand why but she had already shot that man and he was now lying on the ground while his blood splattered at those two faces.
Breathing heavily due to anxiety, she scratched her head and swallowed, "Come on, you two, get up and move quickly".
She screamed at them.
Not the old man but Leigh was petrified at the sight of the man lying in front of her. Even her finger was not moving, her whole body was out of question. Seeing her petrified like that, the old man pulled her with all his strength with his lips pursed and breathed in.
"We don't have time for this. Giddy up and get going, young lady," he said to Leigh and turned back, his narrow eyes with the goal of surviving stared Tia, "We should take the stairs. My people are waiting at the roof".
There was still some chance left for Tia. If she wanted, she could just make up something and escape from the punishment of killing her comrade but seeing that confidence and believe in the old man eyes, she nodded, "Ok but remember, if its someone else on the roof than all of us dies here. Choice is yours; I will follow you just this once".
Even if those words that could flicker once confidence, the old man looked calm and ready to grab his freedom again. He didn't utter a word and just dragged Leigh with him since she was, too, shocked to be able to move or think.
…
"How many floors more?" the old man asked.
There was him, Leigh, Tia and some other prisoners who thought that this might be their last chance while some other left on their own.
Tia looked at the stairs and then at the lift at the side. It was out of service due to the emergency situation so they had no choice but to take on those stairs and she said, "Four more floors".
They all were heaving, some in panic while some due to lack of exercise. Tia was guiding them and killing any soldier who caught them escaping.
They passed two floors without any hindrance but while reaching the third they were again spotted by the man who was of the same ranking as Tia and was earlier together with the one who was killed.
"I told you, did I not? Stop fooling around or things will not be easy," he looked like a psycho as he moved toward them.
He was coming from above and because of that they could no longer move toward their goal.
"83, move".
His number assigned was 83. He chuckled hearing her and seeing her so firm.
"So, you finally decided to come in front rather than helping those things from behind," he slightly twisted his neck to the right and then left while staring those prisoners.
He was grinning but the hatred in his eyes was clear.